Sports and Self esteem
Self-esteem refers to how you feel about yourself overall. It is healthy when you have a balanced view of yourself i.e., confident in your abilities & accepting recognition. At the same time, you acknowledge your limitations and willing to accept feedback.
According to great psychologist, Jean Piaget, foundations of self-esteem are laid between the ages of about 6 and 11 years of age. Importantly, this is also the time when children are most likely to be introduced to sports.
Playing Sports provide many opportunities to build a healthy self-esteem. First and foremost, choose sport or physical activities which you enjoy, you like playing them with your friends or even alone.
When you regularly play sports or engage in physical activity, your muscles become stronger and you will develop more stamina & feel more energetic. Moreover, exercise increases your happy chemicals in brain which gives you more focus towards positive thoughts and you are better able to overcome any stress or obstacles.
Also, when you train for any sport or playing a game, you will for sure going to make many mistakes. This may give you feelings of frustration, defeat or even demotivation. However, by training regularly, you will realize that each time by practice you are able to overcome past mistakes and have become better at it. You will realize you can actually master things which you practice more. This helps to build resilience and raise your self-confidence too.
And last but not the least, your peer support. In a game, you will learn important qualities about social interactions, building trust, being assertive, gaining emotional intelligence along the way. When you are down, your peers, coaches and parents can offer you support & share their experiences which will make you feel more relaxed & comfortable with your situation.
As kids are more dependent upon their parents & teachers for initial nurturing, even success through sports is also dependent upon them at early stages. When children are listened to, being spoken to respectfully, receiving appropriate attention and affection and having accomplishments recognized and mistakes or failures acknowledged and accepted, they tend to develop healthy self-esteem.
Check out our infographic to see how sports boost your self-esteem. Do tell us what you like about yourself? Also, your favorite sports and why you like them on our Facebook page or leave a comment on our Instagram page.
Here are some resources you may like to access:
1. https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports-facts/benefits