Blog | 20 March 2020
Online resources available during social distancing and self-isolation
In this difficult time, it may be useful to know about some of the amazing resources available online to help you out if you're having to social distance or self-isolate. We’ve curated a master-post of online resources, from mental health self-care to ways you can feel like you’ve left the house. We hope they help.
(Please note this was compiled in 2020. Please do let us know if information is out of date or links no longer work)
Jump to a specific section:
- Helplines and Webchats
- Apps
- How to Help/Find Help (Covid-19 specific)
- Mental Health Self Care
- Physical Self Care
- Creative Self Care
- Keep Your Children Occupied & Learning
- Keep Your Children Safe Online
- Resources for LGBTQ People Specifically
- Resources for People of Colour Specifically
- Bereavement Support
- Financial Advice
- Pretend You Left the House
- Ambient noises
- Distraction/Soothing Games
- Learn Something New
- Stave Off Boredom
- Survivor Self Help Guides
- Additional resource collections
Helplines & Web-Chats
- For an up to date list of Helplines & Webchats, check out our resource here.
- Our Helpline for survivors of sexual violence and abuse of any gender aged 14+: Mon 7-9pm & Wed from 12-2pm on 01273 720 110
- Our email support service: email us any day on help@survivorsnetwork.org.uk – we’ll respond on Mon or Wed between 12-2pm
- Rape Crisis England & Wales Helpline: 08088 029 999 between 12-2.30pm and 7-9.30pm
- Rape Crisis England & Wales Live Web Chat – days and times listed online
- Brighton Women’s Centre “Women Supporting Women” Helpline: 01273 698036 or email dropinservices@womenscentre.org.uk – Mondays 2-4pm (for women who are 50+) | Wednesdays 2-4pm | Thursdays 10-12pm
- Elefriends: Supportive web-chat through Mind
- Shout: 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for people struggling to cope. Text: 85258
- Samaritans: Call 116 123 for FREE. Whatever you’re going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. Open 24/7, 365 days a year.
- Childline: Helpline, one-to-one webchat with a counsellor and a messaging service, all available between 7:30am – 3:30am. Call 0800 1111 or go to their website.
- Safeline: Support for people all genders who have experienced sexual abuse: 0808 800 5008
- National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 999 5428 Open Monday to Friday: 10:00am – 5:00pm; Wednesdays and Thursday 10:00am – 8:00pm E: help@galop.org.uk
- Women’s Aid Online chat: Monday to Friday 10:00am – 12:00pm
- Hopeline UK: If you are a young person at risk of suicide, call: 0800 068 41 41; Text: 07860 039967; Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
- Mindline Trans+ : Trans specific emotional support helpline, w/ trans listeners. 0300 330 5468; Mondays and Fridays 8pm-midnight.
- Brighton Mental Health Rapid Response: Call 0300 304 0078. The Mental Health Rapid Response Service (MHRRS) is a rapid assessment service for patients suffering from mental health problems who are at risk and may not be able to keep themselves safe, or are considering attending A+E for help with their mental health. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and health professionals, carers or patients can ring for advice.
- MOSCAC – helpline for non-abusive parents whose child has experienced abuse. 0800 980 1958 Lines open 10am to 2pm (Monday, Thursday and Friday) and 10am to 6pm (Tuesday and Wednesday).
- Telephone befriending service for the elderly
- Free emotional support from trained listeners; online counselling
- CALM helpline: Confidential Emotional Support for Men Mon-Fri 1pm-11pm 0800585858
- Sussex Mental Healthline – 0300 5000 101 – provides a 24/7 service to people needing urgent help with their mental health. As well as crisis support it will provide psychological support to people who have general concerns about their mental health. Registered clinicians are at the other end of the freephone number to provide help, support and advice to anyone who needs it, at any time of the day or night, regardless of their age or where they live in the county.
