I learned how to deal with stress and anxiety as a young girl through sports. First, it was my swim team, then basketball, followed by track, volleyball and ended with softball. I was on countless teams and played throughout my life until my last game of softball at age thirty. I broke my ankle sliding into home base and it was time to hang up my cleats.
Every coach rallied around when they saw stress shooting out of our eyes. They encouraged us to breathe and simply do our very best. I was taught to manage my stress at a very young age through exercise and learning to work as a team. These lessons learned as a young child still apply today through some of the most difficult times, including our current ‘temporary’ new normal. We all need to work as a team to survive, from a safe social distance.
There are many studies that have proven that the state of mind affects one’s state of health. Consider your mental health during this time to be high on your priority list. Listen to inspiring podcasts, read a good book, learn a new skill, call an elderly neighbor. Forgive someone. If nothing else, allow this time to remind you how fragile life is.
Since we are all experiencing an entirely new form of stress through this pandemic. However, our lives and the lives of others can depend on us remaining calm. When you are stressed out, depressed, or anxious your immune system is compromised. It is not uncommon to be more susceptible to illness.
Today, I am an avid cyclist and love to be out riding through nature. I dread to think that privilege might be temporarily removed while we navigate through this virus, but this moment will pass. We will appreciate our health and freedom, learn a new skill, call an old friend, and finally give Mother Earth the break she deserves. Remember what your coaches told you; breathe and do your very best.
