Psychological Effects of Regular Participation in Sports - Essay Example

Psychological effects of regular participation in sports Regular participation in sports yields a host of mental and physical benefits. For many athletes, the desire and motivation to participate in sports is originated in their intrinsic desire to remain physically fit, smart, and in shape. They approach sports as an activity of physical workout that can be substituted for exercise. In fact, they see sports as a better alternative of exercise because participating in sports adds an element of enjoyment and thrill to the physical workout whereas general exercise can get boring or tedious. Regular participation in sports is a very good habit. It is, indeed, a much needed element in the contemporary lifestyle where people are constantly occupied with technology and merely find any time for sports. While the trend of going to the stadiums to watch matches live has increased over the years, common people are increasingly abandoning sports because of their busy schedules. Regular participation in sports has many positive effects on an athlete’s psychology including a generally positive approach to life, improved social skills, and a sense of achievement whereas the possible negative psychological effects include extreme physical consciousness. Regular participation in sports invokes a liking for a healthy lifestyle in the athlete. Being able to participate in sports regularly, achieve goals through physical exertion, and have the sense of achievement regularly are all abilities that make the athlete feel different from others in a good way. One of the sports participants reflected upon his motivation to do sports regularly in these words, “I just like winning. I take part because I want to win and that motivates me. I want to do well and play as well as I can play and see how far [team name] can get” (Jowett and Felton, 2013). Gradually, athletes tend to prolong the same effect in every aspect of their life. It takes some time but eventually, many athletes experience a radical change in their overall lifestyle for the better. They maintain better personal hygiene. They sleep regularly. A very obvious change takes place in their eating habits. In their passion to live a healthy lifestyle, these athletes make good choices in food; they avoid consuming foods loaded with fats and calories and substitute them with more nutritious and healthy alternatives like fresh fruits and vegetables. Many of these athletes like eating vegetables even if they do not have a particular liking for their taste; eating vegetables, to them, is more about living healthy than relishing the food. Understandably, they prioritize the former over the latter. The most important change takes place in their approach to thinking and analysis. Regular participation in sports alleviates depression and improves mood. Recent research has found that young people that regularly take part in sports or participate on a daily basis are twice as likely to have high happiness levels as compared to those young people that participate in sports for a maximum of two days in a week (McFall, 2012). The high level of happiness improves athletes’ performance not only in sports, but also in all matters of everyday life in general. As a result, their tendency and ability to make informed and good decisions is optimized. They become better analysts and tend to adopt an optimistic approach while thinking. Regular participation in sports has a very positive effect on the athletes’ social skills. Athletes socialize with other players on a regular basis. They learn how to be part of a team and work productively with others in spite of the differences of cultures and opinions. People they play with every day become an essential part of the athletes’ lives. Many athletes become friends for life. Their bond with each other even during old age is especially strong because they know each other from a time when they were young, active, and in the golden period of their lives. Socializing with other players teaches the athletes how to distribute roles and responsibilities, how to fulfill their responsibilities under pressure and in tough times, and how to overcome the feelings of guilt when they occasionally lose. In order to have a balance in life, it is imperative that an individual maintains his/her true consciousness and sensibility in times of victory or failure. A regular sports participant shared how competition serves as a motivational force in sports, “I think competition has motivated me a lot in the past. I wanted to be the best and I was always striving just to be the best. I always had this goal of what I wanted and that was what motivated me to get better and better” (Jowett and Felton, 2013). Regular participation in sports brings this balance in the athlete’s life. Regular participation in sports does not happen without extreme dedication. Every day, the athlete is faced with challenges and businesses that feel more important than participating in sports. These challenges may be related to any aspect of the athlete’s life ranging from studies to work and family matters. Many a times, athletes feel like giving up going for the sports in order to attend to these matters. However, they usually regret such decisions later in the day because they do not feel as fresh, agile, and active as they do when they have gone for the sports earlier in the day. On the other hand, when the athletes go for the sports despite a busy schedule and reflect back at their decision later in the day, they feel a sense of accomplishment and victory over their own self. Going against their temptations to give their body and mind a treat makes them feel empowered afterwards. They feel that they are not enslaved to their moods and desires, and can go against them to achieve what is right for them. A negative psychological effect of regular participation in sports is experienced when the athlete cannot go for sports for a day or two or for some days. Since going to sports is a regular and very essential part of an athlete’s life, the athlete feels low when it is missed. This psychological effect is commensurate with the level of sensitiveness in the athlete. Some athletes take missing sports too much on their nerves. They are under the false impression that they will start gaining weight and getting out of shape because they have not gone for the sports. In an attempt to keep this from happening, these overly conscious athletes miss out meals even when their bodies need them the most. They diet and in extreme cases, starve, until they have gone to the sports again. This shows how overly conscious these people are with respect to their fitness. References: Jowett, S., and Felton, L. (2013, Nov.). The Role of Psychological Factors in Recreational Sport Participation. Sports coach UK. Retrieved from http://www.sportscoachuk.org/sites/default/files/The%20Role%20of%20Psychological%20Factors%20in%20Recreational%20Sport%20Participation.pdf. McFall, S. L. (2012). Understanding Society: Findings 2012. Colchester Institute for Social and Economic Research. Read More