Some reflections on the role of physical activities in times of a pandemic
For most people around the world including us, the past years/months of pandemic translated into a significant contraction of social but also physical space(s). Our daily life and routine came to happen mainly in our homes – which became de facto also our working spaces. For some of us, the daily homework commute and the usual adrenaline of having to rush for (trying to) get on board of the last train or bus, is a far-gone memory. As spaces for work and/or socialization have reduced, we also had to compromise with physical activity of any kind – being it walking, running, dancing, cycling or swimming. Yet, doing sport is essential for many aspects of our lives, even more in exceptionally stressful times such as a global pandemic.
Physical wellbeing
As for the morning run to catch the public transportation which will get us to the office, sports activities also contribute to providing us with our (daily) doses of adrenaline. The corporal experience of being out on the field running is also an encounter with our body and its un/known limits. While, during our day, we often focus on the many professional challenges and the household tasks ahead, sports activities allow us to reconnect with our bodies (and minds) and ask ourselves how do we feel, if we will be able to do the training session, or if we feel a bit tired or overweight, etc. And, yes, regardless of whether we’ll be out of breath after 10 minutes of slow training, or we will not be able to reach the 800 meters goal at the swimming pool, it is comforting to realize that being committed to trying is already a success – even more during the cold, wet and dark Belgian winter!
Socialisation
As the pandemic began, the imposition of social distancing also implied not being able to practice group activities, undermining the possibility to strengthen networks of relationships which were carefully constructed over time – as we went for instance to the classes of dance, yoga, capoeira, gym, and countless other activities. Although these connections did not include necessarily any good/deep friendship relation, these networks offered opportunities to meet with people from different professional or cultural backgrounds, to create specific bonds by sharing a talent, collaborating on an art project or simply sharing the experience of muscular pain during a squat session. While we longed for interactions with our close family and friends, we also renounced places where parts of our personalities could be fully expressed. While digital tools allow some sort of socialisation, we realised how much-shared experiences which are located in a given time and space are somehow much more meaningful for bonding encounters to happen.
Emotional wellbeing
While some of us still wonder why people run behind a ball – or, even worse, why they run WITHOUT a ball to follow – we can agree that beyond the fatigue doing sport is also about producing ourselves some degree of pleasure. In the end, especially when amatorial, doing sport activity is about taking time for yourself and acknowledging the needs of your body and mind. Breaking the flow of daily thoughts for focusing just on the physical effort is of great benefit for our minds. As in our work and everyday life we find ourselves often dealing with multiple tasks at the same time, to switch back to a single task/single moment can provide us with the opportunity to re-centre our ‘selves’. Pleasure can also come from throwing ourselves into the ‘unknown’ when facing a new dance choreography or a particularly intense training session that leave the muscles sore for days. There, next to pleasure comes a feeling of victory and achievement which can be beneficial, especially when struggling with a project or a difficult paper: after all, no victory is too small! As for many things in life, sport or practice nurture feelings of endurance, determination and patience but it can be sometimes challenging and lead to frustration and even failure. Even if we do not always manage to practice as much as we want and we (often) set goals that remain out of our reach, it is important to cultivate projects that keep us balanced and fulfilled.
