Indeed, I know many of my friends and colleagues have stopped reading the news altogether, overwhelmed by feelings of fear and powerlessness.

My own response has been to scale back my vista – not blind to the realities of the world nor to the privilege of (currently) living in safety, but certainly acknowledging how much I can onboard without grinding to a halt. I find myself increasingly focusing on the immediacy of my local community and my own actions. By surrounding myself with allies and curating what goes into my body and mind, I find I am able to bring positivity into my every day.

“In exercise as in life, focusing on those around us can actually be the best way to bring joy to ourselves”

It all starts with giving. Think about the giving and receiving of gifts – which fills you with the most joy? For me, and I believe for many of us, it is unquestionably the giving – that moment of surprised happiness when the perfect gift you’ve put so much thought into is finally opened.

I feel it each time we publish a new issue of RIDE HIGH, too, sharing knowledge for free and showcasing even those we might deem competitors. Giving always feels better than taking.

Now more than ever, I believe we must harness this insight to find joy in our daily lives. We must learn to give to ourselves.

Lack of exercise, bad food, limited sleep, tobacco, alcohol… all of this depletes our positive energy. We take from ourselves and we feel worse for it. Conversely, give ourselves the gift of a healthy lifestyle and we almost instantly feel better – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Choose group exercise and we also layer on that powerful sense of giving to each other. By showing up for our community, we give something of ourselves. Our effort feeds the collective energy of the class, building us up, creating positivity, fuelling those around us. Every bit of effort we give comes back stronger.

In exercise as in life, focusing on those around us can actually be the best, most powerful way to bring joy to ourselves. So in times when all we can really do is focus on our own actions, let’s remember we always have the power to give.