Hello, Swifties!
Have you been tiRED since second grade? Don’t fret. It turns out, so has everyone else.
The best we can do to chase the restfulness of our wildest dreams, is to set aside and guard time to engage in self-care. NO ONE cares about you as much as you do. Not because you are not loved. It’s just that everyone has 80 thousand things going on in their world at any given time. Personally, I’ve found that if I don’t prioritize self-care, it prioritizes it for me via a super cool collab with my nervous system to initiate a #meltdown.
Every day, I have to remind myself to MAKE TIME TO CARE OF MYSELF. Cue my go-to self-care avenue, Golf.
Golf As Self-Care
Golf can be a transformative self-care experience. The tranquility of the course, the rhythmic nature of the sport, and all of the creatures roaming around have fostered a peaceful place to corral significant healing for my mind. Here are six reasons why golf has become an integral part of my self-care journey, along with suggestions on how you can harness its benefits too:
1. Birds & the Bees
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Fox News doesn’t have any new about foxes – so you MUST go outside to see the lil puppos for yourself. You’ll love it. To me, there really is a unique charm in a golf course’s natural settings. Now that I’ve done the work to claw my way back into my mind and can finally set better boundaries with myself to stay *more* present. Now, I love being in nature. Even if the outdoors isn’t your thing, consider getting out to play, or just ride along for the sunshine, fresh air, and less of the overwhelming city-ness, in general. Silence is its own kind of noise. Think about that during your next existential crisis.
2. The Joy of Solo Golf
There’s something next-level cathartic about golfing alone. I think of it as a mini vacaysh. Even when I’m only playing 9 holes, I find the solitude to be refreshing, and almost energizing. It offers a rare opportunity to disconnect and take a much-needed break from daily life, and speaking. For the full experience, I recommend building your own playlist of Taylor Swift tracks.
3. Mindful Play: Staying Present
Playing golf with undivided attention can be an exercise in mindfulness. Commit to every shot, sit with your thoughts, and truly dive into the game. If you find yourself constantly reaching for your phone, challenge yourself to focus inward. I’ve found that the more present I am during a round of golf, the more positive and productive my subsequent week turns out. I PROMISE this will make you feel better.
4. Social Engagement – On Your Terms
Connecting with other people is an important part of my self-care routine. In times where I am scheduled down to the minute, I also need to turn inward for a few while around other people post-using my brain all day to be able to process my thoughts. If not, I can’t stay present. I get clumsy and struggle to focus. I’ve found that golf allows me to show up in really any mental state, still able to play with other people, but without pressure to chat.
If you ever don’t feel like chatting, just don’t. When first starting out, I would boondoggle or legitimately tinker with my golf bag. I’d also us the –immediately drive to my ball– approach to avoid conversation, mostly post-work. Now, it is clear that all I ever had to say was that I enjoy having the company, but might not be present at the moment and need a bit to decompress. Grace from my golf besties ensues, always. Give it four holes, you’ll be back at spilling the tea.
5. Pre and Post Golf Rituals
Pre-round: Set up a personal ritual before your round. Consider a quiet breakfast while listening to a podcast. I make time to do a 20-minute Hyperice session on my knee before every round, along with a Theragun app routine to loosen up.
Post-round: I like to take 2 minutes (tops, #ADHD) to reflect on my performance while walking to the clubhouse. Celebrate showing up for yourself and identify areas for growth – without being critical, as best as possible. I’ve had to train my mind to stay present and not wander to the pending tasks of the day, and these pre/post-round rituals have been instrumental.
6. Embracing Golf Yoga
My biggest recommendation to anyone is to introduce golf-centric yoga exercises to your regimen. Not only will they enhance flexibility and balance, but they also complement your golfing skills, reducing injury risks. Stay tuned for a detailed post on this, as I explore more weight training and yoga programs specifically designed for golfers over the coming weeks.
Self-care is such a gift, and golf has been an incredible way for me to gift it to myself. I hope this post inspires you to prioritize loving you as you are today, no matter how far away you feel from your best self. Whether it’s through golf or another platform, just go love on you like the world loves 87+13 <3. You seriously deserve it.
