Breaking News: Fantasy Football Fans Need Not Worry About Their Mental Health!
Date: March 17, 2023
Category: Fantasy Sports, Mental Health, Productivity
As the 2022-2023 NFL season comes to a close, fantasy football enthusiasts are looking forward to the upcoming fantasy football drafts and the thrilling competition that comes with it. However, with the increasing pressure to perform, the constant need to research, and the emotional attachment to our fantasy teams, it’s easy to neglect our mental well-being.
The Dark Side of Fantasy Football: How Pressure and Stress Can Affect Mental Health
Studies have shown that fantasy football participants often experience increased stress and anxiety levels, particularly when their teams are not performing well. This can lead to feelings of frustration, disappointment, and even withdrawal from the game altogether. Moreover, the constant competition and pressure to win can create unrealistic expectations, setting the stage for burnout and decreased mental well-being.
My Tips to Keep Fantasy Football Fun and Maintain Your Mental Health
Fear not, fellow fantasy football enthusiasts! I’m here to share my expertise on how to keep fantasy football enjoyable while prioritizing your mental health. Follow these simple tips to make the most of your fantasy football experience:
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Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that every team will have ups and downs, and it’s essential to manage your emotions accordingly. Avoid getting caught up in the hype of a single win or loss, and focus on making informed decisions based on player performance and team dynamics.
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Practice Emotional Regulation: Take a deep breath, and remind yourself that it’s just a game! When emotions arise, take a step back, and engage in some relaxation techniques, such as meditation or a short walk. This will help you stay calm and focused during the season.
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Stay Informed but Don’t Overdo It: Keep up-to-date with the latest news, injuries, and player rankings, but avoid overinvesting time and energy. Set boundaries and prioritize other aspects of your life to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
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Join a Fantasy Football League with Like-Minded Players: Surround yourself with individuals who share your passion and sense of humor. Sharing the experience with others will create a sense of community and camaraderie, making the game more enjoyable and less stressful.
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Take Breaks and Prioritize Self-Care: Don’t let fantasy football consume your every waking moment! Schedule regular breaks, engage in your favorite hobbies, and make time for self-care. A healthy and happy you is essential for maintaining your mental well-being.
- Reframe Perspective: Remember that fantasy football is a game, and it’s meant to be enjoyed! Focus on the excitement, the thrill of competition, and the connection with fellow fans. Practice gratitude and acknowledge the positivity that comes with being part of a fantasy football community.
Conclusion
Maintaining a healthy mental approach to fantasy football is crucial for a fun and engaging experience. By setting realistic expectations, practicing emotional regulation, staying informed but not overdoing it, and prioritizing self-care, you’ll be well-equipped to handle the pressures of the game. Remember to join a league with like-minded players, take breaks, and reframe your perspective to ensure a delightful and stress-free fantasy football season.
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Feel free to share your favorite tips and strategies for keeping fantasy football fun and your mental health in check!
Over my 15 years of FF experience, I have learned how to keep my expectations realistic, stay relatively calm, and do what I love to do on Sundays…relax and watch football.
Remember, this is just a game, and it is supposed to be fun. In the scope of your entire life, how you finish in fantasy football should have almost no bearing on your overall happiness. This goes for all sports really. I never understood the sports fans who let a team of people playing a relatively meaningless game determine their attitude, and I grew up as a Bengals fan in the 90’s, so I know what constant disappointment feels like.
If you would like to enjoy watching football more and playing FF more, I recommend trying to follow the steps below to make game days more enjoyable. After all, that’s why we play, isn’t it?
1) Don’t follow every fraction of every point scored throughout the day. Watching stat tracker or something equivalent is only going to cause you more stress while watching games.
I did this in my first couple of years myself. Once I stopped watching every fraction of a point scored my attitude and enjoyment greatly increased. Watching all of the lead changes and projection changes will just cause you to focus more on watching the points vs watching the games, which is what SHOULD be more fun when playing FF.
2) Avoid looking at your opponents lineup. I will look at my own lineup throughout the day, but I avoid looking at what players my opponents have. Watching your opponent’s players scores is going to take away from the joy of watching games. This is especially true during night games when only one game is being played at that time.
If I log on to a phone app, or a desktop, I will squint my eyes a bit or even cover the area I know shows my opponents lineup until I can get to the tab/page that shows only my team.
If I do look at their lineup, I usually wait until the first group of Sunday games is over, or just before Sunday Night Football. If I am getting beat, one feeling of doom when I look in the afternoon/evening is much better than dozens of feelings of doom every time I see one of their players score.
3) Ignore projections for your team (and theirs) before & during games. These change fast, and because they do, will only serve to give you false hopes or fears.
I typically ignore the pregame projections of my own players/teams as well. Projections are just guesses based on match ups, history, and any “news” about a players availability or usage. Anything can happen. Game plans can change when a team is up or down big. Injuries can happen. Defenses might double or triple cover a good player. I tend to go with my gut, play the more talented guys, and manage my expectations when a particular match up isn’t good.
4) You are going to lose a few games, we all do, expect it. An undefeated season is extremely rare. Remember that all that really matters during the regular season is making the playoffs.
Depending on your league size and playoff structure, 9-5 might get you there. 10-4 almost certainly will. Hell, 8-6, which most would call a bad season, could slide you into a 6 seed.
Once the playoffs start, anything can happen. I’m sure we’ve all seen the 13-1 team get eliminated in their first playoff game as well as the 8-6 team win it all. I believe that 70% of making the playoffs is skill, 30% is luck. Once the playoffs start that flips to 30% skill & 70% luck. Outside of getting a bye week, your overall record has very little bearing on what happens in the playoffs. Just focus on getting there first.
5) Don’t freak out after your players under perform, ESPECIALLY in the first few games. It’s all about what they do for the year. Even the top players have bad games or slow starts. Keep playing them.
Guys like George Kittle are a good example. There will be 2-3 games every year he is used as a blocker and scores less than 5 points. There will also be games that he puts up 25+ points and wins you your match up. You are not going to predict what those games are, just keep putting him in your lineup if he’s healthy.
THIS IS ASSUMING NOTHING MAJOR HAPPENS LIKE A RECEIVER LOSING HIS ELITE QB TO INJURY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I don’t know about everyone else, but after I won a couple of championships, and realized it really wasn’t that important in my life, I began to put less emphasis on the outcome of my fantasy football teams. I enjoy FF MUCH better now and I hope these tips can help you enjoy it more too.
If you have any tips that have helped you limit stress and make watching football more fun, please feel free to share them with us.
Good luck to all this week, and this season. Football is back baby. LFG!
View info-news.info by gibbsftw
This post made me wanna end it all
Instructions unclear: already tilted on projections and dropped Jalen hurts to the waivers
I’m not reading all that. I didn’t have a mental health to begin with. Let’s ride!
Not reading this essay living and dying with every snap
If one of my bench players outscores a player i started I slam my head into my bathroom door until I fully break through
Skill issue
Just win and it stays fun
Who tf gets depressed over fantasy
I started this last year and it completely changed my enjoyment of fantasy and watching football – I set lineups on Wednesday and then again Sunday morning but outside of that, I don’t look at my opponent’s roster, and barring injuries, I don’t check scores again until Tuesday.
It’s really tough but it made me stop living and dying with every catch from my team or my opponent’s. I enjoy watching football again just to watch football and not tilt every five minutes. I still cheer on my players when they score or get bummed if they get hurt or don’t have a good game, but without the context of knowing how it impacts my weekly game, it isn’t as upsetting.
I know not everyone cares this much and so not something for everyone but recommend doing if you find fantasy impacting your mental health on Sundays.