When Your Mad... Change the Channel

Here in the DC area, I notice that on a Monday after a Redskins loss, depending on how bad the loss is, people are very somber around this area. Today was no exception...

It just seemed, today, people were missing something. People lacked the energy, and some people just felt down all throughout the day. Even while checking my Facebook and Twitter earlier today, people were posting status updates of discouragement. People were overly defensive with some trash talk, people were angry, and one of my friends even posted that she doesn't like football season, because it makes people grumpy. It just goes to show how much influence the Redskins have on people in this area, and how much influence the NFL product has in general. People are so emotionally invested in their teams, that it pretty much determines the whole attitude for the week. And considering that many would consider the Redskins loss yesterday is almost as bad as the Detroit loss last year, people were really down today.

As I said, it is a bit senseless to be angry about things that you can't control. However, we're only human, and at times, it's just a bit hard, especially if what we love keeps disappointing us. 

So with that, my advice is to try to get your mind out of it by momentarily focusing on the other stuff that may give you joy or pleasure. If you can also productively expel your negative energy as well, then even better. This doesn't apply to just sports fandom, but also in life in general.

For example, if I'm angry, I write (either here on my blog, or in a journal), I exercise by doing pushups, etc. If I'm mad about the Redskins, I either write here on my blog, or I try to find something else on TV. To rephrase the latter, CHANGE THE CHANNEL.

It's not really rocket science. When you find a bad and un-entertaining TV program, it wouldn't make too much sense to keep watching, would it? No it wouldn't. Same thing goes for your emotions. If whatever is around you is making you feel terrible, you should either change the channel and find something else, or just turn the TV off and walk away. It's that simple.

And as an avid DC sports fan (and not just of the Redskins), one way I am metaphorically "changing the channel" by hyping myself up for the upcoming NBA and NHL seasons. The Wizards kick off their training camp tonight with their own version of "Midnight Madness", and the Capitals have their annual convention this weekend that I plan on attending. So, if the Redskins are bad, as a sports fan, I'm glad I have other DC sports teams to fall back on and root for.

But, don't confuse "changing the channel" for abandoning your loyalties. You can still be interested in whatever you are interested in, but if it's making you feel terrible at the moment, you have to momentarily get away from it and find something else and not be immersed to it. Comeback to it later when it's the right time. More often than not, programming usually gets better, eventually.

So if you're disappointed at something, one thing to deal with it is to change the channel. There are a lot of options out there, and you just have to be open enough to find them. And like I said, the programming should eventually get better.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE