Model what you want to see

The first way to help young people build meaningful relationships is to be a positive influence ourselves. Young people will learn what a relationship should look like from their influences, whether that is from media, other young people, or the adults in their life. We need to model what healthy and meaningful relationships look like. So before we focus on others, we need to focus on ourselves. How are our own relationships going? What is the quality? How are they being modelled, who are they visible to? Young people can be quite perceptive. We need to model how to do conflict well rather than hiding it. We need to demonstrate what being a supportive friend looks like with our own friendships. We need to show the same respect to different opinions that we expect others to have. Use positive and inclusive language with young people, and let them know that you value their presence, time and opinions. 

Have open conversations

Once we model good relationships, have open conversations. Talk in an appropriate way about your own relationships and feelings and encourage your young people to do the same. If we shy away from difficult or awkward topics, we demonstrate to teenagers that there is shame in discussing those topics and that they can’t or shouldn’t talk about those things. So embrace the uncomfortableness and open a conversation. Ask a question about their feelings, friendships or family, then quietly wait and listen. And be open to share about failures as well as successes. They can generate so much insight.  

Provide positive interactions

Young people hear a lot about what they shouldn’t do. Instead let’s paint a picture of what could and should be. Provide opportunities and help facilitate positive and meaningful interactions with others. This could look like asking prompting questions about fun or serious topics in small groups or with a partner or just with someone they don’t normally talk to. Encouraging young people to participate in out of school activities is another great way to increase their face-to-face interactions especially with people who are different to them. 

We can help young people to build meaningful relationships by modelling the actions we want to see, by having open conversations with young people, and by providing positive interactions.

Build Your Relationship With Your Young Person

To role model this for our young people, it isn’t always enough to hope they see us interacting with others. We need to go right to the source. But starting conversations with your young person can feel too broad to even begin.

If you are looking for simple ways to start making your relationship with your young person more meaningful, click here to download our free 20 questions to deepen your relationship with your young person.

We all need friends, no matter what stage of life we are in. Whether wearing our school uniform, or looking for people who can commiserate with us over workloads. People we can laugh with, spend time with, hang out with. In fact, we just need people in our life in general. 

Why Does Having Friends Matter?

Friends aren’t just for fun. There’s a ton of research that shows how both the number and strength of our friendships improve our mental health, our physical health, and our overall happiness and sense of connection. 

Friendships go beyond just having someone to sit next to in class, or someone to train with, or work with, or someone to send memes to. We all need people. But it also goes beyond even connection and companionship. Every person brings a unique perspective and set of strengths and skills to an interaction. We benefit from both the number and quality of our relationships. 

The 5 Types of Friends

We don’t just need friends in the general sense. We need a variety of people who can contribute to our health and growth in multiple ways.  

Here are five types of friends we need in our lives, people that support us or we can support in different ways. 

• The friend who inspires you to be better
• The friend who you are supporting/investing into
• The friend who knows your story
• The friend who you can laugh with
• Yourself. In order to be a good friend to others, you need to know yourself and support yourself. 

Friendship in Our Lives

A broader perspective of friendship, understanding how we each uniquely contribute to our relationships, will lead to a greater appreciation of people and greater acceptance of individuals. We need people who know us, people who can grow and inspire us, opportunities to be a good friend to others in need, moments of humour and joy, and a growing sense of self-acceptance and appreciation. 

When we can see relationships for what they are: nuanced, messy opportunities to connect with others and grow, we stop shallow judgements and instead examine how we can positively contribute to relationships as well as appreciating others. 

If we can work on this within ourselves and help the people around us, our students and children and friends, to continue to grow in both the number and quality of our relationships, our society will be a healthier place. We all need a diverse range of friends who can contribute to our lives in multiple ways.

How Do We Build Meaningful Relationships?

Finding the right friends for us is all about building meaningful relationships that go deeper than talking about the weather. The process of actually building these relationships isn’t so straightforward.

Want to learn more about building meaningful relationships? Check out our thoughts on that here.

A goal is a desired result which is planned for in the future. 

So why do we need goals?

A goal is the target to shoot your arrow at. Without a goal, you’re aimless, wasting effort and energy. 

