Coping with the
COVID-19 Crisis:
Tips for the Equestrian Community
The COVID-19 epidemic has hit the equestrian world with a unique set of challenges, adding to a growing sense of overwhelm. The world is facing fluctuating degrees of panic, uncertainty, and death. Horse owners are struggling to cope with stable closures, concerns about their horses’ well-being and loss of their most cherished psychological release-riding.
One thing we all need to understand and keep in mind: current conditions have naturally triggered automatic, primitive brain reactions to danger. When this part of your brain (it is often referred to as the “lizard brain”), perceives a threat it very quickly hijacks your system into emergency mode. It works faster than our newer “thinking brain”, which is a good thing. We need to react quickly to survive, not ponder endless options. Your “fight, flight or freeze” response is activated by the lizard brain.
These physiological responses will serve you well if you are trying run away from an angry bear, but they can get in your way when you are faced with a prolonged, invisible stressor, like COVID-19. Because the thinking brain goes all or partially offline, you may find yourself making poor decisions (blasting someone on social media) or no decisions at all (I’m sure someone will take care of my horse).
Instead of panicking and letting your lower brain take the lead, consider coping strategies to help that thinking brain of yours get back online. What you want to do is avoid impulsive emotional decisions or succumbing to helplessness and despair. Let’s look at some ways to cope that involve engaging our higher brain processes to make well-thought-out, mindful decisions.
Practice daily releasing: Since your fight or flight is activated to some degree, it is important you give that energy a place to go, so it does not additional health problems. Your body is telling you to mobilize and move- so you need to help it respond that imaginary bear (threat). One way to discharge this energy is to do some moderate to high intensity cardio. YouTube has a vast variety of programs to choose from and maybe consider sharing the experience over video chat with a few friends. Another way to take charge of your physiological state is to practice mindfulness. Ground yourself in the here and now by “taking a trip through your senses”. Name something you can hear, see, feel, smell and taste. Do this while taking a walk or just eating your dinner. This activity and deep belly breathing can accomplish the same thing: send a message to your brain that “all is ok right now”. Your parasympathetic nervous system engages, putting the brakes on your fight or flight alarm, and your system starts to calm down.
Connect meaningfully: You may be physically distanced, but fortunately this does not prevent you from connecting in a meaningful way. Be grateful for this: we live in a world with extraordinary technology. Create a group chat, or regular Skype get together with your barn-mates/coach. Connecting activates the brain’s social engagement system and calms down the fight or flight response. We are hardwired to connect. If you can’t be with your horse, try cuddling other four legged family- or borrow someone else’s- or adopt! Research has shown that when we are with those we love, human or animal, it promotes the secretion of a hormone called oxytocin (nicknamed the cuddle or love hormone). As a group, brainstorm together - maybe those in charge of equine care can take video or pictures of your horses and provide updates. Be open to thinking outside the box, and remember you are not alone.
Identify now-stressors vs. anxious worry: We are all currently under threat, so we are stressed. Believe it or not, that is a good thing. Stress is an adaptive response- meant to mobilize us toward action that will restore us. Your stress will ensure that you are more mindful of washing your hands and maintaining physical distance from others. It can propel you to figure out how to deal with financial constraints and manage horse care. These are examples of “now stressors” or immediate threats. They are also items you are likely to have more control over, as they are occurring in the present. By contrast, anxious worry is characterized by “what ifs” or worst case scenarios that may or may not happen in the future. (“what if I get sick, what if something happens to my horse”) Strive to identify your controllable/now occurring challenges and put your focus on taking the best action you can. Do this consistently and you will lower your stress. Try not to engage and feed anxious, future oriented thinking.
Make best (not perfect) choices: When you work toward regulating your nervous system and returning yourself to your thinking brain you can more readily consider your options and make wise(r) choices. Part of making a good choice is understanding that it doesn’t have to be a perfect choice, just what is best given the information you have at the time. Your current situation will change and evolve, requiring adjustments in behaviour and direction. Think “accept and adapt”. Sometimes we have no choice but to accept things the way they are, right now.
Don’t abandon your goals- redefine them: Even if you are grounded from riding right now, don’t just give up. Do give yourself some room and compassion to grieve and be angry at your losses. But don’t stay there indefinitely. Try giving yourself a “worry/grief time”- daily if needed. Then redirect yourself to re-scripting your goals. Use visualization to continue training, take online courses. Identify and follow your mentors in the sport. Training does not need to stop- just change. Riders, like other athletes have a tough but not insurmountable challenge during these times. You’ve got this.
April Clay is a Registered Psychologist and former rider specializing in sport and trauma.
