PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF SPORTS
There are several benefits of regular physical activity or exercise. However, playing sports has added advantages which we will see in this article.
– Building the ‘sportsman spirit’
Sports teaches you to accept setbacks gracefully and to persevere despite them. It helps develop respect for someone who’s better than you and willingness to learn. It’s a great tool too develop psychological resilience. Although skill is of great value to excel in any sport, oftentimes players with a better psychological resilience turn out better in the long run.
– Developing the right habits
Starting sports at a young age is great way to teach children the importance of discipline, hard work and consistency. Following a certain routine, getting up early for practice, learning to manage your routine while fitting in your practice set up the base for better activity scheduling and time management later in life. Sports is all about goal setting and working towards achieving those goals. These skills prove invaluable in all other domains of life too.
– Sharpening cognition
Sports reduces reaction time, enhances focus and trains the brain to minimise distraction. It teaches the brain to be able to harness all mental resources and to be able to be fully present in the moment. Its like a practice in mindfulness that has several long-term benefits.
– Socialisation
Gelling with people you play sports with is a great way of finding like minded people with similar interests. These social connections encourage you to work harder at your sport, encourage regularity and can also work as positive role models.
– Coping skills
People who have played sports regularly develop better stress management skills and are less likely to resort to wrong ways to do so. They tend to use substance use less as a crutch and also because sports places a lot of emphasis on physical fitness. Research compared the children who suffered adverse childhood events like abuse, parental death or emotional neglect. It was found that those children who took part in team sports had better mental well-being when they were adults.
– Better self esteem
Being good at sports helps elevate one’s confidence in one’s own skills. The dopamine high that the brain gets after making achievements in sports primes the brain for working harder for more such achievements. The appreciation that one gets from their peers or family also adds to increased confidence.
– Benefits of team sports
Taking part in sports in a group has a greater impact on mental health than individual sports. Researchers found that people who played tennis and netball in clubs had better mental health than those who exercised alone, like walking or working out at the gym. There were no differences in physical health between the two groups. Team sports teach the importance of coordination and also the need to put the team above oneself. It instils a sense of altruism which is rare quality to develop.