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. – Zig Ziglar

Goals help you to measure progress. 

Goals give you mental boundaries. They help you to choose what to do and what not to do. For example, if you have the goal of going to bed at 10pm, you know that staying up to 11pm is past that goal. 

Goals give you motivation, they trigger behaviour. If you have a goal, you know you need to DO something. 

What’s the different between goals and vision?

Vision is a big picture goal. Goals are the practical steps towards that vision. We need both- vision to keep us inspired and focused, and goals to know how to actually get there and what to do next. 

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” –Lawrence J. Peter

Keep it small

Set small goals. Often when we get a vision we get super excited and we set big hard-to-achieve goals. Then we don’t know how to actually get them done, or we get discouraged or distracted. Don’t set yourself up for failure, break it down. Set small, bite-sized goals- just like when you get a big piece of food you chop it up into pieces before you put it into your mouth; do the same for goals. 

Have a plan

First work out what you want to achieve, your big picture vision or your goal. It could be something big like seeing every person in the world have access to education or a bit smaller like going for a walk everyday in the sunshine.

 Then work out every step to get there, from the first thing you need to do to the last thing until it’s achieved. Don’t skip anything. Then get started with the first step. 

When we break things down into achievable steps we are much more likely to hit those goals than if we have a vague idea of what we want to do but have no idea how to get there. So make sure to sit down and actually write out a clear step-by-step plan of how to achieve your goal. 

Here’s your reward!

Make sure to have a reward at the end for when you achieve your goal or an incentive for each step of your goal. I’ve had charts where I’ve ticked off if I did a task each day, and at the end of the week if I did five days, I gave myself a trip to a café. Having a reward gives you an extra reason to achieve your goal, and hey it’s good to celebrate wins!

Practical Goal Setting in Our World

At Burn Bright we work with young people running student leadership and wellbeing programs in schools. One of our passions at Burn Bright is for the adults in young people’s worlds to help them with how they set goals and encourage them in their goal setting. Helping them to set goals in a good way may just benefit their wellbeing and mental health. If you’d like to explore practical ways to encourage thoughtful goal-setting habits in your young person, click here to take a look at our courses that explore topics such as goal-setting, values, leadership, and wellbeing.

The Impact of Goals on our Wellbeing

We know through the science of wellbeing that setting goals is critical to our wellbeing. The research shows us that we all need some kind of goal to be working towards in our life, no matter how big or small. Goals are tricky things and there are lots of different thoughts about how to set good goals. We have all come across the SMART mnemonic in our time; that is a tried and tested approach to goal setting. However the more recent goal setting literature gives us an insight into some of the more nuanced approaches around goal setting that have huge impacts. These nuances may often seem semantic but have been found to have a huge impact not only on our ability to achieve the goal but on the impact the goal has on our wellbeing. It turns out it’s all about how we structure and phrase our goals that make all the difference. To illustrate this, I want to focus on a few specific focus areas.  

Avoidant Goals vs Approach Goals

When we set goals, we often set them to avoid something in the past or to stop a negative situation from happening again to us. For example, ‘I don’t want to be this size anymore’ or ‘I don’t want to have this bad situation happen again’. The research calls this an avoidant goal. On the other side, we can set a goal moving towards a desired future state. For example, ‘I would like to be healthy’ or ‘I would like to have a meaningful relationship with my child’. This is called an approach goal. Whilst the way we phrase a goal may seem small, the amplification effect of changing our avoidant goals to an approach goal can be significant. Not only on our ability to achieve the goal but on our wellbeing. 

Performance Goals vs Learning Goals

The second distinction we frequently see is setting goals that are for performance, often in the area of academics. Performance goals are often characterised as being competitive. They are set to try and beat someone else or to hit target or to impress someone. On the flip side are learning goals. These goals are associated with growing your understanding or mastering a task, as opposed to just reaching the outcome. A learning is goal is best characterised as learning for one’s own sake rather than for others. The interesting thing about performance goals is they have been found to hinder performance when the task is new to you or is complicated. The research shows that setting or changing our goals to being learning-focused leads to a greater impact on our wellbeing and goal achievement. This may be especially relevant in an academic context as so much of our schooling system is set up for performance and competition.

