Youth Sports and Mental Health: What You Should Know.
Nothing beats sports when it comes to the holistic development of kids. Engaging in sports help kids develop in different ways physically, socially, and emotionally. But the benefit does not end with these three; sports offer significant mental health benefits too.
In terms of mental health, sports can bring a positive experience to participants while also presenting different challenges. Therefore, it is essential for family members, teammates, coaches, and the entire community to understand the benefits of sports to mental health and the risks involved.
This article outlines facts about the relationship between mental health and youth sports. Read through to learn more.
What is youth sports?
Youth sports are all forms of sporting events where participants are young people ranging from young children to adolescents. It includes sports from lower primary to secondary level, including those played outside the education system.
Playing team sports also imparts valuable lessons and skills that can last throughout your life. And as parents, our behaviors and attitudes can encourage them to love sports and gain skills that come with it.
The mental health benefits of sports.
1. Creates active living habits.
Studies have shown that strength and cardiovascular training help boost moods and help manage anxiety. These exercises are natural in most sporting activities.
Allowing young ones and teens to sports activities can help develop healthy habits grow with you into the future, forming the foundation of an active lifestyle.
2. Social support.
Especially in team activities, the togetherness in the team can build strong and long-lasting relationships. Besides encouraging support to others, sports allow participants to learn and practice empathy.
When people suffer from mental-related complications or illnesses, getting a support system can improve the recovery process. This is true even in individual events through different experiences shared between coaches, competitors, trainers, and fans.
From playing as a team to hanging out together for ice creams or pizza, the social benefits of sports go beyond the arena of play.
Another scenario of social support is the help of dealing with sexual and HIV related stigma, among other health concerns.
3. Setting goals.
Sports are a great way to naturally encourage participants to set and meet goals, from improving from the former performance or winning a tournament to always wanting to work harder.
Setting a goal and working towards it allows athletes to become mindful of why they choose a particular sport. Having a clear mission helps reduce distractions, creates a feeling of personal responsibility, and develops a sense of pride by accomplishing your say.
4. Developing values.
Goal setting, showing support, and healthy living help young ones develop positive living values. Usually, most sportsmen and women confirm that sporting activities have helped them to understand things that matter most in their lives.
Sports instill values of perseverance and hard work while also promoting honesty, sportsmanship, integrity, character building, and compassion. What’s more it is one of the ways to boost your mental health.
5. Build resilience.
Failure is inevitable in individual and team sports and life in general. Failure offers the opportunity to reflect, persevere, and grow, whether it is arriving late to training, an error in the usual ground ball in basketball, or missing to hit a golf ball, yes I am talking about members of golf club for this sentence.
Team sports are the best antidote for personal orientation, improving social interactions, and communication. Subsequently, individual sports are beneficial for those who want to build their self-confidence and esteem or are experiencing the anxiety of being in the center stage.
Recognizing and handling adversity is where sports got a lot of value. There are several ways that can be used to reward participants who have not been announced as champions. Generally, we need to make young people know that success can be defined differently.
Though we cannot control the outcome, we can control our attitudes and efforts. Accepting this reality is a great step towards developing resilience. Teaching children how to handle minor setbacks early in life prepares them for addressing natural challenges of life that will arise later.
Conclusion.
Sports have a crucial role in shaping how kids grow and develop in various aspects of life. Apart from the obvious physical benefits, sports can also shape you mentally, emotionally, and socially.
These activities prepare kids to live by developing important values like team support, honesty, compassion, and integrity. Moreover, by building resilience, kids learn to manage minor setbacks earlier in life.