COVID-19 Crisis:
Tips for the Equestrian Community
The COVID-19 epidemic has hit the equestrian world with a unique set of challenges, adding to a growing sense of overwhelm. The world is facing fluctuating degrees of panic, uncertainty, and death. Horse owners are struggling to cope with stable closures, concerns about their horses’ well-being and loss of their most cherished psychological release-riding.
One thing we all need to understand and keep in mind: current conditions have naturally triggered automatic, primitive brain reactions to danger. When this part of your brain (it is often referred to as the “lizard brain”), perceives a threat it very quickly hijacks your system into emergency mode. It works faster than our newer “thinking brain”, which is a good thing. We need to react quickly to survive, not ponder endless options. Your “fight, flight or freeze” response is activated by the lizard brain.
These physiological responses will serve you well if you are trying run away from an angry bear, but they can get in your way when you are faced with a prolonged, invisible stressor, like COVID-19. Because the thinking brain goes all or partially offline, you may find yourself making poor decisions (blasting someone on social media) or no decisions at all (I’m sure someone will take care of my horse).
Instead of panicking and letting your lower brain take the lead, consider coping strategies to help that thinking brain of yours get back online. What you want to do is avoid impulsive emotional decisions or succumbing to helplessness and despair. Let’s look at some ways to cope that involve engaging our higher brain processes to make well-thought-out, mindful decisions.
Practice daily releasing: Since your fight or flight is activated to some degree, it is important you give that energy a place to go, so it does not additional health problems. Your body is telling you to mobilize and move- so you need to help it respond that imaginary bear (threat). One way to discharge this energy is to do some moderate to high intensity cardio. YouTube has a vast variety of programs to choose from and maybe consider sharing the experience over video chat with a few friends. Another way to take charge of your physiological state is to practice mindfulness. Ground yourself in the here and now by “taking a trip through your senses”. Name something you can hear, see, feel, smell and taste. Do this while taking a walk or just eating your dinner. This activity and deep belly breathing can accomplish the same thing: send a message to your brain that “all is ok right now”. Your parasympathetic nervous system engages, putting the brakes on your fight or flight alarm, and your system starts to calm down.
Connect meaningfully: You may be physically distanced, but fortunately this does not prevent you from connecting in a meaningful way. Be grateful for this: we live in a world with extraordinary technology. Create a group chat, or regular Skype get together with your barn-mates/coach. Connecting activates the brain’s social engagement system and calms down the fight or flight response. We are hardwired to connect. If you can’t be with your horse, try cuddling other four legged family- or borrow someone else’s- or adopt! Research has shown that when we are with those we love, human or animal, it promotes the secretion of a hormone called oxytocin (nicknamed the cuddle or love hormone). As a group, brainstorm together - maybe those in charge of equine care can take video or pictures of your horses and provide updates. Be open to thinking outside the box, and remember you are not alone.
Identify now-stressors vs. anxious worry: We are all currently under threat, so we are stressed. Believe it or not, that is a good thing. Stress is an adaptive response- meant to mobilize us toward action that will restore us. Your stress will ensure that you are more mindful of washing your hands and maintaining physical distance from others. It can propel you to figure out how to deal with financial constraints and manage horse care. These are examples of “now stressors” or immediate threats. They are also items you are likely to have more control over, as they are occurring in the present. By contrast, anxious worry is characterized by “what ifs” or worst case scenarios that may or may not happen in the future. (“what if I get sick, what if something happens to my horse”) Strive to identify your controllable/now occurring challenges and put your focus on taking the best action you can. Do this consistently and you will lower your stress. Try not to engage and feed anxious, future oriented thinking.
Make best (not perfect) choices: When you work toward regulating your nervous system and returning yourself to your thinking brain you can more readily consider your options and make wise(r) choices. Part of making a good choice is understanding that it doesn’t have to be a perfect choice, just what is best given the information you have at the time. Your current situation will change and evolve, requiring adjustments in behaviour and direction. Think “accept and adapt”. Sometimes we have no choice but to accept things the way they are, right now.
Don’t abandon your goals- redefine them: Even if you are grounded from riding right now, don’t just give up. Do give yourself some room and compassion to grieve and be angry at your losses. But don’t stay there indefinitely. Try giving yourself a “worry/grief time”- daily if needed. Then redirect yourself to re-scripting your goals. Use visualization to continue training, take online courses. Identify and follow your mentors in the sport. Training does not need to stop- just change. Riders, like other athletes have a tough but not insurmountable challenge during these times. You’ve got this.
April Clay is a Registered Psychologist and former rider specializing in sport and trauma.