Things You Can Do To Support The People Around You

*AD- This is a collaborative post but all thoughts on how to support the people around you are my own

I don’t know how long we are into lockdown now (I’m losing count!) and the end is in sight in some respects. Sure we all want the restrictions lifted so we can get back to some sort of normality. But it doesn’t seem like the UK are quite ready for that. One of the great things that have come out of this strange time is the feeling of the local community I’ve got. It can be tough to support the people around you when we’re stuck indoors for most of the day. But there’s so much we can all do to help others out and make them smile.

Join a local Facebook group to support your neighbours

This is one of the things which has really helped me regain my faith in humanity. It can be easy to support the people around you that you know like friends and family. But what about your neighbourhood or even your road? People who you may not interact with on a daily basis, or have ever met. We have a Facebook Group for our road as we’re quite large (about 150 houses I’d say) and everyone has been so kind. You can support the people around you by helping out those closest to you.

I’ve seen requests for food items (mainly eggs and flour), or requests for toilet roll. And everyone has been great by checking when they go shopping and dropping things at peoples doors. When we were self-isolating for two weeks we benefitted from the kindness of people dropping us food round. While most shops have everything in stock now it’s always good to know there are people to ask.

Check-in with elderly neighbours

When we got the keys to our new house the first thing I did was drop notes in with the neighbours. Our new house has a lot of older people living around there and I wanted to make sure no one was left in need. Some people don’t have friends or family who live close and can check up on them. And so many people have not been able to get online delivery slots for food.

If you have phone numbers for any neighbours, drop them a call and check in on them. If not drop a note through their door with your number. A small gesture like this can make a huge difference to someone who may be alone. This includes people who may have live-in care like that provided by Country Cousins. If nothing else everyone will be thankful for a friendly smile and someone to talk to.

Support online businesses

A lot of businesses are suffering right now. And while we’re spending more time at home it’s important to maintain a healthy diet. This is where LoveYourself comes in as they offer daily meals that are calorie-controlled. The menus change every single week so there’s always something new on offer and you get your full three meals and snacks delivered to you. LoveYourself cover plenty of dietary requirements such as keto, gluten-free, vegetarian and pescatarian.

There are lots of other businesses who may not be open at the moment offering food deliveries. You can try and create your version of your favourite restaurant food from your own kitchen.

Support the people around you by increasing communication

In the technological world, there’s so much communication you can do online. From video calls and zoom catch-ups through to interactive quizzes and e-cards. We all miss our families and friends and it can be tough being in isolation, especially if you live alone. Increasing communication is key to support both your own and others mental health.

Whenever I have a zoom catch up with my friends, or a cheeky video call with my nan when she can work it out, I always feel so much better afterwards. It’s a chance to try and have some sort of normality and make sure everyone knows you’re there for them.

Sending gifts and cards

Having a birthday or special occasion during this time must be tough, but there are so many ways to try and make the time special. I’ve been using Moonpig so much during this period to send birthday cards and anniversary cards. Support the people around you by showing how much you care and are thinking of them. It could just be a card to say you miss them. Or a bunch of flowers to brighten up their day.

I’ve joined some Amazon gifting groups and the amount of joy and love which comes from sending small token gifts to strangers (or people you know) is lovely. Yes, a lot of us are not in the best financial place but these tokens don’t have to cost a lot.

And most importantly you can support the people around you by doing your bit and staying home.

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