Golf and Mental Wellbeing

[Britishshooting]

Have to say and I’m sure a lot of people have felt the same even if their scenarios vary from my own.

A mix of winter, Being lockdown and working from home where there seems to be no start/finish times and everything blends into just never ending work in your home office including weekends. It had me beat, I can’t really explain it I just felt defeated, like I was living to work, no distractions and everything was doom and gloom with nothing to break up the monotony.

Golf returns and I gave myself the full bank holiday weekend off to play and recharge and had my office door locked so I couldn’t go in there for 4 days. I played everyday each time with a different group of friends and I’ve laughed more over this weekend than I have in the past 12 months.

I feel like I have a new lease of life. It may be a mix of things, the weather, the golf, some sense of normality returning but most importantly I think socialising with friends on the course.

Now alarm set for 5am to get ahead on workload with a round booked with a couple of mates after work tommorow. And I’m genuinely looking forward to the day as a whole, which I haven’t had for months and months.

It’s made me realise as someone that works a lot more than I should that I must spare time for friends, family and my hobbies.

Hope everyone is feeling better, more hopeful and positive moving forward.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Not sure what kind of response you are hoping to receive here. It seems to me that you have really applied yourself to your work, which could be commendable. But you seem to express some concern that you have overdone it in this respect. Then you have overdone the golf perhaps - playing everyday for 4 days, but you felt you needed and deserved to indulge yourself in recreation. This has done you good in the short term. Your introspective reflection in your conclusion is very good. Seek balance in all aspects of life - try not to let things get out of proportion in terms of time and effort for just one aspect.

 

[Curls]

I’m sure many share your sentiments, it’s good to be back in the open with folk and playing the game we love. I think many of us might have worked too many hours over the last year for various reasons, and while I’m glad I am in gainful employment I don’t wish the 7 day weeks to continue! Well done for stepping back from it for the weekend and try not to slip back as much as possible. Easier said than done I know.
Enjoy your golf sounds like youve earned it

 

[Tashyboy]

I sold some golf shoes last week, and ended up selling a GG coat to the same guy. He mentioned his father had passed away last December. He was of the same ilk as you. He needed to get out. Wasn’t bothered if he shot 200. Him and a pal had been discussing what they were wearing. Playing golf with his dad he treasured.Said he needs to get that mojo back.
enjoy me man.

 

[RichA]

Have to say and I’m sure a lot of people have felt the same even if their scenarios vary from my own.

A mix of winter, Being lockdown and working from home where there seems to be no start/finish times and everything blends into just never ending work in your home office including weekends. It had me beat, I can’t really explain it I just felt defeated, like I was living to work, no distractions and everything was doom and gloom with nothing to break up the monotony.

Golf returns and I gave myself the full bank holiday weekend off to play and recharge and had my office door locked so I couldn’t go in there for 4 days. I played everyday each time with a different group of friends and I’ve laughed more over this weekend than I have in the past 12 months.

I feel like I have a new lease of life. It may be a mix of things, the weather, the golf, some sense of normality returning but most importantly I think socialising with friends on the course.

Now alarm set for 5am to get ahead on workload with a round booked with a couple of mates after work tommorow. And I’m genuinely looking forward to the day as a whole, which I haven’t had for months and months.

It’s made me realise as someone that works a lot more than I should that I must spare time for friends, family and my hobbies.

Hope everyone is feeling better, more hopeful and positive moving forward.

Good for you. I've also overdone the golf over the last 8 days. I'm almost looking forward to work tomorrow and restoring some kind of balance - family, work, leisure.
Lockdown has been a bitch. Hopefully we're heading in the right direction. I think many of us will be reflecting on what we did before Covid, how we coped during and what changes we make after.
There's no right or wrong answer. We're all different.

 

[hairball_89]

Key point for me tbh isn't the golf or the work.

It's that you're happy enough in this community to be open about your mental health. I've hugely struggled at times this last year. Especially over the winter. Went out on the course yesterday with a mate and his dad and what a great afternoon. played OK. Nothing to really write home about but loved it. Golf is my 'thing' that gets me outdoors, clears my head. I'm never going to be off scratch, probably never get near to single figures. but I don't care. It helps me massively, and I love it for that.

