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Wellbeing activities

When the School was closed last year, we developed this Wellbeing Wall to share ideas on how to look after ourselves and each other. During this second period of closure, we plan to add new ideas and information every ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’, providing a welcome boost during the middle of each week of online learning.

During this challenging time, it is important to look after your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your friends and family. We have put together some resources and ideas to help and advise you. You can do the activities either on your own, with your family or with your school friends. We encourage you to join in and would love to hear how you are getting on. Please share your photographs and video clips on your house's community wall.

Get involved

Over the coming weeks we will be challenging you to get involved. Each boarding house has its own padlet wall which you can add to by uploading your content on your House's Community Wall. So be sure to check the page to see what all your peers are getting up to. You can complete these challenges in a range of ways such as a written post, a photograph, a video or even a link. This is a great chance for you to be creative, and we look forward to seeing your entries.



Eat wellread more
Activity - Take a look at this poster on mindful eating. Try out the six ways to practise mindful eating. 

The Big Sleep (Big focus on SLEEP this week!) – read more
Activity -

  • A) Have a little look at this poster, how many of these tips and advice for a good night’s sleep do you do already? This week, try to incorporate a couple more of them into your bedtime routine.
  • B) Download the ‘Calm’ app on your phone or any other device and benefit from a range of resources, including; Sleep more. Stress less. Live better.

#BeKind – read more
Activity -

Walking on sunshine read more
Activity - 

  • A) Go outdoors and explore your surroundings. Take photographs of what you find and share them on your house's community wall. This week we challenge you to take a photograph of the clouds. Try to take a photograph of a sunrise or sunset to capture the clouds in all their glory.
  • B) Listen to 'Walking on Sunshine' here.

Stay connected read more
Activity - 

  • A) Try some of the ideas to help stay connected here.
  • B) Create a photo album of a few of your nicest photos with family and friends.
  • C) Play a board game as a family
  • D) Set up a group call with a few of your friends…perhaps set up a little quiz, a game of Charades or something even more creative…please send in anything that worked particularly well, so we can share with others on your House's Community Wall.
  • E) Share a movie night with a friend.

Me time read more
Activity - 

  • A) Try out the four mindfulness tips here.
  • B) Try some of these activities during a quiet time in your day:
    • Read a book
    • Sleep under the stars
    • Try a yoga session each morning
    • Start and finish a puzzle
    • Do a yoga/relaxation session each morning
    • Create a piece of origami

Be active read more
Activity - 

  • A) Take on the #BRYathlon challenge. Complete exercise either in water (swimming, rowing, kayaking), on land (running, walking, golf) or on wheels (cycling or skateboarding). The challenge is based on time spent exercising rather than distance. Once you have completed your chosen form of exercise, please send in proof of your time spent exercising to JEM or submit through social media with the hashtag #BRYathlon and @SportBryanston on Twitter or @BryanstonSport on Instagram.
  • B) The couch to 5km is an initiative that is gripping much of the nation. You can read more abut the initiative from the NHS and BBC. Why not download the app, start your programme today and share your progress with us?

Try the Wim Hof Method read more
Activity - At the end of your shower, turn the water to cold for 10 seconds. Add on 10 seconds every day until you reach a maximum of 2 minutes. Try to make this a habit every time you shower. Try playing 2 minutes of energising music at the same time.
Try to get to at least 1 minute by the end of this week.

Be creative read more
Activity -

  • A) Make a recycled sculpture. Be inspired by the work of Phyllida Barlow RA and create a sustainable sculpture from reusable household rubbish. Build it, play around with decoration and then recycle the parts. Share your finished products on you house's community wall. Here are some examples:
    • Cardboard sculpture, inspired by travel - click here
  • B) Make a chocolate painting and create some yummy art which you can eat with your friends! Watch the video here for more information.

