#170: Special Coronavirus Support Guide — Resources for Increased Time at Home and Online

This week I’m sharing an extra lesson with supportive resources to stay emotionally, mentally, and socially healthy as we spend more time alone, at home, and online.

The coronavirus pandemic has introduced significant changes in our lives.

It’s understandable to feel uncertain, stressed, nervous, and overwhelmed. And I’d like to help.

I want to help by focusing on the things we can control, like how we spend our time and how we stay socially, mentally, and emotionally healthy right now.

With more time at home — isolated from our family, friends, and coworkers — staying connected and supporting each other is more important than ever.

With this Special Coronavirus Support Guide, you’ll find resources to:

• Make you laugh and smile when you need it (because we definitely need it right now)
• Feel good with news about positive things happening around the world
• Spend time with loved ones online — even if they live somewhere else (#alonetogether)
• Enjoy virtual online tours and concerts when you’re bored
• Teach successfully online if you’ve never done it before
• Be productive when working from home
• Create meaningful activities and lessons for your kids if you’re teaching them at home
• Stay balanced, healthy, and connected to friends, family, and loved ones

These resources are in English, so they will continue to support your English learning efforts as well.

Activities for children are also in English to support their learning OR to give you ideas for what to do at home.

I will update this list regularly as the Speak Confident English Team and I find new resources. And I’d love for you to share as well. You can do that in the comments section at the end of the lesson.  

Special Coronavirus Support Guide — Resources for Increased Time at Home and Online

When You Need to Laugh, Smile, or Hear Positive News

Need to reduce stress and anxiety with some laughter? Here are some great places to start.

Social media posts that will make your day better:

• Listen to Songs of Comfort from Yo-Yo Ma
• Listen to an at-home apartment concert in Spain
• Get a good laugh (and workout) at home in isolation
• Dance with this at-home kitchen DJ
• Check out this group workout under quarantine in Spain
• Watch a group sing-along in Denmark and in Sicily

Get a little bit of positive news from around the world:

Good News Movement

Make someone else smile:

6 Ways to Cheer Someone Up in English (Speak Confident English Lesson)

Spend Time with Loved Ones, Tour Museums, and Enjoy Concerts — Virtually

#alonetogether has become a popular hashtag. Some of us are in isolation by necessity, others by choice. But we don’t need to be alone.

Watch movies and play games with loved ones:

• Watch Netflix remotely with friends — download the app
• Play board games and card games

Enjoy live music online including opera, classical, and more:

• Budapest Festival Orchestra
• Nightly Opera from The Met
• Live concerts from Michigan State University
• Berliner Philharmoniker
• Indie music.

Take virtual tours and do some art:

• 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours
• Join me in a daily painting challenge with this watercolor artist on Instagram
• Watch animals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Teach Successfully and Work Productively — Online & at Home

I have many friends and students who are elementary, middle school, and high school teachers. They are teaching online for the very first time.

To help, I created a video:

• How to Teach Online — 5 Tools for Effective, Meaningful Online Classes

In the video, I share links to my most recommended tools to teach and train online. These include:

• Zoom for video classrooms and conferencing
• Loom for recorded videos and screen sharing
• Kami for annotating PDFs and worksheet

These tools are also perfect for communicating with coworkers and employees remotely.

Be productive at home:

• Work from Home and Get Stuff Done
• How to Build Healthy Habits (plus a link to join a 30-day healthy-habit challenge)
• Elevate — brain training to stay sharp, build confidence and boost productivity

If you are at home with kids, here are some helpful activities and schedules:

• Virtual and Family Activities to Do During School Closures
• Homeschooling Schedules and Resources from the Khan Academy

Stay Fit and Healthy — Mentally, Emotionally, and Physically

If you’re new to working out at home, here are some favorites:

• Yoga with Adrienne (available on YouTube)
• DownDog App has made their workouts FREE until April 1
• One of my students shared a 30-day yoga challenge with me

Meditate and breathe:

• Stop, Breathe, and Think — short, guided meditation
• Headspace — mindfulness for everyday life

Boost Your English

Many of my students are telling me they are using this time to focus on English. We can certainly help with that!

Here are some recommendations.

• Fluency School is opening soon. We’re opening a FREE preview of the course on Monday, March 23 with a 3-part video training on how to speak clearly, get unstuck, and sound natural in English. Join the waitlist to get this free preview starting Monday.

Check out our Top 5 Confident English Lessons

• 46 Must-Have Telephone Phrases for the Telephone
• 8 Power Words for Your Job Interview in English
• Advanced English Conversation — How to Simplify Your Life
• 10 Smart Words to Use at Work
• Avoid Using ‘Very’ to Sound More Powerful & Interesting in English

Now I want to hear from you.

What are you doing to stay socially, emotionally, and mentally healthy right now?

I’d love to hear about your strategies.

And if you have a favorite resource, video, or blog, share it in the comments below. I’ll continue to collect meaningful resources and keep this list updated.

I wish for you and your loved ones to stay strong and healthy. Take care of you and take care of each other.

– Annemarie

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