Strong!

“Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees.”

I found this quote somewhere and it let me think that we are all going through a phase of very strong winds in our lives. I wish to think when we weather this pandemic, we will all be stronger as long as we keep hanging in there and stay as positive as we can.

I feel we all have the right to feel mad, sad, and sometimes scream during these times but also working on getting stronger at something in our lives will help us along the way.

To stay physically strong is probably the easiest path we can choose during these times. There are fewer distractions since there are fewer things we can do outside of work and home. I have been active all my life but have definitely gone through very different phases.

The best phases are when I am disciplined enough to make my fitness days part of my weekly routine. Routine in some form seems to help me. When I am in the good phase I truly feel better but I am also more emotionally positive. Knowing this makes me wonder why I ever lose my ability to stay in the routine. Luckily, the bad phases don’t last too long and staying positive is something I try to remind myself to be daily. It is just easier when I feel physically stronger.

Mentally strong is a bit more elusive. Last week’s newsletter by Robin gave some great insights on being mentally strong. Being mentally strong as we know seems to be half of the battle of getting through tennis matches and the same, I believe, it is for life. I like to try and simply do what our own Jessyca Arthur-Cameselle (Professor of Psychology at WWU) encourages us to do in tennis, work through hard times with positive re-enforcement. When things seem to be going wrong it is easy to become negative with blame of ourselves or other factors. This is the time to use positive self-talk and turn those problems around. We must realize that we are in charge of our attitude. A positive attitude gives us a better chance for a better day.

Emotionally strong is something I believe is different for each individual. I know for me having my family and friends are what help me get through the hard times. They are the ones I look to for support when things seem the hardest. Some may have other means to keep themselves emotionally stable but I believe having the strong support system of Family and Friends is the way I get by to keep my emotions in these trying times.
A sound (strong) body and a sound (strong) mind is what makes for good life.

Matt