We Are Not Alone

The zombie horde shows no signs of dispersing, so Janine is back in the comms shack for more Ministry approved exercise. Start warming up by stretching, jogging on the spot, or dancing. Sam has made a new playlist by soliciting recommendations from Abel residents, to foster a sense of community. Keep moving to warm up while Janine plays the first song!

The continued presence of the horde is causing anxiety, so anything that eases that is welcome, including that song! The situation reminds Janine of the early days of the apocalypse. When people began arriving at Abel, she had thought her biggest concern would be organising them, but it turns out it was having people around all the time. If you're isolated with more people than you're used to, then exercise is a good way of reclaiming time and space for yourself. Bodyweight Squats are the first exercise. Take them slowly, and be careful not to injure yourself. One minute!

While some people are adjusting to confinement with lots of people, others are finding themselves alone. While Janine admits that might be nice at first, seeing people improves your mood. If you're missing companionship, then remember there are lots of other people all doing this workout with you. The next exercise is Air Punches. 30 seconds with each arm. Then take a break but keep moving during the next song!

If you're on Rofflenet, it's an excellent way of keeping in touch with people. If you don't have access, or find opening up to people difficult, try keeping a journal. It can help organising your thoughts as though you're speaking to another person. But sometimes it feels best to clear your mind altogether, like doing the next exercise! Try holding the Plank for a minute, or as long as you can. Time for another music break. Keep dancing, running on the spot, or even more planks if you feel up to them!

Janine will have to speak with Sam about his editorial process for the songs. Although she supposes it is important for people to be able to express themselves. You could express yourself a bit with the next exercise too - Jumping Jacks! Feel free to use variations to make them easier or harder if you like. One minute of those. Use the music break to keep going, or to return to more gentle movement.

That last song made Janine smile. Regardless of who you are living with, it's important to learn to enjoy your own company. Focus on the things you like about yourself and don't berate yourself for not being able to do everything. It's important to be kind to yourself and this will help you be more forgivng towards others, which is very important when broadcasting from the messiest comms shack in the UK! Spend the last song cooling down, and thinking about things that you can be proud of.

That was a very rousing song. While some of the songs weren't to her taste, and important part of being a community is learning to tolerate people's differences. It isn't easy to look after your wellbeing in the current situation. But Janine wants you to know that efforts to look after your own physical and mental health benefit the entire community. And even if you aren't all in the same place, you're still a community. Remember that, Abel Runners.