Where are you now during the time of COVID?

For the first month after the season ended abruptly, I was home with my parents in Oxenden. My siblings were home for part of that time as well which was great to see them. Now, I am back in Thunder Bay.

What are you doing in these times of social distancing?

During this new and somewhere wild time, I am trying to stay well informed without driving myself crazy. I try to listen to our Prime Minister speak at 11am most days to stay up to date. I am practicing social distancing rules and trying to leave the house as little as possible.

Are you training?/Working/Taking care of Folks/ How?

Yes, I am training. As this is the time between race season and training season anyways, training is a little more relaxed an creative but still training once or twice a day with runs, strength workouts and I was skiing early on prior to public spaces being closed.

How are you staying sane? 

I would have to say, trying to accept the situation and develop a new routine has been key to my sanity. Part of that and probably the biggest change is how much time I spend talking to friends and loved ones on the phone. While the timing of my day has changed, not much of the substance has with school, training, eating good food and sleep. But I have been speaking to friends more than normal on the phone. Sometimes hours a day just to stay connected and feel the social interaction.

Are there things you are struggling with that you don’t mind sharing?  Impacts on you, your  family, your work/school/training….

As we are humans of course there are ebbs and flows to life. For me, I have found that the lows are lower. Especially things that didn’t used to make such a difference like if the weather is poor, or if plans get changed at the last minute, I find those were throwing me off more than normal. As I said above, I have been trying to practice a lot of acceptance and for me that has been making a huge difference. Remembering that we are all going through this as a cohesive group. Others will have better days, but will also have worse days. Keeping a balanced outlook on the situation for me has helped weather the more bumpy days. 

Other inspirational thoughts, strategies, tips to share?  

Something I didn’t mention before because I am back up in Tbay now is that while I was home, my father is a potter and I was spending a lot of time out in the studio making pottery. I cannot push it enough to try something creative with some of your down time. Be it something new, something old, or something that you want to begin to get better at. I find it something that you can bring your focus and mental energy to and it can help you mull over either emotions or thoughts that may be arising in the new times for everyone.