Short-Term Goals vs Long-Term Goals

The final distinction is between proximal (short term) and distal (long term) goals. This distinction has to do with the time framing. Distal goals are those that are often out in the future, a way away, they are often hazier and fuzzier, but give us a general direction. Proximal goals are shorter term, they are often more specific and tangible. In this regard one isn’t better then another, we need both in our goal setting. Working towards a longer-term goal should be made up of some proximal goals in pursuit of the distal goal.

Which Goal Are You Setting?

I would encourage you to think about a goal you currently have or that you are working on. Ask yourself is that goal an avoidant or approach goal, is it performance-focused or learning-focus, and what is the far away vision and what are the smaller steps to get there. In summary, think about the goals you set. Are you working towards something in the future or are you avoiding something in the past? Are you setting goals to perform so you can look good to others or are you setting goals so you can learn how to do something? And finally, how are you setting the time frames on your goals? Is that big blurry vision in the future made up with smaller shorter time framed goals now? If you notice that your goals may be more avoidant or performance-focused, sitting with them and reframing towards the approach and learning frames may just help to improve your wellbeing.

By reflecting on our own goals, it can help us to notice these goal types with young people and encourage them to think about how they reframe their own goals. It also may help to reflect on how you set goals for them/with them in the classroom or at home. Are they avoiding the past or moving towards the future? Are they focusing too much on performance and not about learning?

Practical Goal Setting in Our World

At Burn Bright we work with young people running student leadership and wellbeing programs in schools. One of our passions at Burn Bright is for the adults in young people’s worlds to help them with how they set goals and encourage them in their goal setting. Helping them to set goals in a good way may just benefit their wellbeing and mental health. If you’d like to explore practical ways to encourage thoughtful goal-setting habits in your young person, click here to take a look at our courses that explore topics such as goal-setting, values, leadership, and wellbeing.

If you want to read more on the topic, I would suggest purchasing a copy of the book ‘Beyond Goals’ edited by Susan David, David Clutterbuck and David Megginson. In this book you can read the research quoted in the above blog.

Going into the new year I knew some things in my life had to change. Before this camp, I was someone who prioritised just about anything over myself and what I knew was going to be good for me. I struggled a lot with self-sabotage and understanding why I would constantly set myself back in life.

I was quite a popular, outgoing and confident girl with lots of friends who I loved to go out with, I prioritised partying with my girls over most things, often overlooking my family and taking “fun” too far. I had developed a reputation as someone who didn’t behave and had a serious attitude, I was very shut off and unwelcoming to most people outside of my group. I had a complete lack of care for anything and anyone including myself.

I had known for a while that my behaviour needed to improve. I wasn’t standing by my core values and beliefs which as a result had seriously strained my relationship with my family. I wanted to be myself again and prove not only to myself but to others that I was capable of pursuing my goals and turning my life around, but I didn’t feel like I knew where to start.
One of the teachers at my school was the first to introduce me to this camp and I, being the incredibly stubborn person I am, wasn’t overly excited about the thought of spending four days of the summer holidays back at school. I was reluctant but one of the Burn Bright crew said I had to buy them lunch if I didn’t sign up, that was enough for me to finally just do it.

I knew this camp wasn’t something I would be expected to participate in. Honestly, I even shocked myself by signing up. Although I may have been pushed into it unwillingly at the beginning, I can confidently say that although I am not sure what happened to me, it has changed my life for the better. It was the push I needed to step into a new chapter of my life.
When people ask me what singular experience happened at camp that was so influential to me, I struggle to find the words to explain because I am not too sure myself.

But if I could summarise all that I learnt in 2020 that had such an effect on my life these would be the four points:

1. To open up and allow myself to be vulnerable
2. You are not defined by nor need to fit into any stereotypes or reputation
3. Own my actions
4. Prioritise my happiness and future

These four things have impacted all aspects of my life, no one single factor was the reason for my success so far this year, everything I learned had a positive knock-on effect, on not only my behaviour but my outlook and thought processes.

