Study: How college tennis affects mental health
We all know that practicing physical activity regularly helps us keep fit and healthy. This association is obvious and it comes with many benefits for our physical health, as we need to take care of our bodies. However, practicing sports is excellent not only for your physical health but for your mental health too.
Have you engaged in intense physical activity in the last few weeks? How did you feel after it? How did you feel while you were practicing it? The answer might be that you have enjoyed it. College is a great time to start practicing sports, as you might often feel overwhelmed and stressed by its challenges. Students-athletes know that managing their time between studies and sports might feel challenging, but sport comes with many positive effects so they are willing to do it. But what sport should you start while you study in college? Is tennis a good idea?
Self-esteem and Confidence
You may ask yourself what are the positive mental benefits sport comes with. Playing tennis might be seen as an activity to just fill in your schedule, but in fact, it helps you tremendously. Your self-esteem and confidence are boosted by playing tennis and any other sport. How is this happening? Well, when you start playing tennis, you might feel you do not know how to do it and indeed, you need practice to master it.
But over time, you will just improve your skills which is such a rewarding experience. And, ultimately, you boost your self-esteem and confidence as you get better at playing it. Being confident in your own powers, and trusting that you can face the challenges ahead help you in your college life too. You will, for sure, have many academic challenges ahead that might stress you. Writing essays or research papers might not be your thing, but you still need to do it to progress academically and get good grades. There are free essay samples you can be inspired by, but also a collection of argumentative essays and topics about sports you can check to see their benefits. These essays help you understand how playing tennis and other sports help you mentally and how these benefits translate into academic success.
Alleviating Anxiety and Depression
More and more students are experiencing anxiety and depression during their college years. This is due to the global pandemic too, which forced us to change our lifestyles drastically. But it is also due to discrimination and social inequality some students might be subject to. Or, due to the huge stress levels, they are feeling during college.
Anyway, practicing college tennis helps you alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Playing sports is like a natural antidepressant, which is so beneficial for college students who are going through hard times. When you engage in intense physical activity, endorphins, also known as feel-good hormones, are released in your body. And one of their main effects is that your mood is considerably improved, which keeps anxiety and depression away.
Improving Focus
Another benefit of college tennis on mental health is that it helps you improve your focus. When you engage in physical activities, you focus on what you have to do. Especially in tennis where you have to anticipate how the opponent will hit the ball and where it will fall.
Which improves your critical thinking skills and the ability to focus. And they only get better if you play tennis regularly. But this effect on mental health and cognitive abilities comes with positive effects on your academic progress too. It will be way easier for you to just direct your attention to something, especially when you have lots of tasks to complete and essays to handle.
Final Thoughts
Wondering if you should start playing tennis in college? Well, the answer is yes as it comes with many positive benefits not only for your body but for your mental health too. It helps you improve your focus and concentration, which will be helpful during your classes and studies.
You boost your mood and alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression, which might affect your productivity and well-being. And last but not least, you boost your self-esteem and confidence as playing tennis is so rewarding. You need to trust your powers, know that you can succeed, focus and concentrate, and boost your well-being.
Mary Cardoza is a content writer and blogger passionate about tennis. She has started being a tennis coach for students, as there are so many benefits of practicing sports during college. Mary loves hikes, traveling, and rafting.
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