SAS: Who Dares Wins officer Ollie Ollerton on life after lockdown: 'Be dynamic'

There’s few of us who have actually lived in isolation before now. Closed off from anything normal, if there is such a thing anymore, has been the greatest challenge most of us will ever endure. 

Ollie Ollerton, famed as one of chief instructor Ant Middleton’s officers on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, however, has in many ways gone through the motions during his years in the special forces, serving in the Special Boat Service (SBS) as part of the Royal Marines Commando. 

‘A lot of stuff we used to do started with a period of isolation,’ he tells Metro.co.uk. ‘Certain jobs, before we knew it we’d be in a lockdown situation so there’s no external distraction. You’d spend as much time as you can not knowing when you’re going to get the go-ahead doing as much forward planning as possible. Sometimes it wouldn’t go ahead but at least you were prepared for anything and I think that relates to where we’re at now.’

This is without a doubt the closest we’ll ever get to entering the unknown. Each day brings with it a different obstacle, be it mental frustration, sheer exhaustion or just getting in the shower. Each one valid.

But after seven weeks of lockdown, measures are, according to reports, going to be eased by Boris Johnson this coming Monday. How remains unclear, but what is certain is the world will be a very different place on the other side of this lockdown. Some comforts will be lost for months, perhaps years to come, our relationship with pubs, bars and restaurants will be fragile, and that’s if they’re able to survive. Millions will be unemployed and our mental health will be pushed harder than it’s ever been pushed before. 

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‘We’re creatures of habit, we’re wired to do the same thing as we did yesterday. When we step into the unknown the alarm bells go off. The main thing is with any traumatic experience, we shouldn’t be fighting to get back to normality as we knew it before,’ Ollerton says. ‘It’s the same with a traumatic event, there’s a lot of confusion, inner conflict and everything else because we want to be the way we were before that traumatic event; you’re not that person anymore. 

‘If you fight for what you’re not you’ll lose yourself. At the moment it’s unpredictable. I have never in my life been in a long term situation where I didn’t have an idea of the outcome. I think that’s a really scary place to be if you want it to be. This comes from the special forces, but it’s important to be dynamic and prepared – don’t get into the state of assuming what state it’s going to be. There’s going to be some big changes, a lot of people out of work, and a lot of people with mental health issues. 

‘The more you fight to be who you were or create what we used to have, the more that will crate further conflict. It’s about being open, accepting, and being dynamic and rolling with it.’

Ollerton’s new book Battle Ready couldn’t come at a better time. Though, the former soldier was hesitant to release it now during a period of peak anxiety and gloomy days ahead. Then he took a U-turn.

‘I was adamant it needs to go out now because I actually think the contents of this book is a process I want people to follow, my period of isolation. I did that because there were certain changes I needed to make in myself, a discipline that I needed and I could only do that without external distractions. 

‘It’s a dire situation and you can’t control what’s going on outside but you can control what you do on a daily basis,’ he stressed. ‘If you haven’t got structure in your day-to-day then you might be drinking too much, eating too much and looking at Instagram. You’re going to come out of this taking a step back when actually you could be taking a step forward. 

‘When I left the special forces, the SBS, I came out and the frame work to my normal structure disappeared, the contact with my mates disappeared and all the support had gone, and that’s not too dissimilar to what’s going on at the moment. There was a void in my life and that’s when I started having issues. People are going through that at the moment, people are used to only having a two day weekend when they’ve got time for themselves as such, and now they have a seven day weekend.  

‘Imagine having the conversation with yourself in six months time and saying, what did you do with that time? If it’s, “I haven’t been doing much, I’m drinking more than usual, I’m eating more than usual, I think it’s really important to write that down and take each of those items and ask yourself, “Is this beneficial to me?” 

‘To make those changes you have to step into the short term discomfort for any long term changes or long term goal.’

Ollie Ollerton’s book Battle Ready: Eliminate Doubt, Embrace Courage, Transform Your Life is available to buy now. Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins airs Mondays at 9pm on Channel 4. 

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