5 Ways to Deal with Sports Grief
When we are grieving over our favourite sports team having lost a game or two, it isn’t always easy to deal with. Whether it’s from last nights Vancouver Canucks loss of the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins or any other sports related event, these five things can help get everyone back on track.
#1 Talk about what happened. When you continue to talk about the same thing over 
and over again this is a form of becoming “okay” with the situation and being able to find a way out of the disappointment. Until you get tired of going over it in your mind or with words, it will be hard to carry on and be okay with what has occurred. Let yourself talk about the game, but don’t go overboard, or you might find yourself with no one to talk to!
#2 Compromise on how many replays are watched. When we get used to watching replays of our favourite team a routine has begun and it feels like we can’t live without seeing those fabulous plays! So, when our team loses it can become even more of an obsession to figure out what went wrong. Allow for time to analyze those replays, but don’t let it take over your life! Give yourself a time limit and stick with it.
#3 Keep yourself busy. Find something new to fill the time that was spent watching the hockey or basketball games. Isn’t there something you’ve been putting off until “after the season” that really needs to get done? Enjoy the free time and try to lose yourself in that new task.
#4 Move on. Move on to your next favourite sport or to the next event that’s coming up. There is always a new opportunity to win these new games and be able to use your energy for something other than yelling at the television screen!
#5 Think of how much fun you’ve had! Remember how much fun your team has given you over the season and what kinds of laughs you had. Try to reminisce about what happened during the joyful and happy times during the season and what you’ll always remember about this particular year.
If you or a loved one is suffering from sports related grief, what are you doing to help yourself get through this tough time? I’d love to hear what some of your techniques are below.
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