Mental Health & Sports
Honestly speaking this year has been tough. Probably the toughest year of my life, no doubt and for many reasons. Mostly having to do with mental health due to being an adult and having to accommodate to that lifestyle. Bills, work every day, trying to have a social life, workout, eat healthy, go to church, all of that sometimes makes you feel like you do not have a break. I think it is so important to talk about mental health for both men and women cause no matter what, it is something we all go through. I used to look down on people for saying they suffered depression because I thought my life was good. This year I had depressive modes and finally understood others. You never know what something feels like till it happens to you.
Even though with what is going on in my life now when I was younger, I went through one traumatic experience. Something I am not ready to share and probably will never be ready but man, was it bad. I felt like I was in a hole... a very dark one at that. I remember driving to isolated areas and telling at God and asking him ‘how could you let this happen to me, why me?’. I could not get the thoughts out of my head and everywhere I turned I got reminded of what happened. One day after school, I turned on the TV and saw that there was a Liga game on. It was Real Madrid vs Sevilla. I still remember how much it distracted me from what was going on and how much it made me feel better. First player they zoomed in was Ramos. Now this is coming from a person who grew on football, thanks to my dad. I did not care for it as much, before I went through this. Growing up I always had Real Madrid in one ear and Manchester United in another by certain family members. That is beside the point. I started following Real Madrid more after that match to the point where I just did not miss a game. I stopped being a casual and actually started watching the Premier League and started appreciating it. I loved and will always love both leagues because of how different they are. I know some like to compare them which is fine but I truly enjoy both. I started watching Liga MX with my dad and Ecuador’s league as well. I started investing more and more time and finding out something that I did not know about myself which was my love for football and sports in general. I had to go through something so dark to discover something so beautiful. The feeling of seeing one of your favorite players have a great game, score a brace, a hattrick, all that jazz. The feeling of one of your players doing a nutmeg to a player you absolutely hate and scoring on them. The feeling of your team being in the finals and it all coming down to penalties. I mean, I could go on and on for days.
Sports really improved my mental health and put me in a better place. It is proven that there is a link between being a sports fan and having better mental health.
Do you feel happier when watching a game? Ever get home from work or school and a burst of happiness pops out of nowhere because you know there is a game on later that night? How does it make you feel when you know you are about to watch a World Cup final, a Champions League semifinal second leg match, a basketball final series, a Super Bowl. Watching sports is an outlet to escape reality which is my number one reason why I enjoy it so much. A safer outlet than other types of outlets out there if you know what I mean. There is also a lot of social support. Sports bring people together. They give you a sense of community. Whenever I put on a game my family usually joins along and it is always fun to have them with me and share that time with me, especially after a long day at work. Watching sports can reduce stress (sometimes) when and if your team plays well, obviously this does not apply to ALL fans, sorry not sorry. Nothing but positive emotions running through your head whenever your team plays well. Watching sports also always gives you something to look forward to which is proven to help you feel better overall. Whenever you do something, you actually enjoy, dopamine is being released in the brain. The more that happens the more likely it is to fight off depression. Even the University of Chicago came out to say some positives of being a sports watcher is the fact that it helps you with your mental focus and it improves connections in your brain that go hand in hand with your linguistic abilities and comprehension in general.
Becoming a dedicated sports fan really helped me. I started to focus on that and with time going by I stopped caring about what was hurting me originally. I was happier and always excited. I had PASSION again. Once I started getting basketball, it made me want to get out and pick up a basketball and try to pretend I was some type of Steph Curry without actually making any shots go in. Had it not been for a love for being a fan I do not think I would have even cared enough to become active and motivated. Most fans do practice a sport after all. Being a fan helped my mental health in ways I will never forget. I will forever be thankful for that tragic experience I had that lead me to something I love so much now. Even now, with this year taking a toll on me I know I can put on a game and sit back and relax. And if the game is decisive, I still love the feeling of being nervous and pumped. I hope that everyone that is suffering from something can find something they love so much that makes them happy. Finding something that makes you happy is worth it. Especially in a country or in a world really where the mental health resources are scarce and expensive, we must find ways to keep going. I hope you have found what you love and stick to it and if you have not already, I know you will.
My first football jersey ever. I think I was in the first grade when I got this. I had no idea how great Brady was. Now I will forever treasure my first football jersey.