BREAKDOWN OF OUR RESILIENCE : IN 2 ROUNDS

How the lockdowns made us build resilience in 2 stages (rounds)

It’s been almost 12 months that we are facing this pandemic. It hasn’t been an easy ride for all of us especially with Covid-19 on the news every single minute of the day.

We are dealing with new circumstances: working from home and for parents with homeschooling too. Our social connections and our mental/physical health have been impacted, except for one thing that continues to grow: our resilience.

We have seen resilience in different stages throughout 2020 until now. As a passionate boxing coach, I can see a clear link in how this relates to boxing and what I would call; the 2 rounds of resilience.

When a boxer enters the ring, it’s only them against their opponent. They have their team in the corner, but they will have to lead this fight alone, own the ring and win this fight. And still, they don’t know if the fight will end in their favour. They are very much in the present moment, being alert on what the opponent might do, which increases their adrenaline.

ROUND 1 “The fighting spirit”

The first round of our resilience. We are in this together to control the outbreak and encourage each other to find ways to stay safe, stay alert and stay connected. We encourage ourselves through social media, finding creative ways to make Zoom calls even more exciting, we keep supporting the local community and share our love to the NHS. This is our fighting spirit. We are focused and alert. Building adrenaline to pull us together, we find resources in ourselves that we would have never expected.

ROUND 2 “The Endurance”

The second round of our resilience. Boxing can take up to 12 rounds if there hasn’t been a knockout. Keeping your performance up and being in constant alert is extremely exhausting. In those final rounds it could happen very quickly when you just lose your focus, emotions play up and your stamina decreases. The difference we see in these final rounds is between the two fighters: The one with the endurance and strong will to win.

The new lockdown restrictions are not new anymore. The fighting spirit changed into boredom and disconnect. We are getting into a stage where we lose stamina and endurance. This is the moment where we need to ask ourselves; ‘what would it take to get me off this mental stage and get my performance back? What is my will to win?’.

In the final rounds of the fight, that’s where the coaches are much needed for the Boxer. They empathise and acknowledge the fight, the hardship and the physical/mental exhaustion. They emotionally connect with the boxer and help them see the different angles, trying to break the routine of the fight to make a difference in the end...the win.

We might not have built a similar stamina or endurance, like a boxer. We were not even prepared for this pandemic. But, what we can do now, is be aware of this, acknowledge how we feel, change our routine and be there for others. Be in their corner to help find the last resources within them to reach the finish line.

We can’t control when this is coming to an end but what we do know how to control our performance to get there.