How to manage being locked down

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                                                                                                       Wednesday, 01 April 2020
My dear Awaas family

It is April Fool’s day in India as well as in the UK and I hear that Ashok has played a trick on you. Living alone I personally don’t bother with it. It is mainly something that children engage in.

A little fun, however, is welcome in these uncertain times!

 I like quizzes and puzzles and so I have sent some easy questions  to Ashok, your manager, which I am sure most of you will be able to answer. No money prize this time though! 

Just answer as many as you can and look up the answers to the questions you don’t know on Google, or get together with  friends and see if they can give you the answers.

It is difficult being confined to the Awaas campus but you can be thankful that you are away from the town centre, surrounded by gardens, with a walking track, a badminton court, your own dairy and orchard trees that will soon be  bearing fruit.
Just think if this situation had happened 25 years ago there would have been no wifi/internet, no mobile or smart phones, and no video calls that allow us to see the smiles of our loved ones.
To fight the virus we need our mental health to be strong and positive

Here Are Five C’s To Maintain Our Mental Health

1.      CONTROL – Being in control is a sign of intelligence, it is the ability to adapt. That’s why we aren’t still living in caves!
       Try to bel in control
 a) of things you have control of, your actions - like helping, smiling, complimenting , your routine, your health           
         b) Forget about things you are not in control of – If you can’t make
  it go away, just let it go from your mind. (Don’t watch too much Covid news, especially at     night).
2.      CARE – eat well and exercise to strengthen your immune system and release good chemicals in your brain
3.      CONTINUITY - make a timetable for yourself so that you have a routine to follow. Don’t spend all day sleeping or watching TV. We are designed for routine. The brain likes routine and routines save energy and leave space for other things.
4.      CREATIVITY – art, colouring, crosswords, sudoku, reading, embroidery, singing, listening or playing music, praying – include them in your timetable
5.      COMPASSION – to yourself, talk to yourself, talking it through helps combat anxiety, phone someone, write a letter, self esteem boosts your mental health
                            -   to other people, make contacts, renew contacts, be kind and thoughtful. 

Think about these ways to maintain your health and strength

With prayers for your continued safety. Things are bad in Europe and the USA.
Keep yourselves isolated, keep calm and keep busy.

 God Bless you all

Manya

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