- Brighton & Hove Speak Out are continuing to offer a helpline to people with learning disabilities during Covid-19. Telephone helpline – Monday – Friday 9-5pm & Sunday 11am-3pm on 01273421 92
- Citizens Advice West Sussex: Speak to a local Citizens Advice adviser in West Sussex on 0808 278 7969 Monday to Friday, 9am-4.30pm for free.
Apps
- Stop Breathe Think – Check in with how you’re feeling, and try short activities tuned to your emotions.
- Headspace – mindfulness tools for your everyday life
- Stay Alive App from Grassroots Suicide Prevention
- CalmHarm Self harm support app
- Insight timer : meditation app
- Happiful: a wellness directory app of qualified professionals who offer support with well-being and mental health.
How to Help/Find Help (Covid-19 specific)
- Covid vaccine information from Healthwatch
- FAQ about the vaccine from Sussex Health & Care
- Where are vaccines available in Brighton & Hove?
- Where are vaccines available in East Sussex?
- Where are vaccines available in West Sussex?
- Locally organised Mutual Aid volunteers – offer help or ask for it
- Their FB group
- Supporting Charities & Volunteers during Coronavirus
- NHS Advice
- Coronavirus: Safety Advice for Survivors
- Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
- Brighton and Hove Buses have produced a downloadable card for people who cannot wear a mask
- How to refer for help from an NHS Volunteer Responder
- Covid Brighton & Hove local help directory
- Local businesses who are delivering during lockdown
- Aging Well Service Directory of supermarket opening times for older people and NHS workers
- Food Partnership: food access, volunteering and more
- Eastbourne Foodbank information
- BMECP Food Bank – open every Friday from 12pm to 3pm.
- Worthing vegan food bank
- Delivery and collection in Worthing
- Easy, affordable and healthy eating tips during lockdown
- Eating well with limited equipment
- Government advice to support mental health during the outbreak
- FAQs about the coronavirus for parent carers of children with SEND in East Sussex
- FAQs about the coronavirus for parent carers of children with SEND in Brighton & Hove
- Coronavirus advice & how to contact the NHS in a wide range of languages
- Easy-read guide to coronavirus
- Easy-read plan for staying safe
- Easy-read Covid vaccine leaflet
- Easy-read guide to national lockdown
- Easy-read guide to 2021 lockdown (written in January)
- Speak Out Helpline and Support for people with learning disabilities during the Coronavirus outbreak
- Community support in East Sussex
- Latest NHS Guidelines translated into 48 languages
- Information on seeing a dentist during lockdown
- THT at Home – sexual health support from home, and remote support for people living with HIV
- Stay Up Late guide to Coronavirus
- Dementia support services during C-19
- Living with Honour Based Abuse during lockdown
Mental Health Self Care
- How members of the local community have been looking after their wellbeing during lockdown
- Tips from Mind for everyday mental health self-care
- Tips for talking about mental health
- Looking After Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Outbreak
- My Little Book of Coping Methods
- Self-harm Self Help Guide
- Emotional Well-being Support Pack from @switchboardLGBT
- Weekly MindSET Livestream session for any young person in psychological distress. MindSET delivers effective, concrete skills to help young people manage emotional distress.
- Happiful Magazine – a mag that provides informative, inspiring and topical stories about mental health and wellbeing
- Hope Affirmations for Covid-19
- Embodied Awakening: free movement meditation
- Children and adolescent mental health support resource
- Eating Disorders and coronavirus
- Coronavirus & your wellbeing
- Corona anxiety support resources
- Calming music suggestions
- Smile meditations
- Mental health: staying at home
- Holding Space provides mental health support to local families, particularly parents with children who have mental health needs.
- A calming series of images and sounds to ground you
- Do Nothing for 2 Minutes. Timer resets every time you move the mouse or click on anything. Encourages you to stop and take a breather.
- 60 second guided meditation
- Stress Analyst: A site designed to help talk you down from a stressful experience.
