Mental Health: A Guide to Coping with Lockdown 2.0
Lockdown 2.0 has officially hit us and frustratingly for many, this has meant that we have lost our beautiful game again. The kids I coached were gutted on Monday to hear that after months of training with covid secure processes in place, they have at least a month of no training and the season has yet again been postponed. As with the first lockdown, this lockdown will potentially affect the health of all involved with the game. It will have the potential to affect both physical and mental health, especially for those players and coaches who are heavily invested in the game.
Sport and in particular, basketball, has so many health benefits. For me, the benefits of sport for good mental health is a big one. I know many young players who love the game, it gives them a healthy dose of good hormones. In addition to the physiological benefits, for some, it is the social side of things that has been lost too. Fortunately, for the junior players this time, they still have school to socialise with their friends. For the adults involved in the game, things could become isolating again. Whilst some individuals enjoy peace and quiet, many others could feel the effects of no basketball and being at home more.
Therefore, I thought (and with the help of my friends who work in mental health and nutrition) I would put together a guide to coping with a winter lockdown.
Stay Connected
Even though we are all probably sick to death of zoom, skype, teams, facetime or another virtual world you have been using. These platforms are great to keep us connected to friends, family, colleagues, coaches and teammates. Keeping connecting to the people in our life on a regular basis is important for good mental health.
One idea may be to arrange a virtual home workout with your teammates?
In addition to staying connected to friends and family. Stay connected to the things that are important to you and engage with them on a regular basis. Keep that connection to the game. Take a ball outside and do a few minutes of ball-handling work each day.
![Passive Rest Passive Rest](https://i0.wp.com/hrmbasketball.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Passive-Rest-1.png?resize=1000%2C512&ssl=1)
Stay Active
Activity and exercise are valuable for mental health, it can reduce stress and boost your mood. Don’t just think that you need to do exercise, regular breaks from sedentary activities are just as beneficial as getting a sweat on. Movement is key, whether it is basketball, other exercises, a short walk, doing some housework or even some DIY.
Another great way to stay active and maintain confidence is to work on an action plan for development. Identify a weakness in your game or a new skill that you want to master. Plan how to achieve it and set that plan in motion. In a couple of weeks, remember to reflect and reassess. Sometimes we need to tweak and modify to get the success we desire.
Finally, get active outdoors and get some sunlight, with winter comes darker morning and evenings. It’s important to get some sun, a walk at lunchtime is a great way to catch some rays and help with your mental health.
Eat Well
It is easy to let good eating habits slip with the lockdowns and even more so during the winter. I must admit, I do love winter comfort food. As always, these foods are ok as long as you eat the naughty stuff in moderation. There is a growing body of evidence that food and mental health are linked. This relationship is bi-directional. Meaning that poor food choices can impact your mental health and poor mental health can impact poor food choices.
Eating healthy:
- Builds self-esteem
- Improves energy levels
- Increases brain function
- Boosts mood
![EAT WELL EAT WELL](https://i0.wp.com/hrmbasketball.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/EAT-WELL-1.png?resize=1000%2C500&ssl=1)
Planning and Routine
Organise your week and plan activities you enjoy, whether they be basketball-related or not. Identifying and establishing a regular routine is also important for our mental health. Plan a regular get up time and what you would like to achieve each day.
Do not forget to plan in time for activities that are relaxing too. It is important to have some ‘me time’ where you can engage in self-care. Rest and sleep are important for both our body and mind. It helps us to repair and re-energize. Lazy days are beneficial every now and then.
To help with relaxation, you may also want to try practising some mindfulness or breathing techniques. There are apps such as headspace that can help with this.
You may also like to write down a list of 5 positive mental health habits you can do on a regular basis. This helps to maintain your mental health ‘fitness’.
Ask For Help
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling. Reach out and speak to your family, friends, coach, doctor or local mental health charity.
For our bodies to work at their best, our minds need to work at their optimum also. This involves being mindful of when reaching out will be helpful and when to share the weight of life or sport.
If you are unsure of who to reach out to, our experts at hrmb have shared mental health resources on a recent blog page…maybe this could be the start of your conversation…