The Social Distancing Blues

As COVID-19 continues to swirl and keep Canadians locked in their homes, many are feeling the negative effects of social distancing. Here are some tips for how you can beat the Social Distancing Blues:

Call Your Fellow Club Members

Many of your club’s members may be feeling sad, lonely, worried, or even downright scared during these troubling times. If you have their contact info, consider picking up the phone and giving them a quick phone call to see how they’re doing. Something as simple as a friendly check-in may make a world of difference to some of your club’s members.

TIP: If you have reliable internet and a device (smartphone, computer, tablet, etc.), consider video-chatting so you can see a familiar face. Popular video-chat services include Skype, FaceTime, and Facebook Messenger, to name a few.

For your more senior members, consider offering to pick-up groceries for them or run urgent errands. If they have existing health conditions, leaving the house may not be in their best interest; they still need food and medicine though, so if you’re willing and able, consider doing these errands for them. Ensure you wear gloves, sanitize everything, and practice social distancing as best you can.

Exercise

Lack of physical activity can lead to numerous consequences, both physically and mentally. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you can’t get some physical activity in. YouTube has plenty of exercise videos you can watch, or you can get some ideas here. Download the ParticipACTION app to get tips and tricks on how to stay active as well.

TIP: Don’t over-do it. If this is the first time you’ve had any physical activity in a while, take it slow. The last thing you want right now is to end up in a hospital. Start slow and increase duration and intensity once your body grows accustomed to the exercise.

Keep Busy

Being stuck at home can quickly lead to boredom. Keep your brain active by reading, playing games (crosswords, word searches, Sudoku, etc.), learning a new skill or even taking an online class. MOOC offers a wide variety of free online courses, so why not consider learning while you’re isolated?

Have an instrument lying around that you’ve never been able to master? Why not learn to play it?

The arts can be incredibly therapeutic. Consider writing a novel, learning to paint, or making some crafts. A quick Google search of “things to do at home” will have millions of results.

Help Your Bowls Club

Just because you’re practicing social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t help your club. If you’re on your club’s Board of Directors, look at your Strategic Plan (4-year plan) and see what’s left on your to-do- list. Don’t have a 4-year plan? Now’s as good a time as any to develop one. Here are some things you may want to consider:

• Are your by-laws up-to-date?
• Do you have adequate policies in place? Have they been updated recently?
• Are there job descriptions for important positions at your club?
• Do key personnel have access to training (such as Board training)?
• Do you have a marketing plan for how you’ll spread the word about your club in 2021?
• Do you have plans in place for how to recognize your volunteers?
• Does your club have a vibrant website and social media accounts? Are they updated frequently?

If you’re not on your club’s Board of Directors, reach out to them and see where you can be of assistance. Now is as good a time as any to create plans for when your club re-opens.

Online Training

Consider taking some online courses:

• Effective Board Governance: This training is for Board members. Save 10% by using the key: C6D27F
• Respect in Sport Training: All activity leaders, coaches, and key personnel at your club should be trained to recognize, understand, and respond to issues of bullying, harassment, abuse and discrimination.
• Coach Training: Visit the Coaching Association of Canada’s website or your provincial coaching association’s website to see what courses are available online.

Whatever you end up doing, try to add some structure to your days by creating a schedule. Change it up so you have some variation, but make sure you have something productive and enjoyable to look forward to.