- Meditation with Rifa on Spotify
- Online meditation videos
- “You Feel Like Shit” Interactive flow chart for people who struggle with self care
- What you can and cannot control right now
- Free Wellbeing Booklet for Download from Sage Holistic, Brighton
- Postnatal music activities to support parents of newborns who may be feeling isolated or anxious during the pandemic or generally. The videos include breathing and vocal exercises for parents and lullabies to either join in with or listen to.
Physical Self Care
- The Body Coach: 7 Days of Sweat (from PE with Joe)
- The NHS has 24 free instructor-led videos covering aerobics exercise, strength and resistance, and pilates and yoga. They range from 10 to 45 minutes long.
- A help guide for coping with insomnia
- Five Online Workouts by Women of Colour
- Yoga at your desk with Madelaine Shaw
- Free Yoga and Meditation classes
- 6 Yoga Poses for Stress
- Yoga with Adriene – simple classes on YouTube
- Pilates Live
- Free yoga nidra recordings – Yoga nidra or yogic sleep is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, like the “going-to-sleep” stage, typically induced by a guided meditation.
- Stay Active At Home – resource guide from Bright & Hove Healthwatch
Creative Self Care
- Brighton Fringe colouring book
- Colouring in pages to download or print, from 70 different artists
- Free sewing patterns for those who can sew/ use a sewing machine
- Knitting patterns for those who knit
- Free colouring book from the Public Domain Review
- Drawing challenges
- Some adult colouring in
- Explore a new aspect of art each day
- Downloadable colouring books from 113 different museums
- 64 million artists: A 2 week creative challenge to help you at home
- Liz Climo has made you a colouring book to print out and add your own captions to
- And so has Henry Garrett!
Keep Your Children Occupied & Learning
- CoviBook: A picture book in multiple languages to support and reassure children around the world
- Coronavirus explained: free book illustrated by the Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler
- PE With Joe: Live every day at 9am
- Fun wellbeing activities to support children to look after their wellbeing and feel good
- Brighton & Hove Meerkat Hunt – add a meerkat to your own window, or go on a hunt with your children to spot some
- Free colouring in activity book
- Girls Who Code: home exercises
- Learn Maths, Biology and Physics
- Simple, fun activities for kids, from newborn to five
- 1000 free disney colouring in pages
- Dolly Parton reads bedtime stories
- 87 Energy-Busting Indoor Games & Activities For Kids
- 113 fun home activities with children
- How to Make an Adventure Movie With Your Kids
- 7 Tips for Creating Stop Motion Animation with Kids
- The Kids Should See This – smart videos for curious minds of all ages
- Music with Myleene Klass
- Home Economics with Theo Michaels (Mon/Wed/Fri cook-a-long at 4pm)
- Free audio-books for children while the schools are closed
- Borrow e-books and audio-books from the library
- Cardboard Spaceships: A place to share free online teaching, education and entertainment ideas for children at home
- Homeschooling UK: Emergency group set up by teachers to help families
- “Boogie Monsters” (a live rock and pop band for children under 7) are doing daily live keyboard request videos each day at 4.30pm for the whole family – access them through their Facebook group
- Khan Academy: Especially good for maths and computing for all ages but other subjects at Secondary level. Note this uses the U.S. grade system but it’s mostly common material.
- BBC Bitesize. No TV licence required except for content on BBC iPlayer.
- BBC Learning: This site is old and no longer updated and yet there’s so much still available, from language learning to revision. No TV licence required except for content on BBC iPlayer.
- Seneca: For those revising at GCSE or A level. Tons of free revision content. Paid access to higher level material.
- Blockly: Learn computer programming skills – fun and free.
- Scratch: Creative computer programming
- Ted Ed: All sorts of engaging educational videos
- National Geographic Kids: Activities and quizzes for younger kids.
- Mystery Science: Free science lessons
- The Kids Should See This: Wide range of cool educational videos
- Crash Course: You Tube videos on many subjects
- Crash Course Kids: As above for a younger audience
- Paw Print Badges: Free challenge packs and other downloads. Many activities can be completed indoors. Badges cost but are optional.