I didn’t like my reputation of the typical “party girl” that I was thought to be. I had reached a point where I did not want to be limited by my past wrongdoings, I have made mistakes in my past but there is far more to me than just what I have done wrong. The first step to challenge this reputation was simply taking part in camp and showing up on the first day. This camp was the first time I had allowed myself to be vulnerable. Opening up to my group, I was hit with the realization that I had been missing out on beautiful friendships with so many people because I hadn’t been vulnerable and therefore wasn’t an easy person to approach. It was a pivotal moment in my life when the Burn Bright team and my group accepted that I had made mistakes but they, to my surprise, were still willing to get to know me.

It made me realise that for things to change at school, I had to open myself up to more people and be vulnerable so my teachers and peers could see that there was more to me than just the “party girl” I was perceived to be. Whilst I still do love having fun with my friends, I have been determined to make sure I don’t let history repeat itself.
I have to thank my gorgeous group for not only laughing at my jokes but for creating a safe environment that allowed me to be so open. Because of their warmth and acceptance, I gained the confidence to continue to own my actions and be vulnerable beyond camp. This vulnerability that I now possessed allowed me to be who I am, I didn’t feel like I had to fit my previous persona and I no longer felt limited or judged by my defiant behaviour in the past.

School, in particular, has changed dramatically for me, my effort and as a result, my grades have improved, and I have made so many new friendships I never would’ve thought possible. For someone who hated school so much that I even tried to move in Year 10, to suddenly be thriving was something I don’t think anyone expected.
I prioritised myself and my future for the first time and now I can say I am proud of myself for the progress I have made already this year. My relationships with everyone; family, friends, teachers and most importantly myself have finally reflected the type of person I am. Camp solidified my values, beliefs and the type of woman I want to and am growing up to be and reignited my passion for connecting with people and doing what I love. The environment allowed me to express the person I always have been deep down in all areas of my life. I am eternally grateful to Burn Bright and my school for the experiences I had and the way it impacted my life.

I am truly happy with where I am now.

With all this spare time we all seem to have, there’s nothing like having a few great podcasts up your sleeve. All of these podcasts are available on your favourite podcast platforms, and if you can’t find it you can click through to their website link.

Hamish and Andy Podcast

Australian comedy duo Hamish Blake and Andy Lee continue to taunt each other and their button-pusher Jack with a weekly show that is more about their listeners than it is about themselves. People all over the world lean on Hamish & Andy to question and test the smaller things in life, no pondering too small.

More info: https://www.hamishandandy.com/podcast/

Unravel True Crime: Snowball

This season’s story swerves away from unsolved murder and into the giddy world of love fraud. This time it’s personal. Kiwi-born Ollie Wards chronicles how his brother’s whirlwind romance with a charismatic Californian con woman ultimately cost his family more than a million dollars. With kooky plot twists to rival a Hollywood movie, the seven-episode series follows Ollie from sleepy suburban New Zealand on an international investigation spanning Hawaii, the UK and the US. The world of Lezlie Manukian is full of wild dreams, a lavish lifestyle, big loves and broken promises in exotic locations — a hall of mirrors, equal parts fantasy and real.

It soon becomes clear to Ollie that his family’s story is just one piece of a bigger jigsaw — and the only way he can put the puzzle together is by tracking down Lezlie herself.

More info: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/truecrime/snowball/

Generation Betoota

From the ever popular Betoota Advocate, comes Generation Betoota. Spotify’s first Australian podcast original 6 part scripted, narrative podcast series set in the Betoota Universe. Launches Feb 28th 2020. From the medium-sized town that reinvented print journalism comes Generation Betoota, a weekly youth news podcast featuring stories young people care about using the hip language they’re fluent in. Generation Betoota is a half hour news segment on the channel countries’ premiere station, Desert Rock FM. The show is hosted by Louis Burke who fearlessly brings the truth to the most often forgotten Australian demographic: the youth.

More info: https://diamantina.com.au/portfolio-item/generation-betoota/

The Health Code

A fun, informative, unfiltered and real podcast run by health and fitness YouTuber, Sarah’s Day and professional photographer, content creator, Personal Trainer and… Sarah’s boyfriend, Kurt Tilse. This dynamic duo are here to crack the code on all things health, fitness, lifestyle, relationships and building your dream career. Get ready, because they’re about to reveal some serious tips, tricks and healthy hacks!

