5 Ways Football Can Improve Your Mental Health — The Soccer Mentor
Given all that has happened in the past year, you’ve probably heard (more than once) that getting out into the fresh air and exercising is a great way to boost your mental health whilst social contact is at a minimum.
However, some people don’t quite understand just how important sports such as football can be to improve their mental health, no matter how much the professionals push it.
Football, as a team sport, is one of the best forms of physical activity that you can participate in (when permitted, of course) to beat the post-lockdown blues.
There are various reasons for this — which we’ll get to in this article — but first, let’s look at the reasons why exercise in general is good for your mental wellbeing.
Healthy body, healthy mind?
There are two main reasons as to why getting active is good for your mental health.
Firstly, exercise can be a very social thing therefore reducing the chances of social withdrawal or social anxiety setting in. This is especially important after a period of time where some may have become used to being at home, potentially alone.
Secondly, there are physiological benefits that come with doing exercise. No matter how much some people hate it, it’s doing their mind and bodies good!
Exercise boosts the release of endorphins (which relieve pain and stress), helps you sleep better and also boosts dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels-all of which will help improve focus, attention and happiness.
So, why is football specifically a good sport to play to improve mental health?
#1 — Football is a team sport
As we mentioned above, exercise and sport are sociable things.
Mental health issues can often onset because of loneliness or simply having too much time to yourself to think.
When people’s mental health worsens, it can be difficult to feel like socialising. However, playing football (as a team sport) helps you kill two birds with one stone — get fit, and socialise.
Remember, football is something that is done for fun, and it should stay this way.
Hence, training and matches (depending on the level you play at) can be an informal chance to have a good time with likeminded people.
Team sports like football also give people a reason to get out of the house, which leads onto our next point…
#2 — Football helps set a routine
Mental health issues impact life in several different ways.
One of these is that people sometimes just don’t feel like getting out of bed or leaving the house.
Whether its due to anxiety, depression or another condition, routines are slashed, and hours can drift by with no real purpose.
It can be very hard to establish a routine when you’re not in a good place mentally. Thus, we don’t commit to things.
However, by setting aside even just an hour or two a day (or 1.19% of our week), we have something to hold ourselves to — a reason to get out of bed.
By committing to playing football for a set period of time, it sets a precedent for taking small steps to form a routine.
We can begin to structure our day around football, therefore having meals at regular times, ensuring we’re getting ready for the day, and fitting work around football training or matches.
#3 — Football is a sport, so it benefits you physically
As previously discussed, sport benefits the body.
A healthy body tends to equal a healthy mind, and not only physiologically.
When we feel and look fit, our self-confidence improves. We can say to ourselves ‘I am fit and healthy’, and it will bring some self-worth.
Playing football and having a desire to improve can also trigger other health habits, such as eating more healthily or going to the gym. These things physically make us look better, improving our perceived body image.
Sport itself releases the hormone serotonin, which leads to the same effects as eating chocolate or kissing somebody — positive feelings.
Therefore, you can feel better simply by running around on a football pitch, alongside all of the other social benefits it brings.
#4 — Football can bring a sense of excitement into your life
When people’s mental health worsens, excitement becomes an emotion rarely felt.
The sense of competition and team spirit that football brings can help us move away from the stagnation that mental health issues bring.
Sport is also noted to help those with PTSD or trauma, as it can physically ‘unstick’ people from the ‘freeze’ reaction of suffering these types of afflictions.
Football brings thrill, something to look forward to and a notion that there is more to life than the state some people can find themselves in.
If you love watching football, you’ll love playing it even more!
#5 — Football offers something for everyone
Following on from tip number two, you may be somebody who enjoys the idea of football or who loves watching it (whether live or on TV), but you don’t feel confident enough to go and play yourself.
Luckily, there’s more to football than the 11-a-side Premier League matches we all love.
Most county FAs offer leagues that contest five, six, seven or even sometimes eight divisions, so there is always a level for you to play at.
Similarly, futsal and five-a-side prove popular for those who don’t like the ‘officiality’ of playing a match or committing to a team.
Five-a-side especially can be really good for those with mental health issues, as it can be played on a more drop-in drop-out basis.
When it comes to Saturday or Sunday League ‘pub’ football, don’t ever feel embarrassed or ashamed of:
A) playing at that level and simply enjoying football for the fun of it, or
B) making a mistake or not being the best player.
If others in the team were that good, they wouldn’t be playing Sunday League! Related content: We understand that mental health issues, now more than ever, can be extremely damaging to somebody’s life. If you need help, you will never regret talking to somebody.
Originally published at https://thesoccermentor.com on March 5, 2021.
