How To Soothe Negative Emotions With Sport
Doing sport at regular times keeps the body healthy and this is well known to all. It is a question of physical sport as well as mental sport. But sport is also a way to channel emotions. It is quite possible to soothe negative emotions by practising physical activities. You just have to choose the right sport for each emotion. Here are some ideas of sports to practice in order to channel your emotions.
Expressing emotions by letting off steam
First of all, when there is too much emotion, sport is the best way to get rid of it. It has been noticed that sport and emotions produce certain identical effects on the body such as sweating, palpitations, redness, etc.
Cortisol reserves are used up when the body exercises. Cortisol is a hormone linked to stress and when it is used up, the body produces endorphins, the hormone that provides well-being. And this naturally lifts the mood. It is not literally a matter of controlling the emotions but of releasing this energy through an activity.
Moreover, regularly releasing the overflow of emotions also helps to better handle difficult situations at any time in everyday life, both at work and in private life.
Read also:Stress and sports performance, a close link
Channeling emotions by focusing on yourself
You need to choose a physical activity that best suits your personality, so you can get the maximum benefit. To find out, all you have to do is ask yourself a few questions. Which sport is your body ready for: team, creative, martial arts, etc. ?
Also, it is important to know what is the dominant negative emotion felt most often? Is it sadness, anger or fear? The activities to do to combat the emotions depend on the answer to this last question, the activities can even help against burn-out.
Like, salsa is suitable for the morose natures, boxing for the angry ones. For people who have fear problems can do extreme sports to overcome this fear once and for all.
Sports to do according to your emotions
Be careful not to throw yourself into an activity that seems extreme for the body just because it is the opposite of the emotion you are feeling, as this may not be the right solution. On the contrary, it may have a negative effect. Therefore, it is important to know which activities correspond most to the emotions felt.
- In order to calm sadness, it is useful to exploit enthusiasm through sport. However, you should not play sports with strangers. It is best to do it with friends or a special coach in order to regain your zest for life by being surrounded by people you know. It is also advisable to do an activity that favours contact and action, as sadness often leads to withdrawal and immobility. It is not a question of doing a violent sport, but rather of doing a sport that consists of communicating and being close to the partner. This will induce a sharing of responsibilities and will prevent the sad person from despising himself.
- For angry people, efforts should be made to develop compassion in order to calm anger. Therefore, it is not advisable to do aggressive sports such as boxing, squash or sprinting. While these sports may help to blow off steam or take the edge off, they will not solve the problem. Therefore, you need to do an activity that burns off the anger in a non-violent way, helps with self-control and also helps you learn to control your breathing. For example, hitting a punching bag helps to express anger, but does not really teach emotional control. On the other hand, doing an activity that is practiced in pairs or in groups can teach fair play, respect and patience. It is possible to do a martial art like jujitsu or aikido for example.
- In order to alleviate fear, it is essential to build up self-confidence. It is therefore best to avoid traumatic or radical sports such as bungee jumping or parachute jumping. This will further reinforce the anxious temperament. It is preferable to do a safe sporting activity that allows you to fight your fears, to surpass yourself and to be courageous. It is also necessary to do an activity that mobilises the person and that he/she carries out the different technical gestures. It is important to choose a sport that teaches a sense of responsibility and also shows the participants that everyone has the resources to solve problems and overcome obstacles. For example, climbing is ideal for combating this. Exposing yourself to danger while being confident and surrounded is a perfect remedy.
- It is helpful to relearn how to wonder in order to calm the bitterness. To combat it, it is especially inadvisable to confide in friends or relatives who are overly sympathetic or who are themselves inhabited by this emotion. Bitterness comes from injustice and frustration. It leads to negative emotions such as shame, anger, sadness, regret and disappointment. A person who suffers from bitterness therefore needs to learn to marvel again. He or she needs to let himself or herself be touched by the beauty of his or her surroundings, while accepting his or her weakness and finally opening up to the world. The best solution to soothe the bitterness is to seek a social setting that shares only joy. It is also advisable to find an activity that brings pleasure while doing it. Why not give meaning to the effort and contribute to a good cause and run for an association? This can give you a taste for the joy of life and can also give others the desire to do so.
