HEALTH & WELLNESS
I DON’T NEED THERAPY—
ALL I NEED IS PICKLEBALL
By Michael Morgan
PICKLEBALL IS MY THERAPY.
Pickleball is notorious for good
t-shirt taglines, but this one gave
me pause: “Pickleball is going to put
me—and all other mental health
professionals—out of business!”
Although the shirts were made in jest,
there are many reasons pickleball is
mentally and emotionally therapeutic.
Social Interaction and
Meaningful Relationships
Human beings are social creatures.
Relationships help us make it through
life in a meaningful, resilient way.
Pickleball is amazing in how wide
and vast the social net casts. If you are
planning on playing pickleball, just
know that community involvement
and social networking are inevitable.
Meaningful connections, mentorships,
and lasting friendships are created
naturally in the pickleball community.
I don’t know of any other sport
where friends are made and contact
information is exchanged so quickly!
Odds are if you type in the word
“pickle” on someone’s contact list, a
long list of people will populate.
The community isn’t just local. Many
travelers struggle with feeling lonely
on the road. However, if you hop on
42
Facebook and type in “pickleball” and
the city you are traveling to, odds are
there’s a pickleball community happy
to welcome new players for the week.
Recently, my friend and I traveled
to the Quad Cities area for the
John Deere Classic. While we
were waiting for our flight,
we found the local pickleball
club on Facebook. We sent a
message before we took off,
and by the time we landed, we
had a response--an invitation
to come and play during
the week. Even though the
humidity was off the charts, it
made for an extremely enjoyable
week. It’s the same across the entire
country. The pickleball community is
extremely inclusive!
I’ve heard many recovering
from heart disease or other health
conditions tell their story that
pickleball literally saved their lives.
Similarly, isolated souls, suffering
from depression or social anxiety, have
told me that pickleball has done the
same for them. If you haven’t been on
the courts for a while, expect a text
from someone calling you back to the
community!
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