How athletes can keep mental health in check during a pandemic
Outdoor sports have always been known as spectator’s sports and at a time when the world is down with a pandemic, isolation and lockdown are the frequented measures that government all over the world would implement.
In such a scenario it is obvious for sports and games to suffer a lot as many competitions and tournaments would either be called off or postponed for the future. Even if some tournaments may occur that too would materialize under a strict secure environment and without fans in stadiums.
In such a milieu, it is quite normal for sportspersons and athletes to feel low, anxious, troubled or concerned in the backdrop of fewer live games and sports. Therefore sportspersons need to take care of their mental health along with the physical health in such hard times.
There are several ways to keep a check on mental health during a pandemic.
Maintain daily routine
Daily routine plays an integral part in keeping our mind busy and healthy. Therefore in a time like lockdown, it is important to keep up the daily routine intact. Eating, sleeping, reading, exercising, and other activities should be done at a certain and specific time as normal. This leads to trick the mind that the world around us is normal. This helps to keep the mental health in a good shape during such a time.
Reach out to fans
As a sports personality, one should have a huge number of fans and during an age of technology, reaching out to them would just be as easy as pie. In a time like a pandemic, it is quite common for sports person to miss their cheer and support from the stands. Therefore athletes can use their social media platforms to keep themselves busy with fan interactions. This will help athletes stay connected and feel contented.
Spend time with family
It is a common problem for most athletes around the world that they fail to spend much time with family as they stay busy touring for months for the sake of the games they are associated with. Therefore utilise this time-space solely devoted to the family. Make amends for the time missed and try to enjoy ever
y grain of the available time with family. This will not only help to keep the mental health in a good state, rather it will improve overall cognitive space.
Stay active
Use the home, use the lawn, use the home gym, but stay active. Training and regular exercise is an absolute necessity for sports person or athletes. However, in a situation such as a lockdown, it would not be possible to go out and train. Therefore, athletes can use their home gym to train and exercise and use the available space for practice. Regular exercise not only improves the overall physical health in a person but also improves the mental health as well; it reduces the stress and anxiety level and improves the cognitive health.
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11/27/2020
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