July 29, 2020 | Tagged Motivation,
Does a Bad Mood Affect Your Basketball Future
Does it really matter that you practice basketball in a bad mood? Yes, in fact, your mood is more important than you realize. Not becoming self-disciplined about adjusting your mood can hurt your basketball future. That’s right. Your basketball future is deeply affected by your mood.
Great athletes are not victims of their mood. They are serious about how mood impacts their game, teammate, and college opportunities. Your skill development as a player requires you to be able to retain skills, overcome setbacks, inspire your teammates, and become stronger mentally and physically. All these tasks become harder or impossible when you are in a bad mood.
Just like you have a responsibility to wash your hands so that your teammates don’t get the stomach flu, you have a responsibility to make sure your mood is something that everyone wants to catch. Here are some quick ways to improve your mood before you step onto the court.
Get enough sleep: one of the biggest problems with a bad mood is not enough sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep though, you still have a responsibility to deal with your bad mood.
Eat fruits and veggies: Research on mood has found a significant correlation between eating fruits and veggies and a more positive mood.
Say or write down what you are thankful for: Gratitude immediately elevates mood. Just a few minutes of writing down gratitude will help you see a shift.
Self-awareness: Be able to diagnosis quickly if you are in a foul mood. You shouldn’t have to wait for someone to point out that you are in a disagreeable place. You should recognize it and start to work to alter your mood before you spread the negativity to others.
Smile: A really fascinating study discovered that smiling even when you don’t feel like smiling can elevate your mood. This is an easy fix and it works.
Sweat: When you don’t feel like practicing, chances are you need it all the more. A good hard work out and sweat can dramatically improve mood. When you are in a bad mood, don’t quit practice or allow your negative emotions to win the day. Push yourself hard and get the sweat going, your mood will start to elevate as the sweat starts to pour. If you find yourself in a bad mood before practice, do some sprints or some quick tough exercise—this will help wake you up and get you stronger to walk into the practice the player and leader you aspire to be.
Repair quickly: After a bad night’s sleep, or a rude encounter, or a trigger that will typically affect your mood in a negative way, find ways to repair your mood quickly. Have a key phrase to say, “Delight in difficulty or I am stronger than this situation.” A motivating song, a prayer, a hug, a few wind sprints, a smile, a few high fives—these can help you repair quickly and get you back ready to spread a positive mood that can make your team better and stronger this season.
If your mood is consistently low…
New research has found that a consistent state of anxiety and stress leads to a decrease in mood. If you find your mood is habitually negative, it would be wise to get a consultation to find if there is an underlying medical or psychological concern.
About NBC Basketball
NBC Basketball is committed to health and well-being of athletes from around the globe. NBC Basketball works to educate athletes to become healthy from the inside/out by focusing on the intrinsic qualities of courage, grit, gratitude, resiliency, mental toughness, as well as a positive attitude. For more information about NBC Basketball visit www.nbccamps.com.