Other resources

  • Mr Robertson has created this useful 'wellbeing 5 a day tracker'. Download and print out this chart to help track your wellbeing activities for the day.
  • Our brilliant librarian, Emma Minter, has compiled a comprehensive list of resources to help cope with stress. 
  • View the 'feel good' moments of the week
  • Articles for the week
    • How full is your bucket? by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D - read more
    • Kindness v coronavirus by Action For Happiness - read more
  • Take part in 'Joyful June', an activity calendar from action for happiness.

Joyful June activity

  • Try out the coping calendar from action for happiness.

 

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Your body and brain need nutrients to keep healthy and function well. A healthy diet is good for your body and for your brain. The food you eat can have a long lasting effect on your mental and physical health. The BANT (British Association of Nutritional Therapists) ‘Eatwell Plate’ is a visual representation of a daily balanced diet. Try to eat three meals a day or maybe five smaller snacks throughout the day is better for you.

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • Take a look at this poster on mindful eating. Try out the six ways to practise mindful eating. 

Week 6 tasks

  • With time and the opportunity why not offer to cook dinner for your family? Have a look at these wonderful, yet simple dishes on the The Three Ingredients Challenge. If your dish is a success send it in for your chance to feature among the other fine dishes. How colourful can you make it…? 

Week 5 tasks

  •  With time and the opportunity why not offer to cook dinner for your family? Have a look at these wonderful, yet simple dishes on the The Three Ingredients Challenge. If your dish is a success send it in for your chance to feature among the other fine dishes. How colourful can you make it…? 

Week 4 tasks

  • The British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine recommends that we eat a rainbow a day. Click here for ideas. Who can create the most colourful meal? 
    Upload any photos of the dishes you create to your house's community wall. 

Week 3 tasks

  • Have a delicious homemade smoothie at breakfast or as a snack at breaktime. Here are some ideas.


The recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is, on average, 8 to 10 hours each night. From the numerous studies on sleep, the benefits range from enhanced concentration to a better immune system. Some research suggests a difference of approximately half a grade between pupils who sleep well and those who do not. This is possibly because pupils who get better sleep may be more attentive the following day, leading to more effective learning. It is also suggested that when we sleep new connections are formed between our brain cells. So, getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis can improve memory. However, possibly more important than this at the current time is that many researchers believe that one of the main functions of sleep is to maintain our immune system and regulate the hormones necessary for health. Getting the recommended hours of sleep a night can help defend the body against illness. Sleep is one of the most important parts of our day. Whilst many may see it purely as a time to recharge, its benefits for both our physical and mental health are significant.

Here is an interesting infographic from Believe Perform on the science of sleep.

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • Have a little look at this poster, how many of these tips and advice for a good night’s sleep do you do already? This week, try to incorporate a couple more of them into your bedtime routine.
  • Read the benefits of power napping here. Try power napping this week to see if it affects your productivity.

Week 6 tasks

  • Read this article by the sleep foundations on teens and sleep here.
  • Have a little look at this poster, how many of these tips and advice for a good night’s sleep do you do already? This week, try to incorporate a couple more of them into your bedtime routine.

Week 5 tasks

  • Read this article by the sleep foundations on teens and sleep here.
  • Have a little look at this poster, how many of these tips and advice for a good night’s sleep do you do already? This week, try to incorporate a couple more of them into your bedtime routine.

Week 4 tasks

  • Try out some meditation before going to bed/no screen. Headspace is a great app to have on your phone but try this to get started.

Week 3 tasks

  • Follow the GLP and set an alarm for your usual school bedtimes. Ensure you get at least 8 hours every night.


Giving or helping others is one of the five ways to wellbeing so caring for others is an important part of being human. Hans Selye argued that to reduce the negative effects of everyday stresses and strains, we should do good for others. He suggests that doing so changes our own physiological responses to stress. It is often quoted that kindness is the combination of three components:

  1. the motivation to be kind to others.
  2. recognition of kindness in others.
  3. engaging in kind behaviour every day.
Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

Week 6 tasks

  • Read the following article 'There are several benefits to smiling'.

