Take the good and the bad days in stride

It’s a trying time for all of us right now. The loss of so many of the activities and freedoms we once enjoyed. For athletes, it’s been extremely difficult to lose their sport – many unable to practice, see their teammates and coaches everyday like they did before, travel, and compete. It is definitely outside of our norm, our routine or schedule. Many different emotions are felt, and these emotions seem to change moment to moment.

Many people are feeling an added pressure to make good use of this time. They feel they have to be so productive with their free time this pandemic has given them. They don’t want to waste it and then when this is all over, look back and wish they would have done more. This often leads to feelings of guilt when they aren’t getting things done or don’t have a very productive day.

But this pandemic isn’t something any of us has ever experienced before. We don’t know what the right thing to do even is. No one knows how to navigate this experience. I myself have found a wave of ever-changing emotions related to this situation that change daily, even hourly, as I’m sure many of you have felt the same.

This is hard. Some days you feel good and motivated to have a productive day, maybe even learn something new. Then the next day you feel so lazy, tired, sad even and you don’t feel like doing anything at all. And you know what? That is OK.

It’s okay to feel different things each day. Sometimes we are so hard on ourselves and feel so guilty when we have a lazy day. But think of it this way – even under normal circumstances when we aren’t in a global pandemic we still have lazy days, don’t we?

So why all the guilt and shame when we don’t feel very productive these days? I think for some, it is our way of coping with this situation. We feel better when we are busy and this new normal puts us out of our comfort zone, out of our regular scheduled busyness and into a new normal that we haven’t quite figured out yet.

I’m here to tell you it’s important to be kind to yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself if you are less productive or lazy one day, or one week even. Take this time to do what you need to for your health and well-being. Ride the waves of emotions and go with the flow. If you are feeling highly motivated one day, then go with it and get as much done as you can. Celebrate that success and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at the end of that productive day. If another day you feel like lying on the couch all day watching tv, go with that too. Allow yourself the time for self-care – whatever that may look like to you.

Find a self-care strategy that works for you. Something that helps you relax, relieve stress and you can enjoy. It can be any number of things and will be different for each person. Some common self-care activities include exercising, getting outside in nature, taking a bath, reading a book, and talking with a trusted friend. Additionally, you could try starting the day off on a positive. To do this, you can write out an intention for the day, such as “today I am going to channel delight into my day.” Make it something personal and meaningful to you.

Another approach is to express gratitude. When you wake up in the morning, acknowledge or even write out three things you are grateful for. It can be anything, even as little as “I’m grateful that the sun is shining today.” These will help get your mindset thinking positively and you will feel better equipped to take on the day. Remember, rest and recovery are important aspects of a healthy mind and body.

I know we will all get through this, but remember to be kind to yourself. Don’t give into the guilt and shame in trying to make this time so productive and not waste it. Go with the flow and show gratitude towards the good each day brings. Take care of yourselves.

Brittney Nyrose is the mental skills coach for the Alberta Sport Development Centre – Southeast. She can be contacted at bnyrose.mpc@gmail.com.