Matters of the mind key to athletes riding out coronavirus

....."There`s nothing more important than preserving life. Not even sports," Suzuki told Kyodo News from his Tokyo home during Japan`s coronavirus-necessitated state of emergency period.

"Saving lives is the top priority, not playing sports. I tell athletes there are things we can and cannot control, and right now, we focus on what we can control. We can`t stop training facilities from being shut down, but we can find new ways to train.".....

.....Uekusa said she used to have a tendency toward negative thinking, but Suzuki helped her break the habit by teaching her how to be careful with her word choice and how to set and focus on specific goals.

Suzuki also advocates having backup plans to deal with unforeseen changes, a life-hack that makes periods of uncertainty like these easier.

Now, Uekusa, who is making the most of her at-home time, holds Disney movie nights and takes Sundays off. She consciously incorporates positive language into her everyday conversations and "points the arrow inward" when she notices herself getting jittery over things she cannot change.....

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Bethany`s Notes: A positive mindset is necessary for everyone to make it through these challenging times of quarantine. Enjoy some things you don`t typically do and give yourself grace when you feel sad and or have down days.