There are lots of ways to feel calmer. It's about finding what works for you. Try some of our breathing exercises, activities, games and videos to help let go of stress.
Try one of these activities or use some of the tools to help you feel better when you're feeling anxious, scared or sad.
Fill an old sock with something soft.
You could use bubble wrap, foam packaging, a washing up or shower sponge, rolled up socks or scrunched up wrapping paper.
Tie a knot in the top of the sock or use a hair bobble or elastic band to keep the contents in.
Squeeze and release the sock in a rhythm that feels right for you.
Pause and notice what you are saying, doing or thinking.
Write it down.
Ask yourself if that thought or activity is helping you or not right now.
If it's not helping, choose to think or do something different.
You could try getting out of bed and doing 10 star jumps, thinking about a happy memory instead of a sad one or chatting to a friend online instead of feeling alone
When you're not able to see friends or go out you can feel trapped. It can help to notice the freedom you do have, even if it's much smaller than you're used to.
It might be that you can choose to go to a different room, look out of the window, connect with friends online or set up a video call with relatives.
Think of someone else who has less freedom than you and call or message them so they feel less alone.
Spend 5 or 10 minutes every day to connect with nature.
Look out of the window and watch the clouds. Look at holiday photos on the beach or in the countryside. Watch a video of the sea or a walk through a forest. Listen to birds singing or dogs barking nearby. Imagine being outdoors somewhere calm and peaceful by a waterfall or on a mountain path.
You could also change your homescreen on your phone or computer to a nature picture or your favourite animal.
Find 4 or more items to hold or feel.
You can choose things like a blanket to wrap around yourself, a smooth stone to hold, something that was given to you by someone important to you, the lyrics of a happy song or a poem that makes you feel positive .
Put them in a bag or a box in your room. When you feel under pressure, worried or upset choose 1 item out of the box to hold while you remember a time that you felt safe and calm . After 2 or 3 minutes replace it and choose another.
You can do this as many times as you like.
Find a box, something small like a shoe box or a chocolate box.
Write down what's worrying you on a piece of paper and place it in the box.
Tell yourself that you don't need to think about the worry at the moment and you can let it go and leave it in the box for now.
You can do this as many times as you like.
Remember to keep the box somewhere private.
Make a space in a cupboard or drawer for things that will help you when you're feeling anxious or panicked.
Choose things with a noticeable smell, taste, feel, colour or that make a noise.
You could include shampoo or soap to smell, a mint to taste, a fluffy sock to touch, a brightly coloured drawing or wrapping paper to look at or a plastic container with beads or dried pasta in to shake.
Choose a day that you're feeling happy and write a letter to yourself, either on paper or on your phone, to read when things are more difficult or you're struggling to cope.
Remember to include advice about things that have helped you to cope in the past.
Read your letter to remind yourself that you have days when you feel less anxious and your mood improves.
Taking slow, deep breaths can help you feel calmer and more relaxed. You can try just one of these exercises or as many as you like. You might need to repeat an exercise a few times until you feel it working.
Try to take deep breaths where you can feel your chest rising. When you breathe out it might feel like you're slowly letting the air out of a balloon. You can close your eyes, look at something in the distance or not focus on anything at all.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, take some long, deep breaths.
Breathe in through your nose
Make a big sigh and drop your shoulders downwards as you breathe out through your mouth
Repeat 4 times
Breathe in while you say to yourself "I feel calm"
Breathe out while you say to yourself "I let go of stress"
Breathe in while you say to yourself "Feel calm"
Breathe out and say to yourself "Let go of stress"
Breathe in for 4 seconds
Hold for 7 seconds
Breathe out for 8 seconds
Repeat 4 times
Breathe in slowly while you count 1, 2, 3, 4
Breathe out slowly while you count 4, 3, 2, 1
Repeat 4 times
Breathe in as you count 1, 2, 3, 4
Hold as you count 1, 2, 3, 4
Breathe out as you count 1, 2, 3, 4
Hold as you count 1, 2, 3, 4
Keep your counting even and trace your finger along the 4 edges of a box of tissues or a dice if that helps you to keep focus
Repeat 3 times
Drawing and writing can help you think about your feelings or anything that's worrying you or making you feel anxious. Doing something creative can help you to feel calmer and distract you from problems. And you don't have to be "good" at art to be creative. Expressing yourself is for you.
You can try as many of these activities as you like. Or find a favourite that you can go to any time you need to. You can also use the Art box to create images and save them in your locker.
Write 1 or 2 words about how you're feeling.
Using a notebook, Art box or your mood journal draw a heart or a star for yourself and write 3 kind words or messages to yourself.
Remind yourself that no matter how difficult things feel, you are not alone - someone in your street, neighbourhood, town or city is likely to be feeling similar emotions to you right now.
Draw a heart or a star for someone else who is feeling like you do and write 3 kind words for them too.
You can do this for as many people you like.
Knowing what's important to you can help you to prioritise when you're under pressure or feeling overwhelmed.
Write a list of your values and things that matter to you, like feeling calm, being kind or taking care of your pet.
Look at your list every week and decide whether these are still important or if you want to add or remove something.
When you have a difficult decision to make or too many things to do, have a look at your list to help you choose what to do next.
We hold tension in our bodies when we're under pressure, feeling stressed or feeling anxious.
Draw the outline of a gingerbread person and add where you feel stress and anxiety in your body - that might be butterflies in your tummy, your legs feeling weak or your heart beating fast.
Draw how it feels in each part of your body and use colours or numbers to show where you feel the strongest sensations. Let go of any tension by unclenching your hands, dropping your shoulders, stretching, doing yoga or dancing and draw or write any changes on your picture.
Draw the outline of your hand on paper or using the Art box. Follow the outline with your finger or click on it with the mouse to trace the shape as you take a slow, deep breath.
Start at the thumb, move to your other fingers and end with your little finger as you breathe in.
Trace back from the little finger to the thumb as you breathe out.
If you can't make it all the way around, you can start with tracing around the thumb and the first finger while you breathe in and around the first finger and back around the thumb as you breathe out.
You can colour in the hand after.
Lots of people use yoga to feel calm. It can help you relax, gently build your fitness and keep you active. And Nicole from Yotism has created a few short activities and routines for you to try.
Remember to take breaks when you need to and only try poses you're comfortable with. If you're worried about your health or mobility, it can help to ask an adult you trust for advice before you start.
Games and puzzles are a great way to distract yourself, lift your mood or settle your mind. When you need to feel calm, playing games that help you work through your feelings or give you a different focus can be really helpful.
You might have a favourite game of your own or you can try one of the ones below or in our games section.
Create your ideal room. Fill it with things that help you feel happy, calm and safe.
Play our game and feel your worries float away.
Build a tower made up of all the great things about you.
Write your worries on the wall and then watch them crumble away.
Watching a video can help to distract you from problems and thoughts. Our videos have ideas about things you can do to feel calmer, especially when you're feeling stressed, sad or anxious.
