By Leonard Citron, M.A.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in a busy work load, or keeping up with the chores of every day, but it is important to remember to find another outlet that you enjoy. Something fun, more than simply eating and drinking the time away. With that in mind, I recently thought about playing tennis. Having not played since I was a kid, I was quite out of practice. Being in my 30’s, the idea of taking group lessons was daunting, with potential for embarrassment, but I finally took the plunge and signed up. I knew I was going to miss the ball, but I had two ways of dealing with that reality. Either it was going to be terribly embarrassing in front of people I didn’t know, or I could choose to accept that there was no reason that I should have to be any good, seeing as I hadn’t played for fifteen years, and that I could stomach the embarrassment, because I knew that if I got good, I would be able to have lots of fun. This short-term pain, long-term gain approach has actually made the process a lot more enjoyable, and helped me focus on the game itself, helping me improve more quickly than I expected. Roll on the Summer!