Feeling blue after UNC Final Four defeat? Use these tips to cope with NCAA title loss
March Madness comes to a close with Kansas taking home its fourth NCAA title after a historic comeback win over North Carolina on Monday. Tar Heel fans are undoubtedly waking up this morning feeling distressed and disappointed.
Although being a devoted sports fan can have certain mental health benefits like improved self-esteem, a national championship game as intense and disheartening as Monday’s was can also lead to physical complications.
Research by the American Journal of Medicine shows that cardiovascular health is what’s most impacted during sports viewing. The negative mental stress that comes along with a loss is enough to trigger “cardiovascular events” in sports fans who are passionate and have a history of cardiac disease.
Here are tips to consider the next time your favorite team plays in a high-stakes game:
Don’t watch alone
Everyone knows that watching a game surrounded by friends and family is what makes the experience what it is, but doing so can also benefit your mental and physical health. If your team’s chances of winning begin to look bleak throughout the game, having other devoted fans around you to share in your feelings of disappointment can prove to be rather therapeutic, says Stephen Reysen, associate professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce who studies identity and fandom. Being surrounded by fans of the same team during a game can lead to higher highs when your team wins and lighter lows when your team loses.
Look at the bright side
The worst thing you can say to a sports fan after a loss is “it’s just a game.” However, in the grand scheme of things, such sentiments ring true not just for sports, but for countless other passions as well. If you’re feeling hopeless, depressed, or stressed because of the outcome of a game, try to remember that the purpose of sports entertainment is simply to have fun.
Expressing gratitude for the people and things in your own life, separate from your identity as a devoted sports fan, can help relieve feelings of sorrow, according to Harvard Health. Keep in mind that this loss is not the end of the road for your team – there are plenty of other games to be played and victories to be won in the near future.
