Mental Health and Fantasy Sports
Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought now would be a good time to write down some of my general thoughts and tips for keeping a positive attitude while playing in fantasy sports leagues, while creating fantasy sports content and while gambling.
Fantasy Sports
Playing in fantasy sports leagues can be a lot of fun but very stressful at the same time. It is fun to interact with your friends or coworkers in a friendly competition. You may even end up watching more sporting events as a result, or you may have even added a charitable component to your leagues.
There are however some potential negatives that you should watch out for. Setting lineups, submitting waivers, being on the draft clock and losing can all be stressful. In one of my leagues, one of my leaguemates had to quit playing in fantasy leagues because it was ruining his marriage. He would get so upset when watching the games that it negatively impacted his relationships.
Here are some tips to help reduce the stress from playing in fantasy sports leagues:
- Find the right number of leagues for YOU
- don’t commit to too many leagues
- stick to a set number of leagues
- be willing to say “No”
- Find the right type of league for you
- be willing to drop a league if it is becoming unhealthy (stress, league drama, etc.)
- decide between Free, Charity League like Scott Fish Bowl, Low Stakes, High Stakes
- decide between Dynasty, Devy, IDP, Redraft, Best ball, Daily Fantasy, Auction, Guillotine
- salary cap leagues and 53-man rosters may be too much for some people
- perhaps try a best ball league, you don’t have to set a lineup or submit waivers
- Remember that luck is involved
- the best team doesn’t always win
- In a 12-team league, 11 people will finish the season as a “loser”
- Celebrate your wins, don’t let your losses get you too low
- Remember that there is a real person behind the player and stats
- Remember to put your phone down, spend time with family and go outside/exercise
Content Creation
I started creating IDP Rankings two years ago because I was looking for a new way to challenge my knowledge on defensive players. What started out as a small endeavor turned into writing articles, appearing on podcasts and eventually starting my own website with industry-leading rankings, articles and betting picks. Over time my goal has shifted from winning leagues and competitions to helping others achieve fantasy success or get their first break in fantasy football content creation.
Through these two years, I have had many successes but many challenges along the way. I am grateful for all these experiences and want to share some of my tips.
Tips for Content Creation
- Ignore negative interaction on social media
- Everyone is going through something
- Engaging in back and forth with someone negative will likely negatively impact your mood
- “Let It Go” – Elsa
- It’s okay to “mute” people
- Be kind
- Manage burnout, take breaks or find something fun or unique to work on
- “Run your own race” from Bluey; don’t compare yourself to others
- Establish a good friend in the space, someone you can talk to regularly about your successes, failures and even vent with privately
- Support other creators’ content and thank those that support you
- Set realistic goals, goals that are achievable and you can be proud of; even little victories can positively impact your overall mood
- Don’t judge your success just by likes, followers, retweets
- Remember that progress or results may be slow at times
- When you do experience success, realize that this may make others jealous and they may respond negatively
- Don’t overcommit to how much content you can create
- Stay organized, it helps manage the stress
- Don’t feel like you have to do everything, pick smaller areas to focus on or ask for help
- Your content doesn’t have to be perfect
Sports Betting and Gambling
Over the years I have bet on many different sports, played online poker and even daily fantasy. Through all the wins and losses, I have learned that gambling can have a major impact on your mental health.
Tips for Sports Betting and Gambling
- Only bet what you can afford to lose
- Set limits; in dollar amount, unit sizes and betting frequency
- Don’t chase your losses; don’t double down to try to win back your previous loss
- Take breaks from betting, don’t feel the need to jump from one sport’s conclusion to the next
- Ask for help, you don’t have to deal with addiction alone, talk to family or friends
- If experiencing addiction, call 1-800-GAMBLER, resources are available
General Thoughts
It is important to remind yourself that you are lucky, you have a lot of GOOD to focus on even when things get tough. There will be ups and down in life and fantasy sports, cherish the ups.
“I got a splinter in my finger, Grandpa”, “Could be Worse” a quote from the childhood book by James Stevenson reminds me that things could always be worse.
Be a positive influence on someone else. Being involved in someone else’s support system can be very rewarding and impact your outlook on life.
In video games, you may have multiple lives, but in the real world we only have one. So, make sure you make the most of it. Make sure you set your priorities and check to make sure you are spending your time and energy on things most important to you. A good life balance between family, friends, work, health and hobbies is critical to your overall happiness.
Links
Goodguy.ai – YouTube podcast series for Mental Health Awareness