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In today’s article 3 ways how playing sports can make us better mentally, we will discuss the positive impacts sports can have on the mind. I will discuss the impact it has had on me but also on others as well. Then you will get my 3 favourites of how playing sports can make us better mentally. ENJOY!
How Sports Can Change Your life
I wouldn’t say I grew up in a sports family. Early on I think through friends I unlocked a passion for sports. I grew up playing and watching all the different sports.
The love of football was huge but also I had a keen interest in Formula 1 and rugby. I couldn’t get enough of the Olympic games.
Now into adulthood, I’m still just as passionate. It’s amazing how sports can bring you so much joy, drama, inspiration from just watching. The sense of community can be felt when watching with others whether that be in your home, down your local pub or in the stands.
Watching is one thing, playing is completely another. The skills you learn both mentally and physically are life-changing. It has helped develop my confidence in myself, respect for others and a drive to be successful.
How Sport Impacts Everyone
Not only me but it has developed millions of people around the world to change their lives. Anthony Joshua said boxing got him away from potentially going down the wrong path in life where now he inspires a new generation of kids with his sports mindset, talent and being a great role model.
Even my sons Sensai in karate inspires him to become not only a good martial artist but also a mentally healthy person too.
There are countless stories all around us of the life-changing aspects that sport can give us whether that be health, finances or sense of purpose. But more importantly, it can help us develop a healthy mind. This is what I want for my children.
For you, the reader I hope this unlocks something within you, where taking up a sport you feel passionate about, can help continue your mental journey. The best thing about sports it doesn’t just have to be team-based sports but it can also be individual too whether that’s doing yoga which I now love or doing weight lifting.
My biggest advice I could give is to pick a sport you like and get to it. The rewards far out way anything that could stop you from doing it.
3 Ways How Playing Sports Can Make Us Better Mentally
1. Playing Sports Helps With Discipline
Discipline is an important skill to learn. It helps you overcome procrastination, laziness and going back on promises. Self- discipline helps you succeed in life at controlling your emotions and habits.
Sports Is definitely a place where you learn this. You just have to look at Olympic athletes, where you have to be disciplined for 4 years for the chance to go to the Olympic games. They have to be disciplined with their training sessions, food intake and overall lifestyle to attain their pinnacle goal.
That’s why athletes, when their sports life is over, can easily transfer the skill of being disciplined into their family and the business world. You can see that in ex-sports stars like Michael Jordan, David Beckham and you could even say Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson too.
There’s no doubt discipline plays a big part in their success within their sport and outside of it.
2. Playing Sports Helps With Confidence
Sports can change someones whole personality in an instant. A bit of competition can change the quietest mild-mannered person into the loudest and aggressive person. A famous example in football was Paul Scholes who was two completely different personalities on and off the pitch.
I have experienced this myself where another side of my personality comes out. I utilise this personality trait to good use in my own life too. It has allowed me to be confident in places where my introverted self wouldn’t do so well.
What sport can do, is teach you a lot about who you are and what you’re capable of. You just have to look at UFC MMA fighters or any Mixed Martial Arts where you learn to fight. Rational thinking you would expect this to lead to more fighting and becoming unruly but on the whole, it has the opposite effect where you’re so confident in your own abilities it means you don’t have to fight to prove yourself. You can be confident enough in your abilities not to.
Sport can definitely do a lot for peoples confidence in a whole array of outcomes that we don’t have time to discuss here.
If you want to build confidence yourself, your child that’s a bit shy or someone coming back from a horrific injury. Sport is the place you build that confidence back and unlock the winner within you.
3. Playing Sports Helps With Happiness
For your mental health, being happy can have tremendous benefits on your mind. You just have to ask yourself how happy are your children when they’re active and playing sports and how happy was you?
From my experience, I was ultra happy with smiles as wide as the milky way. When getting older into adulthood. Life changes with work and extra responsibilities which can get in the way of participating in sports.
This has to change as there’s a lot of adults struggling with mental health problems like anxiety, the negative side of stress and depression.
What can really transform our mood is partaking in sports activities where we build relationships with others and show ourselves we are capable of so much more than we realise.
Happiness is an important part of our life and we need more of it than ever before in today’s crazy world.
Sport is definitely one part of the answer to our happiness problem.
What Do You Think?
Thank you for dropping by to read 3 ways how playing sports can make us better mentally
I’ve only listed 3 positive impacts sport can have on the mind but the list is far greater than what I’ve written. Sport can bring out wonderful aspects in all of us. It unites people and gives people a purpose.
Hopefully, this has inspired you to keep going with sports or take it back up again.
Build that mental strength and stay mentally happy!
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