• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

OnCourt OffCourt Blog

Tennis Training & Pickleball Tips

  • Tennis Training
  • Pickleball Training
  • Video Trainings
  • Mobility & Wellness
  • Coaching Tips
  • Testimonials
  • Shop
  • Contact Us

Resilience and Connection in Uncertain Times

Resilience and Connection in Uncertain Times

Many people are facing a common challenge right now. 

Regaining normalcy. 

It’s not that we have no source of normalcy, we all have some aspects of our lives that have been untouched by the current climate. 

But, that is itself, is a problem. 

Because we are slowly regaining small senses of normalcy, we battle an inner thought. 

“How can I enjoy (insert “normal” thing) in this new normal?” 

As a tennis and pickleball player, I often have several moments of anxiety and doubt while out on the court. 

And for me, I’ve been thinking about all the people through history, those that go through wars, plagues, recessions, disasters, and on and on. And I realize, I’m one of those people now.  

And while I’m sure people in London had moments of joy and leisure during the years of both world wars, it can be difficult for me to manage and control my anxiety.

If you’re like me, you’re also concerned with keeping up with the sports we love when everything is so different. 

I have three simple practices that I have been returning to during these difficult times and I hope you find them useful, too. 

Just Breath

As anxiety creeps in, your breathing begins to change and become shallower and shallower. Even at the very beginning, anxiety has physically changed you, ensuring that you get less oxygen. 

We’ve been doing that our whole lives and we’ve made a mental connection between anxiety and shallow breathing. 

So, right when anxious thoughts start to pool, take a moment to do a specific breathing exercise. 

What’s nice about this is that when I am anxious, I don’t have a lot of capacity for bigger tasks. But taking a few seconds to do a breathing exercise is always doable. 

Start by inhaling through the nose and count to four slowly and smoothly. Then exhale through the nose slowly counting to six. 

Repeat this three times and then check in with how you’re feeling. 

The breathing will calm your nervous system, help build resilience to stress, and even boost your immune system. 

So, the next time you’re feeling stressed or anxious, on or off the court, start with this breathing exercise. 

3 Minute Breathing Space Exercise

Continue the slow, deep breathing but on your next breath, let yourself notice and acknowledge your thoughts. No emotions. No judgments. Just observe your emotions. 

What do you feel? 

Give yourself compassion here. 

Next, check in and notice your physical sensations. 

Finally, take in your body as a whole and notice your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations all as one. And continue your breathing exercises. 

Get in the habit of doing this 3 times a day, especially during times of stress. In time, this response will become mechanical and you won’t even know you’re doing it, which will make your matches much less stressful! 

Practice Self-Compassion

Observing your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without judgment is self-compassion in practice. 

By defining it, we can help ourselves actually learn how to develop this as a skill and do it without fail. 

Take a deep breath at the end of your breathing exercise and acknowledge that whatever stress you are feeling is a part of life, it is an obstacle you can overcome, and it’s okay that you feel stressed. 

You can even add a physical touch to this action by briefly putting your hand over your heart as you practice self-compassion and forgiveness. 

While we all want to get back to normal, that doesn’t mean we can just wait for that to happen. We can use good habits, good awareness, and good work to get more normal into our lives. 

And when you play and practice tennis and pickleball and have those negative thoughts come back, go through your exercise and remember that you’re not ignoring the state of the world, you’re intentionally taking some time which you absolutely deserve. 

“I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou 

Kalindi Dinoffer

Kalindi Dinoffer is trained in multiple aspects of mindfulness in life and in sports, sharing on her blog MindfulKalindi.com. She is also certified to teach yoga, fitness, reiki, and MFR. Kalindi also serves as VP marketing at OnCourtOffCourt.com, a leading supplier of tennis, pickleball, fitness and yoga training aids and equipment and has been published in Tennis industry Magazine and Pickleball Magazine, and has conducted workshops at conferences around the world. In her spare time, Kalindi plays tennis, pickleball and table tennis and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and biking and cross country skiing in the winter.

Share this with a friend

watch free at home pickleball tutorials

Sign up for Free Training Videos

Improve Your Tennis Game By Getting a Free Personalized Player Growth Assessment

Hone your coaching skills and take your students to the next level

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Our Blog

The OnCourt OffCourt blog is your #1 source for all things tennis, pickleball, fitness and wellness. Tons of free training videos, tips, and training aid recommendations. We are committed first and foremost to education. If you want to improve your game on and off the. court, you’re in the right place!

  • Tennis Training
  • Pickleball Training
  • Mobility Wellness 
  • Video Trainings
  • Shop
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
  • Mindfulness Blog

OnCourt OffCourt Newsletter


Copyright © 2022 · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLACCEPT ALL
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT