Ego Like an Iceberg

All those setter’s out there who feel unappreciated in their role, let’s talk. Moms and Dads feel free to sit in so that you can see what is going on inside your setter’s head.

It sucks to go out and make incredible plays only to have the hitter get all the glory. Liberos even get more glory then setters do because they pick up some incredibly difficult balls. I’m not about to say that they aren’t important, it’s just really hard to only hear everything your doing wrong. You are expected to make these incredible sets and you don’t get praise when you do that. I read an article the other week that said that if you had to put a bad player somewhere, make them the setter. I might have complained rather loudly to my boyfriend for a good hour about how wrong that writer was.

How to Handle Being Cut

Being cut is awful. It feels like a confirmation of all your insecurities and worries. When you find out it feels like the coach is telling you 'out of all these girls, you weren't enough.' It is a miserable feeling.
It's okay to cry; it sucks to work hard for something and then not achieve your goal. What's even worse is the cultural assumption that if you work hard enough enough you will automatically achieve what you were working towards. This is ultimately untrue. Research has shown that it is not how hard you work but rather the number of hours spent working in a manner that improves your current skills.
Just remember, you are enough. The coach isn't trying to say that you are this horrible person who sucks.

This is a highly competitive sport with only 36 open positions and when you have 70 girls trying out, half of them will get cut. Most likely, girls who have put in countless hours of work and years of service to the program will get cut simply because there are not enough positions. You did work hard and that effort wasn't wasted. You improved YOU and you are imortant. You are your first priority. Like the airlines say, put your mask on first before you assist others. A bit morbid but a good analogy nonetheless.

Not Only Will I Stare, My Look Will Change Reality

Intimidation is a simple concept for those of us who are bigger and tougher than those around us. For those who are smaller and meeker, it can be a challenge. Women in general are considered less intimidating because of our smaller stature. People are genetically designed to interpret others to determine if they are a threat and we do this within seconds of seeing anyone’s face.

I've somewhat paraphrased someone with the title here. The direct quote is "I want my look to change reality," which I saw was said by Bell Hooks. I paraphrased because this is more of an affirmative than a wish, saying 'my look will; instead of 'I want my look to' is much firmer and stronger within your own mind.

How Exercise and Activity Can Reduce Stress, and Avoid and Alleviate the Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety – Team Sports

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.

How Exercise and Activity Can Reduce Stress, and Avoid and Alleviate the Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety – Aerobic Exercise

In the previous post in this series, we discussed how yoga can benefit not only your physical health but also your psychological health. You can find this post here. This post will focus on how aerobic exercise can benefit your overall health.

(Photo credit freedigitalphotos.net)

How Exercise and Activity Can Reduce Stress, and Avoid and Alleviate the Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety – Yoga:

Stress will often cause people to become anxious, irritable, overly sensitive, tense, unfocused, or depressed. When we participate in exercise we often are focused on our physical health and we don’t realize how much it also benefits our mental health. The famous line from Legally Blonde comes to mind.