    This powerful gesture costs us nothing so try to smile with as many people as possible.

    The penultimate image shows a few suggestions for kindness, but below are a few examples of random acts of kindness following on from Mr Robertson's assembly. Go and make someone's day, as it will not only benefit them but it will also leave you fulfilled. 

    This week try the following random acts of kindness:

  • Smile
  • Give an honest compliment
  • Thank someone who you appreciate

Week 5 tasks

  • Read the following article 'There are several benefits to smiling'.

    This powerful gesture costs us nothing so try to smile with as many people as possible. Whether that be your family, your postman or the person you pass while you’re out exercising. Greet your teacher or tutor with a smile on Teams.

    Want to treat a key worker? Know someone celebrating an isolation birthday? Or simply want to let that person know you’re thinking about them? Why not send a bouquet of hand-tied flowers to brighten up their day? 

Week 4 tasks

  • Phone a relative or family friend for a proper catch up and really listen to them. 
  • Fetch something from the shop for a neighbour who is self-isolating.   

  • Write a letter to your tutor or Hsm and post it to them. 

  • Send an email to PJH to let him know what you’ve been doing. 

Week 3 tasks

  • Cook a meal for your family (and wash up afterwards).

  • Write a letter of thanks to somebody you know who works for the NHS.


Sunlight is essential for human beings. The cycle of light days and dark nights regulate a primary metabolic pathway: the circadian rhythm which keeps our hormone and neurotransmitter levels in the optimal range. Vitamin D3 is vital for the optimum functioning of our immune systems. There are Vitamin D receptors and activating enzymes on the surfaces of all white blood cells. Vitamin D is also known as ‘the sunshine vitamin’.

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • Go outdoors and explore your surroundings. Take photographs of what you find and share them on your house's community wall. This week we challenge you to take a photograph or a sunrise or sunset. 

Week 6 tasks

  • Plan a socially distanced walk with a friend
  • Practise astronomy or just sit out under the night sky

Week 5 tasks

  • Emerging yourself in nature. In week 2 Mr Curry challenged the D year to plant some vegetables. You can see his tips here  and some results from members of D here. With garden centres opening again, buy some seeds and plant them somewhere where they will get some sun. Why not challenge your friends to have a sunflower growing competition to see who can grow the tallest sunflower? Keep your Hsm updated by uploading your photographs to your House's Community Wall. 

Week 4 tasks

  • Find some photographs of you and your family on one of your favourite summer holidays and reflect with them why you had such a good time.  

Week 3 tasks

  • Make the most of a sunny day and go for a morning or evening walk to soak up the rays.


Humans are social creatures who require connections with other humans in order to thrive. Spending time with friends and family is proved to make you happier. Taking time to feel grateful for the people in your life deepens the bonds between you. Feeling connected to those around us also creates a push towards increased levels of kindness. In this area we will give some recommendations to stay connected to your friends but also to stay connected to the whole Bryanston community. We hope the film in the Headmaster’s assembly on the first day of this term helped with this and we hope you will join in with any Bryanston community projects we launch such as the Worldwide Community Chorus Project.

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • Create a photo album of a few of your nicest photos with family and friends.
  • Play a board game as a family
  • Set up a group call with a few of your friends…perhaps set up a little quiz, a game of Charades or something even more creative…please send in anything that worked particularly well, so we can share with others on your House's Community Wall.
  • Share a movie night with a friend.

Week 6 tasks

  • Create a photo album of a few of your nicest photos with family and friends.
  • Play a board game as a family
  • Set up a group call with a few of your friends…perhaps set up a little quiz, a game of Charades or something even more creative…please send in anything that worked particularly well, so we can share with others on your House's Community Wall.