Your comment about laughing more over the last 4 days than you have in the last 12 months really resonated - that's what I think we've all missed the most. Certainly I have.

 

[Tashyboy]

Key point for me tbh isn't the golf or the work.

It's that you're happy enough in this community to be open about your mental health. I've hugely struggled at times this last year. Especially over the winter. Went out on the course yesterday with a mate and his dad and what a great afternoon. played OK. Nothing to really write home about but loved it. Golf is my 'thing' that gets me outdoors, clears my head. I'm never going to be off scratch, probably never get near to single figures. but I don't care. It helps me massively, and I love it for that.

Your comment about laughing more over the last 4 days than you have in the last 12 months really resonated - that's what I think we've all missed the most. Certainly I have.

? good post, I think as the lockdown starts easing people will start to find there “ thing” whether that be the pub or just visiting family every day .

 

[clubchamp98]

Can’t say the way I played was good for my mental health
But being out with the lads has cheered me up no end.
I am the opposite I don’t work anymore and really needed something to fill my days.
The golf can only get better hopefully.

 

[Neilds]

Whilst it is good that you feel better and also feel able to talk about how you were feeling, I think you may have a bit of an addictive personality and seem to be all or nothing in both work and play. This can be unhealthy and maybe you should look to getting a bit more balance in your life. I am not an expert and haven’t suffered from any mental health issues in the past so this is just an observation from the outside. Hope it helps.

 

[jim8flog]

Golf has really helped me to keep my sanity in the main for over 30 years. Never really had a problem with work life balance just life.

 

[Marshy77]

Totally feel this. I don't (think) I suffer with mental health as much as some of my close friends do but the working from home and the inability to switch off is very true. Fortunately, I've had my bike to replace the golf and have been able to meet one other friend and go out for a bike ride. Looking at booking a round this week with a couple of close mate's that I haven't been out on a ride with. We know the golf will be terrible but it's the catching up, the banter, the normality than will be all important part of the round.

 

[Curls]

Whilst it is good that you feel better and also feel able to talk about how you were feeling, I think you may have a bit of an addictive personality and seem to be all or nothing in both work and play. This can be unhealthy and maybe you should look to getting a bit more balance in your life. I am not an expert and haven’t suffered from any mental health issues in the past so this is just an observation from the outside. Hope it helps.

No I think Work From Home is being used to squeeze more hours out of people on the basis they’ve no commute. Except it doesn’t end there and it’s hard to walk away from a problem when you can deal with it by working late/weekends. Many are keeping businesses going with fewer (effective) staff, for example those homeschooling their kids found it extremely difficult to do a 9-5. But in the main it’s just fewer staff full stop.

In the grand scheme of things it’s bad but hopefully temporary, there are those suffering far worse mental torment. I wholeheartedly agree with the comment above that it’s a good community in which you can discuss this without judgement, just support. Golf can be obsessive, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, you could have far worse clogging up your idle brain screen saver than a beautiful golf course. The pursuit of something higher (or in our case lower!) is far more healthy than destructive for most. Competition is healthy. But mostly, it’s fun.

We’ve all been denied company, open spaces, a few hours away from it all, put the phone away. That’s what’s returned and hopefully won’t ever be taken away again.

 

[Orikoru]

I agree. I play a lot of sport usually, but work is much harder to get through when you have nothing to look forward to except turning off your machine and turning it back on the next morning. A lot of people would have worked longer hours when they figured they might as well as there was nothing else to do - but it gets your work/life balance right out of whack and brings you down in the longrun. Hope we can all get the balance back again now. Personally I hope I continue to be able to work some days at home as well as I've found that enables me to get a better balance too (no travelling on those days and a bit more free time).

 

[JollyRedDevil]

I think this is so true

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiG84Ph6OnvAhUTSxUIHfESD-IQyCkwAHoECAUQAw&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTkvEUwYfpY&usg=AOvVaw01M5JVVIt6SFb1vMpnB011