5 ways tennis boosts your mental health

Goodbye, stress and anxiety. Hello, friends, confidence and resilience!

You may know about the physical health benefits of playing tennis regularly. The aerobic sport offers a total body workout. It boosts your cardiovascular health, improves your balance and coordination, and builds stronger muscles and bones, among other advantages.

But did you know that if you play tennis frequently, your mental health improves too? Here are 5 ways tennis can boost your mental wellbeing:

1. Reduces stress and elevates your mood

Exercise is excellent for decreasing your stress level, uplifting your mood and preventing depression. When you exercise, your brain releases several kinds of chemicals that help you alleviate stress. One type is endorphins, which block pain and help you feel happier with a natural ‘high’. Another is serotonin, which regulates your sleep-wake cycle. So you’ll sleep better, feel rested, and keep stress, anxiety and depression at bay.

Exercise helps ease tight muscles and lessen body tension. After a good workout playing tennis, you’ll feel more relaxed and calmer. Tennis is also a welcome diversion from the worries and stresses of daily life. When you’re fully engaged on the court, all you’ll be thinking of is how to play better and defeat your opponent!

2. Improves self-confidence

As you get better at tennis, you’ll see yourself in a more positive light. You’ll feel proud of your ability to improve your techniques and feel surer about responding to the game’s demands. As you get fitter and maintain a healthier weight, you’ll feel more confident about your self-image too.

3. Keeps you mentally sharp

If you’re feeling down, stressed or fatigued, you may have trouble focusing, understanding and remembering. Tennis is a sport that can get you out of your funk.

On the court, you’ll be compelled to stay on top of your mental game. You’ll be making fast observations of your opponents and the ball and deciding in split seconds what to do to outsmart and outplay your opponents. All that stimulates increased concentration and thinking on your feet, keeping you mentally alert.

4. Boost your emotional resilience

Tennis is a competitive sport where you play against opponents. In any game, there’s a winner as well as a loser. As a player, you’ll learn to manage your negative emotions, especially when you’re making mistakes. Adapt quickly to changing situations that may not be in your favour. Persevere even when things are not going the way you want.

Tennis allows you to strengthen your resilience muscle. So you’ll increase your capacity for stress and adversity and bounce back when you face setbacks off the court.

You’ll also have the opportunity to pick up coping techniques, like breathing and composure skills, that help you keep level-headed under pressure. These will help you deal with stress and anxiety both on and off the court.

5. Promotes better social wellbeing

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, adults are at a lower risk of depression if they have more face-to-face social interactions.

Tennis is a wonderful social game. After all, you can’t play tennis by yourself; you have to play with at least one partner to hit the ball back and forth. On the tennis court, you’ll be interacting with other people in person. You’ll form new friendships and build closer family bonds. Feel a stronger sense of belonging and uplift your social wellbeing.

Final thoughts

If you play tennis regularly, you’ll feel stronger physically. You’ll feel less stressed, more confident and more alert. In other words, your quality of life will improve.

If you’d like to benefit more from tennis, consider taking lessons from a tennis coach. Your training will help you learn the rules and grasp basic technical skills. You’ll also play against other people during group lessons. When you understand the game well and play with like-minded friends, you’ll enjoy it more and be motivated to continue playing.

Join Elevate’s tennis programme.

Disclaimer: Always consult your physician or healthcare professional before beginning any exercise programme. The information here should not be considered or used as substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.