More info: https://www.sarahsday.com/podcast

The Examined Life

Award winning entrepreneur, life coach, and podcaster Matt Purcell hosts The Examined Life. Listeners are invited to join Matt as he gets personal with some of Australia’s most inspiring and recognisable people, talking business, leadership, mental health, spirituality, relationships and much more.

In each episode, The Examined Life focuses on a high profile Australian, who share their personal stories of success, failure, and all that it has taken to get them to where they are today.

More info: https://www.mattpurcell.com/the-examined-life

Katie Williams, Better For It.

Katie Williams is a fitness enthusiast and ex sprinter with a passion for health, wellness and self-development. She chats to real people who initiate change and influence the world around them. Along with some tips and tricks, Katie hopes to educate, inspire and encourage you to think differently, and hopefully help you uncover the secrets to living your best life. THINK. MOVE. FEEL.

More info: https://www.podcastoneaustralia.com.au/podcasts/better-for-it

Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis is unprecedented and it’s confusing and worrying for all of us – causing increased stress, anxiety and fear in many. For people already living with complex mental health issues, the impact of a pandemic like this can be significant.  Physical and psychological impacts of imposed quarantine, self-isolation, physical distancing and separation from loved ones can exacerbate or trigger the symptoms of mental health issues. Personally, having to stay inside/at home for an extended period of time without seeing many of my loved ones has affected me greatly. As young people we endure a busy schedule of school and social lives, sports and possibly jobs – having all of these things taken away can severely impact one’s mental health. I know for me not seeing my friends 5 days a week at school, losing my job of 5 years, no longer being able to see extended family, having my last year of schooling turned upside down and even something as simple as having to spend 2 weeks of school holidays at home! I have to admit, I enjoy a good day in bed watching Brooklyn Nine Nine for the 4th time every once in a while, but when there is nothing else to do, it gets boring. As a result of this I have adapted my routine, found new things I love and tried to keep my mental health stable, being one of the main goals.

Here are 5 practical ways to I have found help to alleviate anxiety, distract my mind and help me cope with this pandemic

Exercise – before self-isolation began, I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t do much exercise, i’d rather scroll through Tik Tok then go for a walk. Yet ever since we have been confined to our homes, I made a pact with my brother that at 4pm every afternoon we would got for a 3km walk. We walk exactly the same route every day, this does not change, some days we might run, some days we walk, depends how we are feeling. It gets us out of the house, he listens to music and I listen to a podcast, yes it’s just a walk, but it is also a break for your brain from screens, news updates and even family members if need be.

Doing what I love – for many individuals, young and old, doing what they love may have been taken away from them due to the restrictions and rules set in place by the government. Personally ‘what I love’ is art, design, graphics and with this abundance of free time I have rediscovered my love for this. Before this pandemic hit I had lost all confidence in my work, yet with experimentation, feedback and a lot of free time, I have found my confidence again.

Maintaining communication – maintaining communication with your loved ones couldn’t be any easier in a technology run world like we have today. I know I struggle with not seeing my best friends every day, going from seeing them 5 days a week to no at all for months has really affected me. Not having them there when I need a laugh or even a hug, yet through apps such as facetime and zoom, communication can still be maintained even when we can’t be with them. I know many families around the country are using Apps such as Zoom to communicate with families that may be spread around the country, even the world. The technology we have access to at our fingertips is so easy to use and you can see your best friends on your phone in seconds, but remember, if you haven’t heard from your friend in a while and you think they might be struggling, send them a text, check in with them, even facetime them. You could make their day

Have a day to myself if needed – this sound silly considering we have to spend every day with our families at home, but sometimes being with your siblings or parents 24-7 can mean butting heads, siblings doing everything in their power to annoy you, and it is times like that when taking time for yourself is needed the most. We should be using this quality time with our family to try and build stronger connections, not tear them down. This may be easier said  than done, but just going to your room for 5 minutes or so to calm down, having a bath, even putting some calm music on can help reduce your stress, anger and diffuse situations.

