The title is long winded but this series is wrapping up. In the
previous post in this series, we discussed how aerobic
exercise can benefit not
only your physical health but also your psychological health. The first post discussed the benefits of yoga on your mental health.
This post will focus on how team sports, such as volleyball, can benefit your overall health.
“In the US
the lifetime prevalence rate of anxiety disorders is estimated to be as high as
28.8% with about 40 million people meeting the criteria for diagnosis,”
(Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, Merikangas & Walters, 2005). Research has
also shown that those with anxiety problems are at higher risk of developing
conditions such as depression, substance use disorder, and cardiovascular
disease and also have more frequent visits to the doctor than the general
population (Bartley, Hay & Bloch, 2013).
I may sound
repetitive but I cannot stress the following enough. Psychology Today suggests that you or a loved one seek out
professional help if you are displaying any of the following signs. If you are
feeling uncontrollably sad or angry, or otherwise not your normal self, this
may be a sign of a mental health issue that could be nipped in the bud before
it gets out of control. If you or a loved one are abusing drugs, alcohol, food,
or sex and are using these things to cope with an emotional issue then you
should reach out for help. If you have suffered a significant loss or if
something traumatic has happened there is no shame in meeting with a councilor
to deal with the grief or emotional trauma associated with the event. Lastly,
if you can’t do the things that you enjoy doing or you don’t feel the
motivation to do these things anymore, this may be a sign that you have a
mental health issue that a professional can help with. With that in mind, if
you do not show these signs then team sports may be enough to help you become
healthier and more mentally relaxed.
A team sport is an activity that you participate in with a teammate
where you work together to compete. In tennis you can play doubles and play
against another team. In volleyball, you would typically have 6 people on each
side of the net. These sports often offer down-time when socializing can occur
and are often played with friends or colleagues. Some team sports include
volleyball, basketball, soccer, hockey, football, baseball or softball,
racquetball and tennis. You can often find pick-up games offered through a
recreation center or fitness club. Recreation centers often offer leagues where
a team will form and will stick together for the length of a season. There are
also private club leagues that are similar to children’s club sports.
For volleyball, USA Volleyball offers numerous tournaments throughout
the year, throughout the country for adults and teens to participate in for a
small cost. During the summer, there are also plenty of smaller organizations
that provide grass and beach leagues. Most beaches have a sand court available
and it is rarely reserved for a particular group. Most groups appreciate having
new players, particularly ones with knowledge of the game, and will welcome you
with open arms.
A study conducted in Alberta, Canada, looked into how sports related to
the psychosocial health (depression, self-esteem, and stress) of young adult,
ages 20-44, cancer survivors. What the study found was that these young adults
had better psychosocial health than compared to other young adult cancer
survivors. They also had better general health (Belanger, Plotnikoffb, Clark
& Courneya, 2013). Cancer seems pretty extreme to get into but there have
been several articles in USA Volleyball
that have focused on players nationwide who’ve been diagnosed with cancer in
the middle of their club season. I’ve known at least a half dozen young people
who’ve been diagnosed with a variety of draining diseases. These people have
played baseball, swum competitively, and played competitive volleyball.
The other benefit of team sports is that they often include a stretching or cool down period that can provide the benefits of yoga and they often encourage you to participate in cardio activity outside of the sport to stay in shape. This combines the mental benefits for all the types of exercise that I've discussed so far.
There are many other ways that team sports strengthen you mentally and
I will go into those at a later date. Hopefully, you have gotten the chance to
try out one of the three types of activity that I have mentioned and you are
feeling more relaxed then you have before.
Works Cited
Bartley, C. A., Hay, M., & Bloch, M. H.
(2013). Meta-analysis: Aerobic exercise for the treatment of anxiety disorders.
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 45,
34-39.
Belanger, L., Plotnikoffb, R., Clark, A.,
& Courneya, K. (2013). Prevalence, correlates, and psychosocial outcomes of
sport participation in young adult cancer survivors. Psychology of Sport and
Exercise, 2, 298-304. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029212001288
Kessler, R., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K., &
Walters, E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of
dsm-iv disorders. National Comorbidity Survey Replication Arch Gen
Psychiatry, 62, 593-602.
Sack, D. (2013, March 18). Where science meets the steps: 5 signs it's
time to seek therapy. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/where-science-meets-the-steps/201303/5-signs-its-time-seek-therapy-0
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