- Tinkercad: All kinds of making.
- Prodigy Maths: Is in U.S. grades, but good for UK Primary age.
- Cbeebies Radio: Listening activities for the younger ones.
- Nature Detectives: A lot of these can be done in a garden, or if you can get to a remote forest location!
- British Council: Resources for English language learning
- Oxford Owl for Home: Lots of free resources for Primary age
- Big History Project: Aimed at Secondary age. Multi disciplinary activities.
- Geography Games: Geography gaming!
- Blue Peter Badges: If you have a stamp and a nearby post box.
- The Artful Parent: Good, free art activities
- Red Ted Art: Easy arts and crafts for little ones
- The Imagination Tree: Creative art and craft activities for the very youngest.
- Toy Theater: Educational online games
- DK Find Out: Activities and quizzes
- Twinkl: This is more for printouts, and usually at a fee, but they are offering a month of free access to parents in the event of school closures.
- A small collection of anti-oppressive, anti-racist homeschool curriculum ideas and resources. Very American focused, but a good list of non-online stuff to do with children towards the end!
- Cincinatti Zoo are holding livestreams at 7pm UK time every day that the US schools are closed
- Live cameras at San Diego Zoo
Keep Your Children Safe Online
- NSPCC Talking to your child about online safety
- NSPCC information on grooming (with citations)
- “What is grooming” information from NSPCC
- An anti-online grooming activity pack
- Guide on social networks and keeping children safe online
- ‘10 top tips for keeping children and young people safe from online sexual abuse’
- Short video tips for coping for families under pressure
Resources for LGBTQ People Specifically
- Support resources for LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence during lockdown, from Galop
- Trans Resilience in Isolation
- Free LGBTQ films
- LGBT resources and signposting – National and local services
- Service directory from Stonewall: COVID-19 – How LGBT-inclusive organisations can help
- LGBT Foundation – The Essential Guide to LGBT Rights and Covid-19
Resources for People of Colour Specifically
- Black Minds Matter – connecting black individuals and families with professional mental health services across the U.K.
- Self care for people of colour
- Mental Health is Different for People of Color in These 3 Ways (And More)
- Self-Care Tips for Black People Who Are Feeling Overwhelmed by Racism
- Speaking to my Jamaican grandma about her depression taught me how to be a mental health advocate
- What does self-care look like when you’re black, in the media and can’t switch off?
- Self Care For People of Color After Psychological Trauma
- MeToo Movement
- Self care tips for black people feeling overwhelmed by the media (IG)
- Ethel’s Club – A social and wellness club designed to celebrate people of colour, online and IRL. (IG)
- The Creative Collective NYC – curating brave spaces for creatives of colour. (IG)
- Self care for people of colour after psychological trauma
Financial Advice
- The Citizens Advice Bureau – They offer support around benefits, work and finances/debt, amongst other things
- Step Change – Debt advice
- Money Advice Plus – Advice on money and debt, including for survivors of domestic abuse
- Turn2Us – Offering support for people experiencing financial hardship in the form of grants and sometimes items for the home as needed.
- Money Saving Expert – helpful on ways to save money
Pretend You Left the House
- A boat on a canal in Norway
- Train Journey to the Norwegian Arctic Circle
- A reindeer sleigh ride
- A canal boat to London
- A dog beach
- Go on a robot tour of the Hastings Comtemporary Art Gallery
- Free theatre online
- Explore the national parks
- Pretend to go on Disney World rides
- Gig Buddies Coronavirus Fest
- Museum tours
- There are some highlights here
- Visit the National Gallery
- Visit Nasa
- Visit the Acropolis monuments in Greece
- Visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History: Washington, D.C.
