There are lots of ways to create space within your household, no matter what size! By creating physical space, you create mental space which should help you cope with being inside.

• Tidy house, tidy mind.

A great way to make your room/house feel bigger is tidying it! We all have that chair in the corner that we chuck clothes at until the chair disappears…but, if we declutter, it will feel like you’ve gained a whole new area of your room! Another great reason to tidy up is to create peace of mind. When we know that our space is tidy and ready to be used, we are more likely to have motivation to actually use it!

Need to do work? Tidy your desk! Want to do some reading? Make your bed and fluff your pillows! Need to make dinner? Tidy and clean your kitchen!

Increase your motivation by simply putting a few things away. Trust us, this works!

• Separate your areas

One thing we’re all guilty of is working in bed or eating in bed. This isn’t great… Ideally, you should use your bed for sleeping and relaxing! If you make it clear where you work (ie. at a desk, kitchen table etc.), then you will have more motivation when you go to that space.

By creating literal spaces within your home, you also create a more positive response and mindset when you sit down in those areas. Try eating at a table for a week instead of in your bed and notice how you start to appreciate your meals more! Try making your bed a space purely for relaxation and notice how you will feel calmer and sleep better.

Have a go at using this tips and see what happens!

Pubs trips seem like a distant memory since we’ve had to isolate within our own homes, and we don’t know when things are going to go back to normal! We love being able to go to a pub and try the different ales on tap, finding our favourites and having a couple pints. If only there was a way to still do that…

Luckily for you, there is! A local Leeds brewery called Wilde Child have decided to do contactless doorstep drops, bringing a great selection of their ales for a great price.

From IPA to stout, you can find an amazing array of drinks on their website by following the link below. You’ll have to order quick as it’s all going fast!

>>https://www.wildechildbrewing.co.uk/doorstep-drops/

This might seem strange as you’re at home, not at work right? If you are working remotely from home or have university assignments to do, it’s a good idea to create balance in your day to day life! It doesn’t matter if you’re living with people or living alone as this tip can help everyone!

Create time for you to do your work where you’re not distracted by those you’re living with and you can focus on you! Let others know that you can’t hang out etc. during certain periods of the day. Get your work done and feel productive!

By setting time for you to work, you will enjoy your time relaxing or hanging out with those you live with a lot more. It is also very important to take regular breaks like you would at work so you don’t become over worked or overly tired. Learn when enough is enough and switch off work mode!

Whether you’re living with your flatmates, family or by yourself, the tip below will really help create a happy environment!

Communication

It’s important to understand that everyone will handle stress and anxiety differently, and that there is no right way to cope with the current health crisis. If there is an issue, the best thing is to address it as soon as possible with whoever you’re living with otherwise you risk resentment growing!

Use phrases like ‘I feel…’ and ‘I need…’ to get your point across without playing the blame game! We don’t want to say things like ‘You make me feel..’ or ‘When you do this…’ as it won’t help the conversation.

This time of heightened anxiety may cause you or those you’re living with to have strong negative emotional reactions, but this is not necessarily a reflection of them or of you. It is hard to have open dialogue with these emotions, but it is best to be mindful of how you are all feeling and of your responses.

At the end of the day, if you are living with someone, you want to have a happy household. We all want to have a fun environment to live in. Communication is essential so get talking!

Don’t get us wrong, lie ins are great. It can be hard to get out of bed sometimes! But when we are advised to stay inside the best we can, it is very tempting to stay in bed. Although many universities have shut and exams are cancelled, you may still have coursework due in the upcoming months.

Set yourself an outline for your day (that works for you). It could look like this:

1. Wake up at the same time everyday
2. Make sure to eat breakfast
3. Spend a few hours working before lunch
4. Take a lunch break and time doing something you enjoy!
5. Spend some more time working
6. Relax in the evening
7. Go to bed at the same time every night!

The most important thing to help you stick to the schedule is sleeping and waking up at the same time every day. Creating a good sleep schedule is bound to make you feel much better!

Remember to note your daily achievements as this will make you feel motivated too! If you don’t feel like doing work one day, that’s okay! Take the time for yourself and start fresh the next day.

What have you been putting off doing for a while? Maybe it’s cleaning your room, tidying your kitchen cupboards or making a photo album? Whatever it is, now is the time to do it!

Being indoors can become quite monotonous, we understand that! However, if we focus on the right things then our mood will lift! Being productive and having that sense of achievement is a really positive influence on our mood.

If you’ve been meaning to clean or tidy up your house then put some music on and grab the hoover! Notice how good it feels to do something productive and make sure to say something positive to yourself afterwards! Reward your achievement!

We want to help you feel calm while you’re at home, not stressed. If you don’t manage to do the task you set, that’s okay! You did the best you could at that time and that’s all you can ask of yourself. As kind as you are to others, you can afford to give some of that kindness to yourself!

