Solitary confinement may be most inhumane as a punishment, but the coronavirus pandemic has reduced the whole world to a state of lockdown and confinement. The isolation and the overwhelming
negativity can shake the best of minds.
Social distancing, with social media as the only window to the world outside, may have had a debilitating impact on the psychology of people, especially the Olympic athletes who are generally hyper active in pursuit of their goals.
"Postponement of Tokyo Olympics along with the prospect of not being able to train for upcoming months has shaken athletes. They are rattled. Adding to the stress is the ambiguity around their technical training due to complete lockdown," said Sport Psychologist Kirtika Pandey, the founder of Inner Focus Institute of Mental Strength.
Read: The making of sharp shooters, now in Olympics race
She is more familiar as the one who works with elite shooters like world No.1 Elavenil Valarivan at the Gagan Narang Foundation.
"The prolonged isolation has remodelled their lifestyle. Most of the athletes are in a state of shock, fear and frustration," she said.
Explaining the situation, Kirtika pointed out that the human brain was designed to focus on new danger and ignore the old. "The extra energy is generated through activating our sympathetic response system. There will be adverse effects on our mind and body, if this system gets activated frequently," she said.
Kirtika observed that since there was no cure or preventive treatment yet for covid-19, "our brain is keeping us in a hyper vigilant mode."
"Sudden discontinuation of sports activity is also leading to a loss of identity and low self-esteem for the athletes," remarked Kirtika.
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, is the general dictum for most.
"Our system is keeping us prepared for the worst case scenario. The survival mechanism of the brain works by prioritising what is needed the most to preserve us from risk. Thus, there is no relaxation.
Hence, there are increased cases of nervous breakdowns, change in sleep patterns and appetite, lack of motivation, disinterest and lack of energy," she asserted.
Suggesting it as a bad state for athletes to stay, Kirtika emphasised that it was important for athletes to be "back to their recovery mode and be resilient".
The key is to develop specific mental skills.
"List down your goals, both short term and long term. Make a weekly action plan and focus on sticking to the plan every day. Remember that maintaining discipline is more important than high motivation," she said.
Monitoring the emotions is equally important.
"If you notice any emotional distress, acknowledge it and try to find out the thought behind the feeling," she said.
Stress relates to the focus on events in the past or future.
"Practise meditation and learn to stay in the present," she said.
It is time to learn "new skills, apart from your sports, and doing things that you enjoy", with a clear objective of doing at least one thing every day that "generates positive emotion".
Kirtika goads athletes, not to suffer in silence, by allowing "the feeling to become overwhelming and intimidating", but seek professional help.
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