In the UK, March has thrown us a massive curve-ball and things seem quite topsy-turvy right now. With so much uncertainty, we wanted to share with you some top tips on how to find a study-routine that works for you at home, offer some suggestions of where you can find resources to support your learning and websites that you can trust to get the latest, most up-to-date information about the pandemic.
Where to find trusted information about Coronavirus
For your mental well-being, it may be wise to limit how frequently you check for updates about the pandemic – you can easily start to feel overwhelmed by all the information. Use gov.uk for reliable, trusted advice, which clearly outlines what you need to do. Young Scot also have a wealth of information on their website all about Coronavirus. It’s a good place to look if you want to find out more about what’s happening and how you can prevent catching COVID-19 and spreading it to others. There are also articles there that advise what to do if you’re feeling anxious and how you can support others in your community. Check out their forum of articles here.
How to establish a routine
For many people, their routines will have been completely thrown out of the window so establishing some kind of schedule for yourself, may help settle anxieties and help you find some normalcy in day-to-day life.
It can be very tempting to have a lazy start to your day but if you’re able to, sticking as closely to your normal routine get-up-time as you can will help your days feel structured. Setting your alarm to go off at the same time each day and creating a daily structure featuring work, breaks and workouts can help to establish a new kind of routine, which in turn can benefit your mental and physical health.
Getting into the right mind-set of learning at home can be a real challenge along with knowing where to begin. At Bright Red, we have a number of resources you can use to aid you with your home-learning journey. We have a free online learning platform, the Bright Red Digital Zone, which is packed with activities, tests, video links and additional content across a broad range of subjects. You could use the platform to tackle an entire subject over time or just use it to dip in and out of units that you need a little extra support with.
Investing in our books is another great way of continuing to learn at home. They cover all the course content and are the next best thing to being taught in a class with their engaging, colourful spreads and bespoke features. You can browse our full range of titles here. We also have a YouTube channel, which hosts 45+ subject playlists of videos which you can incorporate into your daily routine and you can take part in the challenges on our Twitter page, which will help stretch your knowledge and understanding of topics.
Peppering your day with activities you enjoy doing at home will also help break up the day and bring you joy. This may be reading, baking, watching an episode of your favourite TV programme, playing games etc. Alternatively, why not take up a new hobby? Get creative in the kitchen (we have a Health & Food and Technology Study Guide and a Practical Cake Craft Study Guide), try out your arts skills, learn a new language (check out our Language Study Guides) or find out more about a subject that you have gaps of knowledge in.
Exercise is also so important – Joe Wicks has launched his ‘PE with Joe’ daily live lessons (find out more here) and there are some wonderful exercise classes you can partake in online which are easy to do at home with minimal or no equipment at all.
During this time, you need to protect your mental health as much as possible. As a result, you might need to redefine what you deem as a ‘successful day’. Try and stay as positive as you can, remember that each day that passes is one day closer to this all being over and to reach out to friends and family if everything is feeling a bit much.
Lastly, just a reminder that we are here for your learning needs and are happy to help in whatever way we can. You can save 25% with the discount code: SUPPORT2020 on our website to get those books you need (plus you’ll be making a huge difference to a small, independent publisher) and we’re available to answer any questions or queries you may have via email (info@brightredpublishing.co.uk).
Stay safe and all the best with your home-learning.
Bright Red Publishing Blog 