Coping with Coronavirus

Coronavirus has, in the course of a few weeks, completely transformed our lives. From both a business and personal perspective, we are all facing new challenges and a disruption to our routines.

For many of us, work and home are no longer separated in the way they used to be, and how we socialise and interact, take care of ourselves, and work has completely changed. This can, undoubtedly be overwhelming, however there are many organisations, both small and large, coming up with new ways to keep the nation healthy, entertained and connected. Our parent site Angel Investment Network has created a startup survival guide to help your business navigate the current climate, and in this vein we have also collected some of our favourite resources to hopefully help you deal with these changes:

Exercise

With gyms and leisure centres shut, many are now offering their services online. Some of the more well known including ClassPass, who are offering 2000 pre-recorded classes free to subscribers, and Joe Wicks, whose videos are keeping school children, and their parents, active

For smaller studios, check out Time Out’s list of yoga and fitness studios offering online classes - some with free trials. Although there are free trials, we do also encourage you to pay for these services where you can, so we can all do our bit to support small, independent businesses. Never more have we needed to rely on generosity in every sense of spirit, but also with our pockets when it’s possible to do so.

Mental Health

The uncertainty that we are now facing, combined with a relentless news cycle, changes in living situations and any potential financial or employment concerns will inevitably have effects on mental health. Whilst ways to cope will be different for everyone, the meditation apps Headspace and Calm are both offering free meditations.

Yale University is also offering a free online course designed to help people increase their own happiness and build productive habits. Again though, use your conscience to support independent people where you feel in a position to do so!

Entertainment

With venues closed and everyone staying at home, our usual sources of entertainment and ways of socialising have also changed. Beside the usual Netflix or Amazon Prime, museums, theatres and galleries are all adapting so that you can experience their shows online.

The National Theatre will be broadcasting live, for free, some of its most popular productions. The Guardian have listed museums and galleries around the world who now have virtual tours of their collections, so now is your chance to visit the Guggenheim in Bilbao or the Getty Museum in LA. Or if baking is your thing, Bread Ahead are screening free live baking lessons everyday at 2pm. Finally, sometimes you can’t beat a chat with friends or family. Check out Houseparty for group chats and games to play.

Work

Shifting to working remotely so quickly, and for such a long period of time, will be for many a new experience. Notion has a great set of resources offering advice on how to stay productive, effectively manage teams and what tools companies can use

Investment

For companies currently fundraising, this of course changes the investment landscape. However, investment has not completely dried up and investors are still active. But they have adopted a more cautious outlook and changed what areas and types of company they want to invest in. They are looking to invest in startups which are relevant to today’s world and the world which may emerge post-coronavirus. So these include companies related to, for example, digital health, remote working, virtual education, and smart robots. It is too early for us to report on trends we are seeing with the investors in our network, but we will let you know what patterns start to emerge.

For advice on what government support is available for businesses, have a look at the AIN coronavirus startup guide.

We hope these suggestions will help you stay healthy and active. Get in touch to let us know about any other resources we should be listing or if your organisation has some great initiatives.