Grow With: Wiktoria Michalik
Three words to describe how you’re feeling right now:
Grateful, brave, blessed.
How are you being mindful of your health in this season?
At the beginning of the pandemic, I felt quite weird. I couldn’t see my friends and family (flights cancellations), or see my boyfriend. After some time I felt relaxed, as I began to see this difficult time as God’s plan - I believe that everything is for a reason in our lives.
I took this time as a chance for self development (mentally and physically) and self care.
I am the kind of person that needs to use as many hours as I can during a day! Over the last couple of months, maybe even years, I neglected myself.
I neglected my body (even when I used to train 3 times a day. I didn’t have time to plan better and smarter with my training sessions); my mental health (I didn’t listen to what I felt, because of that I felt upset, insecure and stressed. I also had a lack of confidence that led me to feeling depressed).
The key for me is to try to be positive - positive mind, positive people, positive attitude. I do have bad days sometimes when I wake up and feel upset because I can’t see my friends or family - it’s normal but I know I just need to keep going. My daily training helps me a lot to keep my mind clear, to not overthink everything, and to keep things simple.
How have you and your circle been impacted by COVID-19?
I am Polish and in my country everything was locked down a few weeks ago. My family panicked and was scared at the beginning, they still are but I think they are getting used to it now. Many of my friends are still doing their thing. I mean, they are still active (of course most of them don’t work now) but they are also using this time for self development.
How has your work-education-life been affected so far?
All of my work places have been on lock down but I work with great people who are very supportive and helpful.
When you’ve been outside, what’s your experience been like?
First, I thought: “This is crazy. This is mad.” I feel like there are two types of people: people who are scared and panicked and people who don’t care about the current circumstances. I feel like I’m in the middle, navigating between these two types.
What’s keeping you in a positive state of mind in this uncertain time?
I am a boxer so I’m using this time to practise keeping in a positive state of mind. I know that one day everything will be back to ‘normal’, so I just keep training hard (doing what I didn’t have time for before). I eat smarter and better - thanks to this, I feel much better and more energised… More meditation, self reflection and more time for self education. I don’t have the same equipment as what I’m used to at the gym - I don’t even have a boxing bag but I focus on the things I have and just improvise, so that when everything returns back to ‘normal’ I will be stronger, smarter and more ready for anything life will give me.
How are you channelling your creativity in this season?
Creativity was a big challenge for me when everything started. For me, training is an important part of my life. My whole day is about training and education, to not waste time, so I had to figure out how and what to do to be still in the game.
During the first week, when I stayed at home, I went on a run a couple of times and did some exercises at home, but I knew that I needed more space. So, one day I woke up with a mission to create my own gym in the garden. Nobody had used my garden in a long time, so I had a lot of work to do! It took me around 11 hours and I burnt more than 5000kcal to create my own gym. The next challenge was to stay motivated.
My friends are keeping me motivated online, as we have a lot of video calls, practising social distancing and running or training together in the park or other open spaces. I also continue to have consultations, sharing tips on Whatsapp or Instagram.
What are you grateful for in this season?
I am grateful for my NTCC (Nike Training Camp Croydon) family. They keep me motivated and show me that we are all together in this. They are super supportive.
Honestly, I am grateful for a lot of things like the people that I live with, the weather, even nice feedback via instagram. As I mentioned before I try to stay positive and to use this time.
What world are you moving towards in this season?
To be better every day. To feel better physically and mentally.
For people staying at home right now, any suggestions?
Just try to build your routine. A lot of clubs/gyms/ personal trainers lead live classes on Instagram - maybe it’s good time to start. Find something new to do. Discover a new hobby. Find time for yourself. Build renewed relationships with your family. It’s a good time to see and discover things differently.
