More Places to Turn

If you’re sitting around asking yourself “Now What?” These are a few good resources that can answer that question.

• 16 Things to Do When You’re Feeling Lonely, According to Experts. If you’re feeling isolated, know that there are many ways to reclaim connection, published in Good Housekeeping. (Check out #11 from the UnLonely Project’s founder, Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH).
• NY Times “At Home”. Look for the story on this site by Don Winslow that starts, “No one knows how the chimp got the revolver.” No spoilers, please!
• 94 Fun Things to do at Home. Number 7 in the “Just to Relax” section is a very fun way to have lunch.
• USA Today: 100 Things to do inside because of the pandemic. I tried to do 19 all at once and got very warm.

These are programs that will put you in touch with real people to connect with.

• Pen pal program. Find someone to from across the globe or down the block to trade emails with. 
• Nextdoor. Ever wonder what your neighbor thinks of that park around the corner? Discover what people in your neighborhood are talking about on this app.

Take a seat on your couch and do some quality watching with these COVID-19 special programming channels.

• The UnLonely Film Festival. You don’t have to click very far to check out over 35 short films on our site that tell powerful stories, powerfully told. And don’t miss the brief clip on why each film was chosen for the festival.
• The “Stay At Home” Web series festival. Check out some of your favorite comedians and performers as they live stream original content to you from their homes.
• Brooklyn Comedy Collective streaming live comedy shows at TVCO. Always wanted to see a New York comedy show? Now you can from home with these nightly shows put on by Brooklyn Comedy Collective.
• Documentary Heaven. From behind the scenes, expose’s to the true stories behind breathtaking achievements, these documentaries will inspire and entertain. Check out Apollo Zero for a great space story.
• Greenlight books Ongoing Events. Watch these author events streamed live by one of the loveliest bookstores in New York City.
• The Annoyance Livestream. Famed giggle institution The Annoyance Theater has taken its programming online! That means for the first time ever, you don’t even have to be in Chicago to check out one of these shows. 

Just because we can’t go outside doesn’t mean our bodies don’t need to move.

• Gibney Online Dance Courses and Projects. These classes will have you both moving and grooving, with teacher led classes on dance.
• Free online fitness classes. These are accessible, free workout classes. If you’re a beginner, try the 10-minute home workout to get your feet wet.
• Gold’s Gym. They’re offering free access to its app GOLD’S AMP until the end of May.
• Free workout classes for kids. If you have kids, they are most likely bouncing off the walls right now. Have them blow off some steam with these free, child workout classes.

Information about symptoms, how to protect yourself, and what to do if you think you have the virus.

• CDC site focused on COVID-19
• WHO tips on protecting yourself from COVID-19
• CDC tips for older adults
• Harvard Medical School’s Coronoavirus Resource Center

Please note: This site is not intended to provide access or support of clinical care care needs for either physical or mental health. Credible resources are listed below where one can pursue those as needed.

• If you are in crisis, please reach out immediately for help. There are several resources for help in a crisis:
  • Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center;
  • Text MHA to 741741;
  • And/or call 911.
• Call the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine at 800-950-NAMI (6264) Monday through Friday, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM EST for mental health resources.
• Utilize the Crisis text line for mental health support.
• Contact the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline (800) 985-5990, which provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural- or human-caused disasters.
• Find and call your local NAMI Warmlines (emotional support hotlines) using NAMI’s National Warmline Directory.
• For general guidance on mental health support, Mental Health America has a good collection of additional resources, including tools to help find a therapist.

• Anxiety and Depressions Association of America’s App Rating Guide. The sheer number of mental health apps to choose from can be daunting. Luckily for you, AADA has ranked them all, so you don’t have to go through all of them. 

Make some time to relax with these great mindfulness programs.

• The Awaken Network. Free online meditation resources that are specifically targeted at issues you may be having during the pandemic.  
• Headspace. Clear your mind and find some peaceful meditation with free recordings from Headspace.
• UCLA Hope. Check out any of these great classes and online seminars that can help you learn to cope during this global crisis.

• We Will Get Through This. A multi-faceted tool that helps you find peace and relaxation during these particular and peculiar time. 

