In January, Clare Shine went public for the first time about her struggles with mental health, in the hope that by speaking openly about her experience of depression, despair and, crucially, the road to recovery, she might help others who were enduring similar pain but had yet to reach out for help.

A little over three months on, and with the world now utterly transformed, it’s hardly overstating the case to suggest there can be few people anywhere who are not experiencing heightened levels of anxiety and stress, as they try to come to terms with the upheaval and, in the most severe cases, the trauma, of life in a time of pandemic.

For the Irish international and Glasgow City striker, one of the key insights she has gleaned from hard-earned experience is the vital importance of the link between her physical and mental well-being. In particular, she’s currently reaping the benefits of the club’s five-days-a-week running and home workout programmes.

“That has kept me occupied and I’m seeing big improvements as well,” she tells me from her home in Glasgow. “At the start it was obviously tough, being on your own training and not being around the girls. But you get used to it and I am enjoying it now.

"Fitness is always something that I want to improve on and now is the time I can do my endurance and work on that, for my game in particular. So instead of looking at this time as a negative, I’m trying to use it to my advantage and turn it into a positive.

“I try to stick to the same routine every day to keep my mind ticking. I get up, have breakfast, read a book or watch TV for an hour and then I go do my run in a park around the corner for about an hour to an hour and a half.

"Then every Wednesday, there’s a Zoom call with the team and we do a body weight circuit together – lunges, squats, push-ups etc.

"It’s important, for me anyway, to have a structure to the week and to stick to a daily routine. And it’s been working so far.” In terms of the mental challenge of coping with life in lockdown, Clare feels that what she learned during her own journey from darkness into light is standing to her now.

“Yes, it is. At the start it was a challenge. Football wasn’t around and I didn’t know whether to come home to Cork or not, everything was up in the air, and I think that’s when I allowed my anxiety to take over a little bit. I was thinking about the pandemic a lot, it was the only thing I was watching on TV and I wasn’t really sleeping.

"So I just decided I had to block it out and focus on myself, instead of what was going on around me. And I know that is quite difficult to do but I think it’s important.

“Of course, not every day is a good day but I just allow myself to have that bad day if it’s there, and just know that it’s not the end of world. I can pick myself up the next day. What’s important to remember is that each day is a step closer to being out of this. I can either come out of it ten steps forward or ten steps back and so I’m just trying to see the positives in it.

“I’m also still speaking to a psychologist once a week, and that’s brilliant. Because even though I’m feeling good, it’s nice to check in on myself and feel that I’m keeping on top of it too.

"I think the numbers have risen hugely now of people struggling with their mental health, with anxiety and stress, and I think a lot of those people are going to need that kind of support after all this.” One unexpected positive to come out of this time for Clare is that she has rediscovered the joys of the written word.

“I’ve actually started writing letters to friends from home and team mates on the international team as well,” she says. “And they’re writing back. So it’s kind of exciting when the post comes!”

That leads us naturally into mention of a book she recently flagged as “inspirational” in a piece she did for FAI TV.

“It’s called ‘The Recovery Letters’ (published by Jessica Kingsley),” she explains. “It’s addressed to people who are experiencing mental health issues like depression and anxiety and who are struggling to find themselves a little bit, who are in a dark place. And these are letters from people who have come out of that dark place, different people telling their stories.

"So it’s like someone is speaking to you all the time when you’re reading it and, certainly for me, when I’m struggling a little bit, it’s nice to get that uplifting message.”

And it’s a message, she suggests, which now has universal appeal.

“It says there’s hope. There is a way out of this, and every day is a step closer to us being back to normal.”

Reigning champions and cup holders Glasgow City were just one game into the new season when, following an international break, lockdown took effect in Scotland. But that international window was one of huge significance for Clare Shine as she made her comeback for Ireland, first coming off the bench in the win against Greece and then starting in the 3-0 victory in Montenegro.

“It was an amazing feeling, first to be back in, and then to get that start and the win,” she says. “It put us in a great position for qualifying. Obviously the lockdown was bad timing in that sense, but it also gives us a chance to regroup and another few weeks and months under Vera (Pauw) as well.

"I think she has done a really good job so far and it’s exciting to see where we can go as a team from here.” As much as Clare appreciates the importance of trying to live in the moment, she still allows herself to dream about the summer of 2022 and, if qualification is secured, the prospect of helping the Irish women’s team make history at what would be their first ever Euro finals.

“Everything that I would be working on in training now would be for then,” she says.

“Yes, I’m trying to take it day by day but having that goal at the end is always really important. Of course, now everything is at a standstill. But it’s not going to last forever. And I think it’s important to do what you can now to give yourself the best opportunity when we come out of it.” And what would be the key piece of advice she would share with anyone who is concerned about their mental health at this time?

“My main one would be to talk about it. I know everybody is in the same boat at the moment and no-one is feeling 100% but it’s important to speak about it and let somebody know. Also, try to get a structure and a routine and do things you know will help. For me, it’s exercise, it’s reading, it’s listening to music and getting out for that hour a day.

“I know you’re not able to see your family and friends, and that can take its toll after a while but, at the same time, you need to look after yourself and do what you can to give yourself the happiness that you need at this time.” She finishes with a quote she shared on Twitter earlier this week, accompanied by a photo of herself smiling and giving a thumbs-up.

“Life’s a climb but the view is great,” says Clare Shine.