Effects of Physical Activity and Mindfulness on Resilience and Depression During the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic generated a significant number of stressors that the Swiss population had to deal with. In order to cope with and adapt to such adversity, it is essential to have protective factors that allow for resilience. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of mindfulness and physical activity on depression and resilience during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative method was adopted asking participants who were engaged in physical activity or mindfulness to fill a battery of measures of depression and resilience and some demographic questions. The results showed that mindfulness practice strengthened the initial level of resilience of practitioners, suggesting that mindfulness meditation is a tool for coping with adversity during a potentially traumatic event. Conversely, physical activity practitioners maintained a stable resilience score over time, suggesting that exposure to adversity did not disrupt their state of biopsychospiritual homeostasis. Moreover, being physically active decreased the depression score over time. Regarding demographic variables, gender differences were observed in the average scores in the resilience scale and in the Depression Inventory.

Psychological readiness of football players for the match and its connection with self-esteem and competitive anxiety

“…Adequate implementation of techniques that eliminate the high level of the cognitive component of the variable can, according to our assumptions, help athletes increase their performance in a given type of sport [ [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , 88 ]. This is also in line with research dealing with increasing psychological readiness using yoga exercises [ 66 ], meditations [ [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] ], or using Schultz's autogenic training or Jacobson's progressive relaxation [ [71] , [72] , [73] , [74] , [75] ].…”

Effectiveness of Daily Mindfulness Meditation App Usage to Reduce Anxiety and Improve Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…In a study of college students during the pandemic, an online, group-based mindfulness intervention was found to improve three out of six aspects of psychological well-being, namely, self-acceptance, autonomy, and environmental mastery [ 46 ]. Interestingly, a survey-based study in Switzerland found that while mindfulness improved initial resilience, physical activity helped to maintain resilience over time [ 47 ]. The latter findings underscore the integration of mental and physical health and the ability of physical health to support mental health.…”

Mindfulness disposition as a protective factor against the psychological impact of the coronavirus pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

“…The strategy of mindfulness could also have been useful during this time, as the experience of focusing on and appreciating the present in a time of great uncertainty about the future may have been helpful for people (Brose et al, 2021). These findings can further support the idea that mindfulness meditation, as well as other strategies and techniques that promote mindfulness (Pagnini et al, 2016), is a tool for coping with adversity during a potentially traumatic event (Antonini Philippe et al, 2021). The studies included in the present review have some limitations.…”