Week 5 tasks

  • Think of a song that lifts your spirits and share it with the whole Bryanston community. If you’re brave enough send in a TikTok of you (and your friends) singing or dancing to the song.
  • Set up a group call with a few of your friends…perhaps set up a little quiz, a game of Charades or something even more creative…please send in anything that worked particularly well, so we can share with others on your House's Community Wall.
  • Share a movie night with a friends.

Week 4 tasks

  • Find an old photograph of you with your friends from Bryanston or friends from your prep school and send it to them.  

Week 3 tasks

  • Facetime or call 3 people you haven’t spoken to in a week.

  • Think of a song that lifts your spirits and share it with the whole Bryanston community. If you’re brave enough send in a TikTok of you (and your friends) singing or dancing to the song.


If we are constantly in the ‘fight or flight’ state, we have less energy for our immune system. It is good to pump adrenaline and sugar into the blood when we need to, e.g. when we are being chased by a lion, but it will exhaust us if we are in this state 24/7.  

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • Read the following article - '10 ways to take care of yourself during coronavirus'. Out of the ten tips given, how many can you complete this week?
  • Try some of these activities during a quiet time in your day:
    • Read a book
    • Sleep under the stars
    • Try a yoga session each morning
    • Start and finish a puzzle
    • Do a yoga/relaxation session each morning
    • Create a piece of origami

Week 6 tasks

  • Try to do some meditation or mindfulness exercises this week. The  ‘Be Well’ is a great one to start with.
  • Try some of these activities during a quiet time in your day:
    • Read a book
    • Sleep under the stars
    • Try a yoga session each morning
    • Start and finish a puzzle
    • Do a yoga/relaxation session each morning
    • Create a piece of origami

Week 5 tasks

  • Try to do some meditation or mindfulness exercises this week. The  ‘Be Well’ is a great one to start with.
  • Schedule time into your day without any interaction from the outside world, allow the freedom of thought.

Week 4 tasks

  • Make sure you have balance and variety in your day. Consider using a checklist to tick every evening. Maybe something like this.

Week 3 tasks

  • Join in the ‘clap for carers’ on Thursday at 8pm.
  • Write a daily dairy about how life is for you and your family during these unprecedented times, include photographs. This might be something you want to keep so you can share with your children and grandchildren. Maybe ask relatives to contribute. Read this article that explains the wellbeing benefits of keeping a diary.
  • Consider some of the ideas suggested here

Appropriate practice of physical activity assists young people to:

  • develop healthy musculoskeletal tissues (i.e. bones, muscles and joints);
  • develop a healthy cardiovascular system (i.e. heart and lungs);
  • develop neuromuscular awareness (i.e. coordination and movement control);
  • maintain a healthy body weight.

Physical activity has also been associated with psychological benefits in young people by improving their control over symptoms of anxiety and depression. Similarly, participation in physical activity can assist in the social development of young people by providing opportunities for self-expression, building self-confidence, social interaction and integration. It has also been suggested that physically active young people more readily adopt other healthy behaviours (e.g. avoidance of tobacco, alcohol and drug use) and demonstrate higher academic performance at school.

We are fortunate to have access to the Virtual Sports Centre with a range of physical challenges, motor skill sessions, mental well-being tips, healthy snacks, and much more. Please do make the most of the resources available and encourage others to do the same. Exercise can be far more engaging, enjoyable and rewarding if you do it with somebody else. Why not encourage other family members to come with you? It is not always easy to motivate ourselves to be active, but watching this clip of Usain Bolt’s top 10 rules for success may help you overcome procrastination.

The World Heath Organisation (WHO) recommends that all children (5-17 years) should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to high intensity physical activity every day. This could be one session of 60+ minutes or split into multiple sessions, e.g. three sessions of 20 minutes in the same day.

For adults (18-64 years), WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise throughout the week in bouts of no less than 10 minutes at a time.

Here is an interesting infographic from Believe Perform on the benefits of exercise on mental health.

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • The couch to 5km is an initiative that is gripping much of the nation. You can read more abut the initiative from the NHS and BBC. Why not download, start your programme today and share your progress with us?
  • Have a look at this poster on keeping active throughout the day. How many can you fit into your day?

