Pickleball…for wellness?
4 Ways Pickleball Helps My Overall Wellness
You’ve maybe heard me talk about my new obsession….er…hobby. Pickleball. It’s like someone put tennis and ping pong in a blender and they came up with Pickleball. Since suffering many, many concussions playing soccer, I needed to find a new, non-contact sport. Enter Pickleball! But, pickleball…for wellness?
Pickleball is good for my mental health, physical health, social health, and my spiritual health. I’ll break it down:
- Physically: I move my body. I really don’t think about moving my body but DO get a workout. I’m exhausted after I finish playing
- Mentally: The ball is like a mantra. It’s a single point of focus, where there’s no past there’s no future, there’s just the present moment and this ball that you have to track through space and time, very, very deliberately in order to perform and execute at a high level. So I’m not thinking about anything else at the moment.
- Socially: In the last year I have met you know more new local buddies, male and female, through pickleball. This is because we constantly show up and meet new people, almost every time. That’s been really neat!
- Spiritually: I’m outdoors & in nature. That, for me, is a very spiritual experience. Plus, I either get to watch the sunrise or the sunset. Like last night, for example. I took a picture of the sunset because it was just extraordinary.
So, pickleball…for wellness. Yes! As I said, it really ticks all the boxes for me.
What Ticks Those Boxes for You?
I tend to think of activities through these four pillars of the self; physical, mental, social, spiritual. Notice, for yourself, what activities tick the most boxes so that they’re efficient and effective? Most of us suffer from time scarcity. So, you want your self-care to be checking as many boxes as possible. If you think about sports or exercise through this lens, it may be more empowering to help you move your. body more. Also, notice that I didn’t talk about winning or beating anybody in pickleball. T\hat is not on my agenda. In fact, I enjoy losing 11-9, way more than winning 11-2. Because the process is what’s so awesome!
So, the results are great, but the process itself is also quite enjoyable. So if you can find something where you enjoy the processes, as well as the result, make time for that. Make it a priority. A lot of things in self-care can be results-oriented, but you may not love the process. I didn’t love lifting weights. I didn’t love running. I liked the results.
I love the process of pickleball.
If you’re looking for resources to help support your wellness, check out the Reduce Your Stress podcast. I have music and interviews with artists and experts, all with the intention of reducing your stress.
