How to cope with the defeat of your favorite team: advice from a psychologist

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The decisive goal hit the team's goal and broke your heart. The life hacker is figuring out what to do to pull himself together.

According to clinical psychologist-consultant Maria Yelets, at the moment when we root for our favorite team or national team, she personifies for us everything that we consider ours and to which we feel involved. And if the team loses, then it strikes at us, because someone else defeated us.

Maria Yelets clinical consultant psychologist

This is not easy to deal with. The best remedy here is to try not to take the team's failure to heart, to separate yourself from the players and return to yourself, to other things and events that please and bring pleasure to you.

Immediately after the game

1. Soberly assess the scale of the event

Information about the competitions is so actively discussed in the media, social networks that it seems as if it is the most important thing in the history of mankind. Perhaps something will happen on them that the epithet "that very game" will be used in decades. For the fan, the situation is aggravated, as he feels involved, so emotions are going wild.

It's hard to believe right after the match, but losing your team is not the end of the world. Of course, the event is sad, but not vital for you. To understand this, take a broader view of the situation. The team lost, but you still have other things and phenomena that bring joy: work, hobbies, sports and even athletes performing in other sports.

2. Accept your feelings, but try to control them

Anger, irritation, despair - the loss of a team causes a strong emotional response, and this is normal. You have feelings and you have the right to experience them, allow yourself this.

But the outburst of emotions is better controlled. It may immediately seem like a good idea to argue with "outside" fans, throw objects, fight and act destructively in other ways. This is not the case, so hold back.

3. Go to workout

Jogging, boxing training, traditional strength training and even a dance lesson - any physical activity is suitable to throw out strong emotions. Exercise stimulates the release of the joy hormone endorphin, and this will somewhat reconcile you with the defeat of the team.

4. Play video games

You need to distract yourself, and playing in your favorite genre will do just fine. You can direct aggression at imaginary monsters, and a joystick or a mouse in your hands will remind you that you can still control something, even if it is not the results of your favorite team.

5. Go for a walk

Walking at a pleasant pace and breathing deeply is a stress reliever combo kit. Both of these actions help restore mental balance. Most likely, emotions will overwhelm and interfere with relaxation. To help yourself, counting steps or in-and-out breaths will take over your head. To complicate the task, you can count in reverse order or through a number.

6. Talk about it

You hardly supported your team in splendid isolation. Sports fans are a large community, and you will surely find someone to talk to. Talk to him about the loss, name the referees, players from the opposing team and everyone who is “to blame” for the loss by their names. It will bring you relief.

After some time

7. Surround yourself with people

People who are depressed tend to isolate themselves. Especially if there are acquaintances around, far from football, who continue to enjoy life, despite the loss of the team. But this is a way to make your mood worse. So keep the saturation of social contacts at the same level as before the competition.

8. Fill the void

You tuned in for a month of watching matches, but the team dropped out of the competition earlier, and the feeling of emptiness will not keep you waiting. It's not just football fans who find themselves in this situation. If you don't believe me, talk to the person whose favorite show was canceled mid-season.

So that the black hole that suddenly appeared in the soul does not suck in all the positive feelings, fill it with something that will take up your time and your head just like sports. After all, you can play football and show everyone how to play.

9. Wait out

Most likely, the blues and despair will pass in a few days, but before that, give yourself time to be sad.

If the sadness persists over time and you are unable to focus on anything else, it may be a depressive disorder. In this case, it is better to visit a psychologist.