War II. Now in 2020, the French Open and Wimbledon are
cancelled due to the historic pandemic known as COVID-19.
times? How can we make sure we are exercising precaution
but not paranoia? How can we manage our anxiety when
we may feel trapped and scared? With clubs and rec cen-
ters shut down, tournaments and events cancelled, and most
of the population told to practice social distancing and self-
isolation, how can we as tennis players and coaches
keep up with the sport we love while staying connected and
grounded?
practice that can help cultivate resilience as you develop
the ability to be in the present moment, observing and even
befriending your own experiences.
nowadays modern neuroscience is demonstrating the
tremendous benefits mindfulness has on brain function, im-
mune system response, stress and pain management, and
even the aging process!
presence and how you view stress. On the positive side you
can view stress as a challenge, as `eustress' to use the
Greek word for good stress. On the flip side you can view it
as bad stress or `distress'. The exercises we will be cover-
ing can help with that reframing of `bad' stress to `good'
stress.
when you double fault on set point? Or choke on that fore-
hand at 5-all in the tie-breaker? The beauty of these prac-
tices is that you can work on them now and be ready to rock
and roll when you and your students get back out on the
court!
your daily routine right now.
It sounds simple, but chances are, as anxiety is creeping
in, your breathing is becoming shallow. Shallow breath-
ing means you're not getting as much nourishing oxygen
as you could be. Try this on for size. Inhale through the
nose to a slow count of four, exhale through the nose to
a slow count of six. Repeat three times. How do you feel
now? Maybe a little less anxious? Deep and slow di-
aphragmatic breathing calms your entire nervous system,
helps build resilience to stress, and boosts your immune
system. Who couldn't use a little of that?
And hey guess what?! This idea of breathing will be an
awesome tool to share with your students once you do
get back out on the court.
Taking the idea of breathing a step further, you can practice a mindfulness exercise
called a Three-Minute Breathing Space. Here's how it goes. Continue that gentle
breathing you were practicing in #1 and then on your next breath simply notice your
thoughts. Notice them without judgment, perhaps even with compassion. Just say,
"Oh that was a thought about what might happen in the future." Next, turn to observ-
ing your emotions. What do you feel? Once again, notice your feelings without judg-
ment and perhaps even with a little compassion. Next, turn to your body and notice
what physical sensations there are ... again without judgments. "Oh that's a knot in
my stomach, how interesting." Finally, take in your body as a whole and notice
thoughts, emotions, as well as physical sensations, and continue taking slow, deep
breaths. Try this exercise for about three minutes once or twice a day or whenever
you are feeling a little anxious. Over time you will be able to successfully address
any tension, stress, anxiety or other difficult emotions in the moment as they arise,
rather than stay tense all day or all match long.
This type of exercise is good to practice before you get out on the court or even for
a few seconds in between points and during changeovers. You can regroup with just
a couple of deep breaths and a quick assessment of what's going on in your mind,
body and emotions.
We touched on this in #2, the idea of observing thoughts, emotions and physical sensa-
tions without judgment and, better yet, with compassion. But what does it really mean
to practice compassion? To me, it means being kind to myself and treating myself as I
would a dear friend. Note that self-compassion should not be confused with self-pity.
Numerous studies show the tremendous power of mindful self-compassion practices
to boost focus, happiness and wellbeing. My favorite tool to practice is a self-compas-
sion break as follows.
· First, simply take a deep breath and say to yourself, "This is an uncomfortable
moment." Other options include, "This hurts" or "This is stressful." What you are
doing here is acknowledging what is happening in the present moment. This
acknowledgment is mindfulness, in contrast to feeling overwhelmed the whole day
and not realizing you were stressed until the end of the day when you collapse,
exhausted.
· Second, acknowledge that stress is a part of life. That's common humanity. You
could say to yourself, "I'm not alone. Others are just like me" or "We all struggle in
our lives." When we are suffering, we can feel alone.
· Third, offer yourself some physical comfort. You may put your hands over your
heart, or wherever feels soothing, and just feel the warmth and gentle touch of
your hands. Perhaps you may even offer yourself some words of loving kindness
such as, "May I be kind to myself" or "May I give myself what I need?" If you're
having difficulty finding the right words, imagine what you would say to a friend or
loved one in need and gently try offering yourself that same message from the
heart.
Again, this works well both on and off the court. Just think about that time you or your
students were beating yourselves up in a match. This self-compassion break can be a
short meditation exercise or just a quick reassurance between points, even after you
catch yourself beating yourself up. With practice, this too will become automatic.