Laughter and joy help to win competitions and keep fit. Faster, higher, funnier!
If you have been playing sports for a long time, then you probably know what fatigue is. And, perhaps, sometimes you are terribly unwilling to go to training, although without physical exercise you kind of don’t think of your life. There are many ways to overcome the blues: take up breathing practices, spend some time alone with yourself, or buy a fashionable uniform.
But there is one more point that is rarely mentioned by both professionals and amateurs. Sports psychologist Jim Taylor is sure: to return the love of sports and improve results will help … fun!
The continuous use
It is no secret that our psychological state affects our well-being. But after all, fun is not a tool that we use, but a state in which we are. Nevertheless, it affects many areas of life – including the success we achieve in the sports field. The ability to have fun during classes and competitions, according to Taylor, has many advantages.
Having fun increases motivation because we like to do something fun. It helps to feel confident and focus on what is happening here and now. When we’re having fun, we don’t stop or wind ourselves up. Real fun keeps you from worrying about results and comparing yourself to others.
Having fun means setting yourself up in a positive way, feeling inspired and even proud. And in this way we protect ourselves from negative emotions, stop worrying, despairing and disappointed in ourselves. How fun affects our body? The physiological responses associated with joy and laughter are also noteworthy. Fun reduces stress levels: muscles relax, breathing becomes deeper, and the heart beats at a calm pace.
Executioners of progress
But there are factors that prevent us from having fun and sincerely rejoice in training and competition. Too slow progress, poor results, pressure from coaches or parents are real “dementors”, says a sports psychologist. In addition, cultural factors strongly influence how we think about what we do: in different societies around the world, winning is considered more important than participation itself.
All this makes it difficult to achieve high results. After all, even if you or your child are promising athletes, competitions and contests without fun will not bring joy. And you can’t get enough of just victories and medals. Sometimes even the best athletes get tired of endless hours in the gym. In difficult times, it is fun that can come to the rescue.
Yes, we cannot tell ourselves to have fun, but we can integrate moments into our sports life that will definitely bring pleasure, Taylor recalls.
Happiness on the track
What can we do to add fun to our sports routine and to perform well in important competitions? A sports psychologist recommends the following actions:
- On the eve of the competition, get together with teammates: watch a movie together, play something, chat.
- When preparing to enter the stadium or track, be close to those with whom you are happy and well. Do not associate with those who are tired or are taking themselves too seriously. Fun is contagious!
- Listen to music and read a book or blog that is guaranteed to lift your spirits. Don’t just do this before the competition: try to include these important things in your schedule.
- Try to keep your conversation light, don’t be too serious until it’s your turn to show off your accomplishments.
Jim Taylor advises to resort to these tricks not only on competition days when you need to support yourself and teammates. He recommends consciously using “fun” practices when we get tired, when we can’t find the strength to go to the gym.
“If you are having fun, you will feel motivated, confident, relaxed, focused and excited at the same time. It just so happens that this combination is ideal for putting the best effort into practice, performing at your best on race day, and staying mentally and physically fit for a long sporting season,” sums up Jim Taylor.