Other things online filled with activities, stories, and resources for the pandemic.

• Photographers on Instagram. These are wonderful stories from professional photographers about the pictures they are taking while quarantined.
• Music Time Machine. Transport yourself to a calmer, relaxing place with these great radio stations.
• Big Health Sleepio. Here’s a riddle: What makes you tired and unable to sleep? For some people, the answer to that is being stuck at home because of COVID-19! Find the sleep you need.

Bring the museums you’ve always wanted to travel to right to your couch.

• MCN. A large list of museums you can visit, that range in topic from the history of games to cultural Mexican heritage.
• The Met Museum. Take a look at their Open Access Artwork, a collection of more than 406,000 hi-res images.
  • BONUS: Check out the Met Opera for free shows.
• Google VR Museum. If you don’t want to just see the exhibits, check out this link and experience actually walking through the museum.

• 90 Free online courses to improve your writing skills. Learn grammar, or how to build your own fictional world with these great classes.
• Free language lessons for kids. You may not be able to speak Italian, but you’ll need a guide for when the quarantine is over.
• Mooc. Learn everything from computer programming to personal finance, Mooc is the place to catch up on everything you wish you learned earlier.
• The Lantern 30 Days of Poetry Plan. Looking to write poetry but don’t know where to start? Use these great, daily prompts.

These podcasts about quarantine range from informative, to hilarious, to downright relatable.

• Stay F Homekins. Comedian Paul F Tompkins and his wife Janie Haddad Tompkins keep themselves entertained while quarantining together.
• Staying In with Emily and Kumail. Comedians Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani talk with health experts and give tips on how to successfully stay at home.
• The Hilarious World of Depression. John Moe always knows how to put his own mental health struggles in perspective — and that’s no easy task these days. Find your quarantine perspective by listening to his podcast.
• HeavyWeight. Jonathan Goldstein is an expert at connecting. Listen as he tries to connect people who have drifted apart, and as he tries to figure out what getting through the pandemic means to him. 

There’s nothing better than getting lost in another world of the written word. Here are some places to find your next reading project.

• OnBeing. Collection of Podcasts, Poems, and other creative endeavors focused on being Stuck at Home.
• Poetry Society of America: Reading in the Dark . Poets look back at the poems they found helpful during difficult times such as this.
• Shelter in Place Poems. Browse through the large collection of poems on poets.org, and find ones that help you cope with being stuck at home.
• Archipelago Free E-Books. Get lost in some great, translated works by foreign authors with limited edition free e-books.
• Narrative Healthcare Soul Support. The good people at Narrative Health Care have put together a wonderful resource of poetry, meditations, lamentations, Expressive Writing prompts, and art with meditative questions. Looking to look deeper? Look here!
• Poets House. Check out these great poetry readings, done by the poets themselves. New submissions coming this September.
  

Being a parent was already a full-time job– now, quarantine has seen you take on a few new professions: teacher, entertainer, and babysitter to name a few. Here are a few resources to help you do those jobs.

• Aaron Meshon. Illustrator Aaron Meshon (Inaugural Artist in Spotlight) is working with Crocodile Creek to Share a FREE coloring + activity PDF every day for 30 days.
• New Victory Theater. New York City’s premier nonprofit performing arts theater devoted year-round to kids and their families and classmates.
• The Moth Kids activities. Famous storytelling program ‘The Moth’ has been conducting a new storytelling series aimed at parents, to help them come up with a home-schooling curriculum.
• Free kids’ books and audiobooks. Sit your child down with a good book and watch their world expand with these free books.
• Mo Willems’ Lunch Doodles. Not only will you gain a great perspective into the process of creating and making children’s books, but you’ll learn how to make a DIY board game, draw some of Willems’ most loved characters, and laugh and giggle at this most charming and talented author and illustrator. Great for both kids and adults. Special guest stars include Weird Al Yankovich and Lin-Manual Miranda. After trying to explain who ‘Weird Al’ is to your kids, you too will undoubtedly fall down the YouTube rabbit hole watching everyone’s favorite 80s spoof artist. Your kids won’t ever look at you the same way.