Training sessions and tournaments were a big part of the author’s life before the pandemic.

Everyone is facing difficulty adjusting to life in quarantine, but even more for student-athletes like me. Being in isolation for so long has immensely challenged me.

I’ve been a football player for almost seven years and I am used to schedules filled with training sessions and tournaments multiple times a week. This has helped me maintain a certain level of physical fitness as my body has already gotten used to the routine.

The sudden pause of physical activity has shocked my mind, and most especially my body. I try my best to maintain my body’s condition, but it has been very difficult not having a coach or teammates to accompany me in practice, to push me to my limits.

Football is a team sport that requires multiple people to make the game work and though we can always work on conditioning our bodies individually, it’s not as fun having to go through it without your teammates.

Because of the pandemic, many plans have been canceled. Not being able to go to different places and do the things I could do before have taken a toll on me mentally. Major games and tournaments that we prepared for were canceled, which was very hard to accept.

Aside from playing my sport, school is also a major part of my life. There was nothing that could be done to stop classes from happening so we were forced to continue school online. The faculty and staff, and even my fellow students have been less accessible because we are not able to meet face-to-face anymore. Online classes have affected me both mentally and physically. Having to sit still and stare at the screen for hours every day has caused frequent headaches and even blurred my vision.

I have always been a very productive person and I feel a sense of satisfaction when I get things done. But because of the all-too-comfortable environment of my own home, I often find myself feeling lazy or lacking the motivation to be as productive as I was before quarantine.

The sudden pause in physical activity was a shock, said the author.

A positive mindset helps

There are plenty of reasons to feel down and helpless during this quarantine but I try to keep a positive mindset and remind myself that what is happening is temporary and in God’s time, things will go back to normal. I will set foot on that field again and play like I’ve never played before.

My productivity level at home was lessened as my tasks have been reduced substantially. However, I do my best to stay organized by setting reminders, writing checklists and consulting others for help as I also complete my college applications and balance other responsibilities.

Though there are many downsides to online classes, I try to see the positive side of things and appreciate all the efforts that my school has done in order to keep my education just as meaningful as it was before the pandemic. I constantly remind myself that not everyone has the opportunity to have as great of an education as I do and feel grateful.

Despite the shock that my mind and body had to endure because of the sudden decrease in physical exercise, I manage to do my own workouts, practice through Zoom with my team, and go biking and walking around my village. I have adjusted, and continue to adjust to this different style of keeping my body moving.

Being young, I am very familiar with technology and today’s social media platforms. Therefore, calling my friends has become so easy that we can catch up daily through messaging and video calls. We see how life is going for everyone on our news feeds.

Realizations

I realized plenty of things in isolation. Three things stand out:

Firstly, living in the moment is something that we all should have done and should start doing. The pandemic opened my eyes and reminded me that things can happen so quickly without us knowing it, and we should send love to those around us and live life to the fullest now.

Secondly, keep a positive mindset. The pandemic has been difficult on everyone around the world. The number of people who have suffered from COVID-19 has made the world a darker place. We all know someone who is sick, suspected of being sick or has passed away from the disease and we feel scared, anxious, isolated. But what not many people think about is that keeping a positive mindset helps, and seeing the brighter side of things will help us get through life easier.

Finally, we should all keep in mind that through all these, we can call on God. It is very difficult to put all our trust in Him especially because of all the bad things happening in the world right now, but finding different ways to strengthen our faith can relieve us of anxiety and worry. After all, He never gives us battles that we cannot overcome. —CONTRIBUTED