It is hard asking for help when you need it, though most of us willingly help our close ones all the time! Think of a moment a friend has asked for your help and you were right by their side or of a time you were patient and understanding while a loved one had a difficult period. Think of those times you put your friends before yourself because you cared for them.

Those friends will do the same for you too! The catch is this-

You need to ask for help!

No one can read yor mind and figure out exactly what you need. If you want or even need something, ask for it. It’s that simple! You might now be thinking ‘I don’t want to worry anyone’ or ‘I’m okay, they are too busy for me anyway’, or even ‘I don’t want to burden them’, but I can guarantee that your friends and family would love to hear from you and support you.

You can say something like ‘ I’m feeling overwhelmed and I’d appreciate your support-do you have a minute?’. Also, ‘I’ve got something on my mind, could you listen for 5 minutes?’.

We can ask for help without putting lots of pressure on the other person. If they say that they are busy at that point in time, it isn’t personal! Arrange a time when you can talk to each other and keep your mind off the negatives until then. We don’t have to think about bad things if we don’t want to!

You’re important too. You matter. Choose to put yourself first.

You might be looking forward to spending a long weekend abroad in the next few months but there is plenty to offer in the Uk too! There are some great cities for a city break, gorgeous cottages and campsites for that country-side retreat and quaint towns for day visits. We’ve made a shortlist of some ideas for you!

Edinburgh

A gorgeous city all year round, Edinburgh has something for everyone. From visiting the Old Town with its cobbled streets and labryinth of alleys to the New Town with streets upon streets of boutiques and restaurants, you could spend a couple days just wandering around. There are lots a great places to visit too! The Camera Obscura is a quirky optical illusion exhibition with a rooftop lookout where you can see the whole city! You can easily spend a few hours there!

Head down to The Elephant House, the cafe where J.K Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books! Then pop next door to Vittoria, an excellent Italian restaurant! If you’d rather explore Edinburgh by night, there are ghost tours and walking tours all year round…

Lake District

If you like exploring hidden trails, the Lake District is for you! With hundreds of beautiful viewing points, you can fully experience the wonder of the scenery that inspired the works of William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. You can explore many gorgeous waterfalls and castles while you’re there too.

We suggest staying near Lake Windermere, perhaps the town Ambleside. There are so many lovely B&Bs in and outside of town to suit whatever you’d prefer. Consider giving the Lake District a go!

York

Easily connected to Leeds, York makes a perfect day trip out! York is a historic town, so there is plenty to do! From walking the walls, wandering the Museum gardens and visiting the Roman Baths, you can really emerge yourself in the town’s rich history. You can then head over to The Shambles, an iconic medieval street in the middle of York with plenty of independant shops!

You won’t be hard pressed to find somewhere to eat in York-you’re flooded for choice! We would always recommend Betty’s Tearoom, it is well worth it! Make sure to try to homemade cakes, they are divine!

This year, the Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan, which is why Japanese students of Leeds have created this wonderful event to celebrate and invite you to enjoy their culture! As presented as an authentic Japanese experience, you are able to wear a Yukata (a type of kimono), try some Japanese foods and enjoy a musical performance for free!

The details of this event are as follows:

Saturday 14th March, 10:30-16:30

Left Bank Leeds, Cardigan Road, LS6 1LJ

Left Bank Leeds is a lovely venue in the popular area of Hyde Park. Being located on Cardigan Road, Left Bank Leeds is a great place to visit for events. They hold a huge variety of events throughout the year from art evenings and movie nights to beer festivals and vintage furniture sales. There’s really something for everyone! We love it there and would definitely recommend taking a look-the building is extremely impressive too!

Find this event and many more at leftbankleeds.org.uk

As it’s World Book Day, we thought we’d share some of our top picks with you!

The Cows: Dawn O’Porter

Exploring the lives of 3 women in a world of judgement, Dawn O’Porter shows us the invisible bonds that tie women together, regardless of their societal status. When Tara becomes a viral joke, all of their paths collide. Together they learn to find their voices through friendship, conflict, differences and likeness because it’s OK not to follow the herd.  This hilariously witty narrative is a joy to read and also brings to light some thought provoking situations and concepts!

Adulting-How to become a grown up in 468 easy(ish) steps: Kelly Williams Brown

We know that student life is great. The freedom, the nights out, turning up hungover (or even better, drunk) to your 9ams… it’s the peak of young adulthood right? Almost a rite of passage. Sadly, it does come to an end eventually and you get hurled in to the adult world before you’ve even done an Otley run to mark the end of an era. This book can help! Kelly Williams Brown gives some useful tips to bridge this weird transitional period you’re going through, while being sarcastic and funny throughout. This is your survival guide-you’re welcome!

Brave New World: Aldous Huxley

This book is an absolute favourite of ours, it’s a classic! Set in the future, the citizens are conditioned into an intelligence-based social hierarchy. Our protagonist Bernard is the only one to challenge this dystopian society, questioning the progressive reproductive technology, sleep learning, psychological manipulation and conditioning that occurs.  If you want a book to challenge your perceptions of our world, this is the one for you!