This sucks.
Waking up, letting that whole no sports thing really sink in.. #brolovecast #Covid_19 #nosports #thissucks pic.twitter.com/G9gEFyTZZg
— The Bro Love Cast (@BroLoveCast) March 13, 2020
It’s amazing what everyone takes for granted when things in the world at large go along as they normally do. When an event like COVID-19 occurs, the swiftness in which the normal every day turns to irregular is jarring. Anxiety and life become intertwined. No toilet paper on the shelves, no hand sanitizer, no gatherings of more than 250 people (at least in Massachusetts). Disney World is closed. Sports seasons are pushed back or canceled. Kids are getting extra years of eligibility for college sports (still not sure how all that will work). Annual events are postponed (realistically probably canceled) and not just local ones but large-scale traditional staples of seasons passing like March Madness.
I am 35 years old, and I cannot remember an event impacting more than this has. I can remember 9/11 clearly, as a Sophomore in high school I remember sitting in Ms. Cross’ Probability and Statistics classroom. Our principal came over the loudspeaker and gave us a quick explanation of what had occurred. He also declared war on the attackers before the sitting President, but that’s a story for another column. Everything changed instantly and fear became a predominant, almost palpable sensation. I remember no planes in the skies for days and how eerily silent that made the world. The background noise of life changes in big events like those. Things are quieter now, too.
Anxiety and Life Without Sports: What’s next?
I might be a bit desensitized to our #newnormal… https://t.co/dZ9CVcY4e8 pic.twitter.com/iJTNMwTDhN
— Dr. Joseph Santoro (@Joseph_Santoro) March 9, 2020
It’s going to be a weird four to eight weeks, maybe longer. Things could get bleaker. Depending on how the virus progresses, how hysterics impact events and institutions, how seriously people take quarantines and rules around gatherings. No one is really sure what the truth is, whether people should be worried as a whole or not. Some doctors, like Dr. Drew Pinsky, are talking about everyone overreacting and that the yearly flu is worse. Other doctors are writing what sounds like apocalyptic horror stories about what they’re seeing and their impression of the events transpiring around them.
What is the truth? As a journalist, I’m supposed to parse that out. I’ve got training specifically on how to closely analyze data and writing for truths, half-truths, and lies. I’m not sure anyone really knows right now. This particular COVID-19 strain of the virus didn’t exist in humans a half a year ago, there hasn’t been enough time to learn much else. It seems with each passing day that there is more learned about the virus. A lot more research and learning still need to take place, however, before making definitive statements one way or the other about any of it.
Anxiety and Life Without Sports – Everything is Difficult
Every day.#freefloatinganxiety https://t.co/4H9IWdB9jA
— Beth Fogle (@fogle003) October 25, 2019
One truth, as a human with severe free-floating anxiety, is that this is all a lot to handle. Life as a whole for people with any anxieties can be… interesting… on a daily basis. Free-floating anxiety has no anchor or trigger to it; mine seems to enjoy popping up instantly, severely, and often for reasons that to a non-anxiety ridden person would seem ridiculous. The past few days I’ve mustered up all of the energy my body can manage and have gone between shaking anxiously for hours, to somehow getting myself doing normal life tasks.
What’s going to happen at work? What’s going to happen with the virus? How will people pay for things? What happens to the event I had tickets for? Are places going to go out of business? When everyone around you is nervously questioning every basic aspect of life it can be overwhelming to just get out of bed. Movie premiers are being postponed or canceled, theaters are closing, there aren’t performances when there is no one to watch or participate.
The Importance of Sport
“The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.” – Steve Young
Sports would have been a nice distraction. Life without the competition of the contests humans have created for themselves feels hollow. It’s understandable why they’ve been canceled, as Rudy Gobert and the rest of the Utah Jazz have demonstrated superhuman athletes can get the virus too. Unfortunately, no one is immune, and that has left all of us with a severe and rapid lack of distraction.
Sports allow us to see what humans are capable of when pushing themselves. It is coming together as a group, hoping and wishing for a common goal. Sport, the competitions we have created to showcase the best of us, give people hope. It has stopped wars. For some, sport is religion. Without sport, and the underlying competition, something fundamental is missing in the every day.
Anxiety and Life Without Sports – Ways to Cope
Recommendations for anything are difficult during this time, I’ll provide what I think could be helpful and what has helped me. I’m not an expert or doctor, and this isn’t medical advice. That being said:
Read
Read. Visit a library. You can only watch so many re-runs and television shows before the light being pummeled into your eye sockets become too much to bear. Reading also tends to ease my anxiety as I get lost in whatever adventure the book has taken me on. Go to the library (I guarantee you there are less than 250 people). You can pick yourself out a whole stack of books, movies, and other media too. For those that haven’t stepped foot in a library since school, it’s also all free. Go home and Lysol the whole stack and expand your brain.
Write
“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of.” – Joss Whedon #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritingQuotes pic.twitter.com/DFjlrTBtdf
— Margo Kelly (@MargoWKelly) March 11, 2020
Write. I know this isn’t for everyone, but it can help, especially for people with anxiety. Writing can be used to get anxieties or feelings out. Writing can distract your brain and transport you to where you’re thinking, much like reading. Keep a journal of things; thoughts, fears, maybe great ideas, inventions, or whatever else comes across your brain. This will be a unique time in history, having personal details, notes and experiences will be both interesting and important to look back on.
Play
Play video games. Before dismissing gaming, consider the benefits and distractions it can bring. Games can teleport people to places they may never have imagined, or directly to a place or time they’ve always wanted to see. The game may just be a fun, repetitious distraction like solitaire or a pinball game. And so do online casinos, which are not only fun but also a productive way of distraction from boredom. Checking out the best online casinos expert reviews you can choose one that fits you the most. Either way, there are thousands of possible games to play and they take your mind off of life and provide enjoyment. The best part of gaming now is that it can still allow a person to be social. Every modern gaming system (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC Gaming) all have ways to be social and directly connect with other people, even groups of people. This can help people battle social isolation while allowing people to remain safe and away from contagion.
Anxiety and Life Without Sports: Moving Forward
My son, The Translucent One, knows the deal. So should you. pic.twitter.com/RwjWRaXYDt
— Michael Parent (@Celt_Ike) March 14, 2020
No matter what distraction a person chooses to help get through the upcoming weeks it’s important to stay positive, stay informed, and not overreact to a situation. Life will continue on. A new normal will transpire once COVID-19 settles. In the meantime, wash your hands. Think of others. Tamper down the human urge to be selfish in the face of fear and insecurity. Check on your neighbors. Double-check the elderly. Help to stamp out fear, and replace that with hope. Spend time with your family, and give your significant others and children extra hugs and kisses. As a sports fan with anxiety that hope of resumed seasons, crowned champions, and continued competition helps me to move forward.
I hope in the near future I’ll be writing about the Celtics’ playoff chances. Until then, please follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and check out the Belly Up Sports site. We will be providing quality content around the clock during the on-going situation, any current sports news, and quality entertainment news as well.