Turn off the news – every second of the day, we are consumed by news updates and conferences, whether it be on the TV or Facebook, this can have a real impact on mental health and I know it has mine. When you’re watching TV and there is an update, turn it off, if it’s anything important to do with the Virus, you will hear it 50 more times during the day, I’m sure. Find something new to focus your mind on, because watching and listening to news updates, hearing about the horrendous number of deaths around the world, anxiety will start to rise, stress levels too. All we can do is listen and do what the professionals say, stay home and wait till this all passes.

5 months ago, I remember sitting at a cafe in Sydney with one of my closest friends and thinking about how this particular cafe could make a bunch of small changes that would make its atmosphere so much nicer to be in. I critiqued the lights, I critiqued the tables, I critiqued the coffee and I left almost no stone unturned.

Flash forward to now, April 2020, and I would absolutely love the opportunity to sit back in that cafe. The lights wouldn’t matter, the tables could stay completely the same and the coffee is just a bonus. The reason I enjoy cafes at all is because they present the opportunity to be with friends and relax. With everything going on around us right now, being with friends and relaxing is not much of an option anymore. Not physically, at least.

However, that isn’t to say the world is ending. Within all the hysteria, isolation and uncertainty, there is one thing that has, does and will always remain: hope. Here is why.

1. This isn’t our first rodeo.

In our time on this planet, our species have done quite a bit of moving and shaking when it comes to enduring life-threatening events. Diseases account for a lot of these events throughout our history. Bubonic Plague, Spanish Flu, Swine Flu, Ebola, Zika Virus, and SARS are just a couple off the top of my head. Through all these, we have emerged stronger, better prepared and more designed to deal with disaster than ever. This pandemic will be no different. It is difficult, it is scary, and it requires change but we will come out the other side ready to build a better world.

2. There is so much good around us!

Crowding ourselves with negativity right now will not serve us or any of the people we are still able to be around. Take a second to intentionally notice the good news! Take a second to watch John Krasinski’s ‘Some Good News’ or the @goodnews_movement on Instagram. These two channels, like countless others, are working to bring positivity back to the world stage and introduce some light back to our media platforms. Take a second to choose what news you digest.

3. We can reflect on how good we had it.

Just like I did at the cafe, we tend to spend a lot of our time thinking about what is going wrong - not what is going well. The world we had before this pandemic is the stimulus for the world we build after it. Let’s shift our mind to think of what was great about our lives, even if it wasn’t perfect. It could be a big event you have nostalgia of or it could be something small like catching up for coffee. Whatever that thing is for you, take some time to appreciate it and aim to make more of it happen as we begin to return to a state of normality.

4. This. Is. Not. Permanent.

Every day is different to the last. Tomorrow will be new and the day after that as well. If we band together and weather the storm, we will come out of this better than ever. I know it is difficult to keep reminding yourself that everything happening has an expiry date but it does. This too shall pass.

So in the end…

We are in this together. This journey is one that has lots of bumps in the road and lots of twists and turns but it is one that we will emerge from stronger than ever, both individually and together. Do one small thing today to help someone around you. Send one message to someone you really care about to let them know you are there. I’m hopeful for our world because I’ve weathered storms before and I’m ready to weather them again. But that hope only comes alive because I choose it to.
It’s time for you to choose to be hope-filled too.

Over the past few months, there have been some crazy and uncontrollable times. We have been through some stuff recently. Through all of this however there is one thing that we should never forget, and that is each other. So here at Burn Bright we thought we would throw together some challenges for how you can stay connected with those around you despite being in isolation!

SNAPSTREAKS

Take your snapstreaks to the next level and fire off some daily encouragement to all of your friends on Snapchat and ask them how they are doing, it is a great way to connect with people.  On average there are 3 billion snaps sent every day! Imagine if we could uplift and encourage our mates through a simple daily snap. 

OLD SCHOOL LETTER

Let’s take it back to the old days and write out some letters to your three closest friends! There is something pretty special about putting pen to paper and how exciting is it to receive a letter in the mail! In this letter let them know somethings that you appreciate about them and remind them of your favourite memory with them!