Week 6 tasks

  • The couch to 5km is an initiative that is gripping much of the nation. You can read more abut the initiative from the NHS and BBC. Why not download, start your programme today and share your progress with us?

Week 5 tasks

  • Do a yoga session each morning before you register with your Hsm. There are lots of ideas on YouTube but here is a quick 15 minute session especially designed for the mornings.  

Week 4 tasks

  • Mix it up a bit... try something different. 

    • If you have a skipping rope at home, try this.

    • If you like dancing, try this workout.

    • If you see yourself as the next Anthony Joshua or Nicola Adams, have a go at this boxing workout.    

Week 3 tasks

  • Complete at least 60 minutes of exercise every day this week.

  • Encourage somebody in your family, who is perhaps not as active as you, to complete the right amount of exercise recommended by WHO. You might consider using the Couch to 5K challenge. You can find the weekly podcasts here.


Wim Hof, also known as The Iceman, is a Dutch extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. He has set Guinness World Records for swimming under ice and prolonging full-body contact with ice, and still holds the record for the barefoot marathon in ice and snow. The Win Hof method is a simple practical way to become happier, healthier and more powerful. It is based on three pillars: cold therapy, breathing and commitment, which unlock a range of benefits including increased energy, better sleep, increased willpower, reduced stress, enhanced creativity, stronger immune system. There are physiological benefits, too such as constricting blood vessels, which helps to reduce swelling and inflammation.

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • Try to get to at least 1 minute by the end of this week.

Week 6 tasks

  • Try to get to at least 1 minute by the end of this week.

Week 5 tasks

  • Try to get to at least 1 minute by the end of this week.

Week 4 tasks

  • Try to get to at least 30 seconds by the end of this week.

Week 3 tasks

  • At the end of your shower, turn the water to cold for 10 seconds. Add on 10 seconds every day until you reach a maximum of 2 minutes. Try to make this a habit every time you shower. Try playing 2 minutes of energising music at the same time.


Creating something, whether this is a piece of art, music, drama, dance or creative writing is a relaxing and inspiring activity for many people. However, it is suggested that the benefits of artistic expression go much further than relaxation and enjoyment. Creating something can help us acknowledge and recognise feelings that have been lurking in our subconscious. The process will give us a feeling of self-accomplishment which will help improve confidence. It gives us a healthy outlet for expressing and letting go of our feelings which can relieve stress and relax the mind and body.

Recommended links
Further reading
Previous weeks' tasks

Week 7 tasks

  • Take part in the 'Hold Still – A portrait of our nation' project. 
    We set this challenge last week and want to encourage you to join in this week as well. You can enter here.
  • Make a chocolate painting and create some yummy art which you can eat with your friends! Watch the video here for more information.

Week 6 tasks

  • Take part in the 'Hold Still – A portrait of our nation' project.

This is an ambitious community project to create a unique photographic portrait which captures the spirit, mood, hopes, fears and feelings of the nation as we continue to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak. The themes include:

  • Helpers and Heroes
  • Your New Normal
  • Acts of Kindness

It would be amazing to get as many entries as possible. You can enter here.

Week 5 tasks

  • An ex-member of Bryanston staff spotted some fairy houses in the trees on the school drive. The local children are loving looking for them. Make a fairy house for a tree near you. Here are photographs of four of the fairy houses in the Bryanston woods. We thought it was a nice touch to have the rainbow for the NHS underneath one of them. Upload photos to your House's Community Wall.

Week 4 tasks

  • Many things can be created from the cardboard centre of a toilet roll, from anyone, Mrs Dean challenges you! Here are some ideas. Send her some photographs of your creations. 

Week 3 tasks

  • With Coronavirus restricting most VE Day events, prepare for your own celebrations by making your own ‘VE Day 75 Great British Bunting. This link gives you step by step instructions on how to do it.