What kind of sport will help to cope with emotions

Excitement is associated with action. Anger makes you want to hit the table with your fist, fear tightens your throat, sadness opens the way to tears. Any emotional disturbance changes heart rate, breathing, body temperature, hormone production, blood pressure, muscle and brain activity. Just like sports.

Perhaps that is why, when we are overwhelmed with negative emotions, physical activity helps to restore balance. In addition, cortisol, the stress hormone, is absorbed during exercise. As it releases and calms down, the body starts producing endorphins, the happiness hormones we need to keep negative reactions from ruling our lives.

“It is important not to deny emotions, not to look for opportunities to ignore them, but to let them pass through you, warn that something has happened, and, without delay, leave,” says coach Karim Ngosso.

Find out which emotion has the most influence on your character, and then try the sport that will help you deal with it. Remember that exercise is also fun, good mood and self-confidence.

Sadness

Bad idea. Dance salsa with a stranger. Of course, it is important not to let yourself be sad, try to enjoy life, but at a time of crisis it is better to do this in the company of loved ones. Otherwise, you will spend your last strength on fun: the difference between what is happening in your soul and what you are trying to show in public is too great.

What is really needed. Move and interact with people. When we are sad, we don’t want either one or the other – sadness pushes us to lie down and withdraw into ourselves. And, of course, we are not talking about urgently jumping up and shaking ourselves. It is important to try to find something that will help you enter this state easily.

Which sport to choose. Volleyball. Especially the beach, where they play two on two. The ball is constantly in the air, and this leaves little time for reflection and rest. You move a lot, and it is easier for you to agree with a partner, because there are only two of you. If volleyball doesn’t work out, jump rope with the kids. Or go test the zumba dance fitness program.

“To this rhythmic music, the body itself opens up in the dance, and the mood soars up,” says instructor Mikhail Andreev. “At the same time, the muscles of the legs, arms, back and abs come into tone, and the shoulders and neck relax.”

Anger

Bad idea. Take up sprinting, boxing or hitting a punching bag. The meaning of these activities is to discharge, to allow negative experiences to come out, which is also not bad. However, such exercises are effective at a time when emotions are running high, but they do not help to move to another stage: to direct the energy of anger into a peaceful direction.

What is really needed. Activity without aggression, with a small number of participants. Another useful ingredient: breathing techniques. Bouts of anger and irritation lead to disruption of the normal respiratory rhythm, and it is important to learn how to cope with this condition.

Which sport to choose. It is best to practice oriental martial arts, such as aikido. They help to tame the energy of anger, because the key words of their philosophy are empathy, acceptance. The meaning of the duel is not to destroy the attacker, but to repel the attack.

Oriental gymnastics, for example, according to the Feldenkrais method, are also suitable. Or Kyudo – Japanese archery. More individual Eastern practices such as yoga, qigong or tai chi can be recommended for those who already know how to work with anger.

Fear

Bad idea. Jump with a parachute, try paragliding or bungee jumping, flying from a height on a special cable. Fighting fear with too radical means can lead to the opposite effect: the trauma will become even greater, and anxiety will increase.

What is really needed.A sport that reinforces your idea of ​​safety. An activity that will help develop fearlessness, courage and the desire to grow above yourself. Try to take on the role of an active player: this will strengthen responsibility and help you realize that in fact, it is impossible, and not necessary, to control everything in life.

Which sport to choose. Climbing, climbing, especially on the climbing wall – a specially equipped place where training takes place. It is good to experience a fear of emptiness and heights, knowing that you are securely held by insurance or an instructor – this way you will go through a real school of trust in yourself and others.

You can try other activities related to balance and speed: rafting, sailing or horseback riding. Provided that you are not afraid of horses and you do not have allergies. Another option to tame fear is to master jiu-jitsu, the art of hand-to-hand combat.

Bitterness

Bad idea. Walks with understanding and sympathetic companions or with those who themselves are not in the best condition. The exchange of negativity, the mutual outpouring of souls can increase the feeling of emptiness and lack of meaning in life.

What is really needed.Any activity that will give you pleasure. When you grieve, you always feel injustice – “Why did this happen to me?”. You can neither find nor recover what you have lost. To find the taste of life again, you need to shift focus: accept your vulnerability and allow yourself to move on.

Which sport to choose. Walking, including Scandinavian walking in a group, outdoor recreation, small loads, communication with pleasant and at the same time people who are not focused on you. Add to this the awakening of sensuality from the contemplation of nature, the change of familiar surroundings, as well as the pleasure of cooperation and joint discussion of routes.

Water sports are also useful: snorkeling, that is, scuba diving with a mask and fins, or scuba diving in the depths of the sea. You will feel how your faith in yourself has strengthened, and it is as if you have learned to be fascinated by the world around you again.