The current COVID-19 situation has brought the world to its knees. Borders are sealed, and travel is banned, leading to the postponement of all major sporting events.
The outbreak has undoubtedly been stressful for people in general. The fear and anxiety related to the disease can be overwhelming and cause strong negative emotions in adults and children. People from the sports community are confined to their homes as the games are delayed by a year. With no competitions, no proper training, and with no firm end-date for the global threat Coronavirus pandemic, they are making it even harder for performers to stay motivated, focused, and active.
However, there are some ways that we can utilize this period of social isolation to our advantage and come out the other end fitter, stronger, and more resilient than ever.
Express Yourself:
Social distancing doesn’t mean disconnecting yourself from everyone. It is critical to stay connected with your coach and teammates through various online platforms such as text, WhatsApp, zoom, and social media channels. Connect with people whom you can trust and communicate freely. They can be your sources of support and provide you the right guidance during this time.
Here, consulting with a mental health or mental performance professional virtually can be a great additional support. They will help you live through the current experience and address your concerns. You can easily find an excellent Certified Mental Performance Consultant online and meet them virtually.
Utilize This Time in Favor of Your Sport:
You can use this break by indulging in activities that will help you feel more confident and fresh once you return to the field while following the social distancing and general guidelines. You can rest and recover or get creative by engaging in other interests you may never have paid attention to before. If not, manage your commitments, or continue working to keep up your level of fitness. Or maybe set new goals, and discuss this with your coaching staff, and then create a plan to achieve it.
Remember and Reinforce Your “Why”
There is a strong reason you chose this field for yourself, and your new-found time can help you revisit and recommit to it. Make the best use of this opportunity by reflecting on your reason for training and competing in your sport. Analyze your past games objectively and find where it needs improvement. It can give you that push to remain positive and stay motivated while adapting to current restrictions. Reviewing and reshaping your short and long term goals tailored to meet the changing landscape can prepare you to face future challenges. Finding joy in watching or talking about games or connecting with teammates can awaken the origins of your “Why”.
Strengthen Your Physical & Mental Fitness
If you have decided to stick to your training, you can utilize this time to keep improving flexibility, strength, and mental strength. Take help from your coach on what physical activities you should attempt or better explore virtual training sessions provided by various apps and programs. You can enhance your mental skills, including confidence, focus, goal setting, relaxation, or visualization by fixing one-on-one virtual consultation with a Certified Mental Performance Consultant or by using a relevant app.
Establish A Daily Routine
We are the master of our actions. We have full control over our decisions and how we act throughout the day, from waking up to sleeping. We need to solidify priorities and set up a daily or weekly routine by incorporating self-care activities such as waking up early, getting sufficient sleep, having a balanced diet, and engaging in personal hobbies. It helps us to partly restore feelings of control and comfort while supporting our overall health and well-being.
Parting Thoughts
Whenever things get back to normal, feeling right in the moment will give you the needed boost to return to the training facility with the right mindset. Athletes all over the world will indeed find these tips beneficial as they put their efforts in striving to make use of this lockdown period that helps them become better and better-rounded athletes.
Along with these tips, you can also avail of the online support, including the Mindurance platform for on-demand stress management, delivered by peak performance and mental health practitioners and organizations to lessen the impact of this extremely fluid situation.
You can seek help from Richard Oelberger PHD, a Certified Mental Performance Consultant in sports psychology. Having an intense experience in this field, and after working with high school, collegiate, and professional level athletes, he knows what you need right now to stay sane and mentally fit in this situation.