IG COMMENTS

Now this challenge is not for the faint of heart. 

Most of us have Instagram right? Well, the other day I was scrolling through the people I followed and I realised that there were so many friends I haven’t talked to in a long time. The challenge for you is to go through the people you follow and comment on every single one of their latest posts! Start conversations, find out who the people in your life are and ask them how they are going at the moment. 

TIK TOK DUETS

How good is Tik Tok in a time like this?! Really though, it could be easy to waste a lot of time scrolling away, but we encourage you to use Tik Tok to connect with your friends, this challenge is to hit up those classy duets with your mates and create some FRESH new content! Make sure tag Burn Bright in there too! @BurnBrightAU

MAKE SOME PLANS

This is such a cool time to set some plans up for the future, see how you can help those around you as a group and make some plans to reach out to people from your school that are maybe in other groups. Remember one of the most powerful things you can do is think WE and not ME. 

We know this may be tough right now, and if you ever feel like it is getting too much, remember that you are never alone.. Reach out to people and talk. Sometimes just a brief message can let someone know that you are thinking about them and can start some great conversations. Feel free to fire out a message to Burn Bright on any of our social channels too, and good luck with your connection challenges!

It can feel like a stressful time for some of us with the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We may be feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious with all of the information out there. It is important for us to take care of ourselves and others during this challenging time.  During this challenging time, Burn Bright has started to run online programs for young people (for more info click HERE) to make sure we all can continue to grow in all areas, however we also thought it was important to share our ABC’s or some of the things we can start doing in our daily lives and encouraging others to do the same, to alleviate some of those stresses.

Attention & Awareness

Pay close attention to your mind and be aware of what might be clouding your brain and how you can declutter some of those thoughts. Remember to take break from new stories and social media posts containing information about the Coronavirus. It’s important to maintain perspective, although research can be helpful in this time there is a lot of misinformation out there that can bring upon unnecessary stress. Take the time to unwind and do something for yourself, making the most of your time at home if you have been advised to limit social interaction.

Top Tip: Maybe that means picking up that book you told yourself you’d read as a New Year’s resolution.

Body

Looking after our physical health can sometimes be the first thing we forget about when feeling anxious or stressed. There is so much evidence that supports the fact that practicing physical activity and health helps to alleviate stress, anxiety and depression. Continue to exercise, eat well and maintain a good sleep schedule as some of the basics. Try meditation, stretching and go for a walk outside to ground yourself and grab some fresh air if you can.

            Top Tip: The Team at Burn Bright love a bit of Fitness Marshall from time to time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiAKSZfbHKg

Connect

One of the most important things you can do for yourself whenever you may be feeling overwhelmed is reaching out to your support network. Connect with your friends and family and make time for those relationships. If you are feeling stressed or confused by the impact of COVID-19, communicate those concerns with the people around you. They may be able to offer some comfort and above all just be there to listen to your worries and thoughts. If you have been advised to stay home and distance yourself socially, take advantage of your social platforms. Whether that be Snapchat, text, Dm’s or even emails the more we talk with one another and check in with those around us the more our mental health will benefit.

Top Tip: Follow us on TikTok, share our videos with your mates and feel free to have a good chuckle.

Do something for others

Doing something for others is not only a good thing for them it actually makes us healthier and happier. It is easy to get swept up in all of the noise surrounding us at the moment so taking some time out of our lives to show kindness to someone else, has the ability to make an incredible impact on someone by making someone’s day and bringing a little more joy into their lives. Call someone you love and let them know, too often we forget about how much this means to those in our lives. Buy someone a coffee, do a chore around the house to help your family, smile and say hello to anyone you pass. All of these little things are the things you can start doing immediately that will brighten someone’s day and get you feeling good too.

Top Tip: Make sure you reach out to the people you think may be feeling some stress. You will open up a conversation and can be there to support and lean on one another.

Remember that everyone will be affected in different ways stemming from the Coronavirus. Validating yours and others’ thoughts and emotions is an important part of this process. Having that awareness and trying your best to maintain a healthy routine will help to guide you through. If at any point you feel as though it is all becoming too much, go back to your ABCD’s, take a breath and know that everything will be alright.