How Skateboarding helps you with your anxiety.
Skater Chronicles
It’s been a while since I had a long skate session. Most of my sessions last for an hour at most, and I’ve thought that it was due to my age, but I’ve noticed a pattern. When I am anxious about something a long skate session puts me at ease.
The most recent example of this was this last Tuesday. I believe that we were all waiting for the verdict of Derek Chauvin. I found myself nervous. As a person of color racism is nothing new, but I was stuck wondering would a man we all know is guilty be defined as guilty in a court of law?
Instead of waiting around like a deer in head lights, I grabbed my board and hit the streets. I had a four hour long skate session with the highlight of it being my 28 straight kickflips (that’s a new record for me). After the session I checked my phone and found that the verdict had already been announced.
In an article called Skateboarding helping to combat the rise in mental health issues, by Skateboardgb.org, they write,
‘New research has shown a striking correlation between people who skateboard and their improved mental health. The study conducted by Instinct Laboratory and Flo Skatepark, has shown involvement in skateboarding can reduce stress, increase confidence and provide escapism.’
I haven’t looked at the data of the research, but through my own experience I agree. Skating allows me to focus on the trick at hand, sort of like meditation it cancels out all the little white noises that nag at me. We all know the pumped up feeling we get when we land tricks, especially as you stretch out your potential.
Two other interesting points in that article are:
there is a huge growth in skateboarding and female skaters make up the majority of that growth
anxiety and mental health issues are on the rise due to social unrest and the pandemic
So if you haven’t picked up a skateboard try it out. Its fun, healthy, and has a great community attached to it.