- Visit Russia’s State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg
- Visit the Louvre
- Check out Kusuma’s Infinity Mirrors
- Go to the Social Distancing Festival! A calendar of creative live-streams
- Go to Stay at Home Fest! An online music festival! (crowdsourcing all the online gigs people are putting on)
- Tour the Georgia aquarium
Ambient noises
- Rainy Mood – Allows you to play rain, with suggestions of ambient music to play at the same time.
- Coffitivity – The background noise of a coffee shop. Allows you to choose between different locations such as lunchtime lounge, morning murmur etc.
- Purrli – Purrrr of a cat! Lots of ways to adjust this to your preference.
- Snow emulator – Visually beautiful falling snow, the website gives you the opinion to play music with the scenery, or to choose your own.
- Rain For Me – Simple rain effects with the option to download the audio files for offline listening.
- Rainy Café – Combines the sounds of a bustling cafe setting with the sounds of drizzling rain.
- White Noise – White noise can be soothing.
- I Miss My Bar – Background sounds of the bar, plus a relevant playlist.
Distraction/Soothing Games
- Draw your own nebula
- Weave Silk
- Play with digital sand
- Musical Squares
- Play with liquid particles – coloured patterns follow your cursor
- Colour play – Soothing & distracting colours
Learn something new
- Family learning sessions from Brighton Council, all around supporting your children (Spring 2021)
- Coursera – online courses for free
- Futurelearn: Free to access 100s of courses, only pay to upgrade if you need a certificate in your name (own account from age 14+ but younger learners can use a parent account).
- Openlearn: Free taster courses aimed at those considering Open University but everyone can access it. Adult level, but some e.g. nature and environment courses could well be of interest to young people.
- 450 Ivy League courses you can take online for free
- Duolingo: Learn languages for free. Web or app.
- iDEA Awards Digital enterprise award scheme you can complete online.
- Over 1500 free online courses, audiobooks and movies
- MIT open courses
- Database of online courses/MOOCs (massive open online course)
- Academic Earth
- Learn how to do cryptic crosswords
- Learn how to hand letter
- How to origami
- Cooking confidence Facebook group sharing basic & budget cookery tips, recipes and advice, plus a chance for people to share and support each other. Also available as a YouTube channel.
- Learn Excel with easy to follow, fully illustrated Excel tutorials.
Stave off boredom
- NASA has made their entire media library public
- Read and/or be part of global people powered research projects
- Free audiobooks
- Netflix Party – Interactive way to watch Netflix with friends from your own houses
- 1150 free films
- Enigma Emporium: A free downloadable escape room!
- Free online LARP platform e.g. Dungeons and Dragons — you can be a total beginner
- Patrick Stewart reading a daily Shakespeare sonnet
- Advice on “going wild” at home from Sussex Wildlife Trust
- Join Garden BirdWatch – Participate free for a year in a great citizen science project by watching the wildlife outside your window.
Additional resource collections:
- Our Resources page on our website.
- Survivors’ Network Self-Care on Pinterest
- Survivors’ Network PTSD resources on Pinterest
- COVID-19 BAME Resource Hub
- Covid-19 Resources for people aged 50+ in Sussex
- Chatter Pack boredom busters
- The Big Lockdown List for families
- Huge list of science sites & audio books
- Dad La Soul: Educational/ Entertaining Public Resource Database
- Euan’s Guide Forum: A place for disabled people and their friends and family to connect and share ideas of things to do during lockdown
- Consent Collective: Seeking growth in adversity, community in isolation, and calm in chaos.
- Relate: the relationship people resource list
- Possability People Resource List
- Creative Isolation Resource List
- Supporting young people’s mental health
- Stay Safe, Stay Inspired: resources collated by Pinterest
We hope that these help you to stay grounded, entertained and able to get through the coming weeks. These are unusual times, but there is kindness in our community and a wealth of fun, engaging and interesting things to do online!
If you’ve found this helpful and would like to thank us, you can donate to Survivors’ Network
Access a Padlet containing all of these links