Great post @TeeBee.
Itās something Iāve never done, as soon as I leave the ground (or change the channel) I switch off. One time a guy I played indoor with sent a text after an anzac day loss, but I just deleted it.
What a shitshow of a season it has been. Particularly here in Melbourne with the lockdown, it has felt like a very grim and dark place for most of the year. The second lockdown was a massive kick in the guts and itās been really hard to not feel the weight of the restrictions on your day to day freedom when you can only go 5km from home and not see anyone outside of your household. As others have said getting outside and getting active has really helped me break the monotony and lift my mood.
And as an extension of that if I havenāt been enjoying the Bombers play (which has been alot lately!) I just switch it off and go outside and do something physical- gardening, repairing windows, painting, kicking the footy etc. Donāt keep watching the game if youāre hating it, it really isnāt good for your well-being and mental health and particularly at the moment when everything is just that much more amplified.
It might not be for a long time, but eventually the Bombers will win another flag and we will be there to see it. In the meantime fark the footy off if you need too.
Find other things to do or, go outside and find something else you enjoying doing which makes you forget about what causes you sadness even if it is only short term. Take good care of yourself, get plenty of rest. Reach out and get support if you need it.
ATM, I am in my veggie garden, watching the seedlings shoot. Not a big deal for some but it is for me, watching them grow. It gives me a great deal of pleasure sharing veggies with the neighbours and friends.
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I also found that I miss the rituals as much as the football match itself. Ironing a shirt with the radio on, getting the scarf out, catching the train, walking to the ground, talking with mates or sitting there with a beer.
Thatās what I miss, not the game itself. Itās probably the reason why sometimes I enjoy going to non-Essendon games more than Essendon games. Get all the rituals without the anxiety of a win or loss.
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This might sound silly, but Iād recommend trying to get interested in a team from another code.
Soccerās not for me, and nor is Union, or the American sports, but itās gotta be worth a go, I reckon.
Find a team in another code that isnāt terrible.
I know the Melbourne Storm makes me feel so much better. Sometimes I actually laugh while watching a game.
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I tried this with my local rugby team here in NZ. Only problem is they are more of a basket case than Essendon! Maybe Iāll try following Canterbury. At least they wear red and black.
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Well, yeah. I wouldnāt suggest choosing a team thatās as bad as us.
wimms saying join a bandwagon.
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I have tried to separate my emotions from the team and the game itself. I focus on my kids footy and soccer and get enjoyment seeing their happy little faces playing.
I feel like Iām addicted to the club. I canāt kick the habit as much as I try. I donāt get much enjoyment either.
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Iām a lot more zen post Saga. I was very angry a lot of the time.
You can let yourself get sucked into the negatives around this joint. And the club/game, in general.
Easy to get very worked up.
We canāt change it. I canāt. You canāt. Ideas we type on here wonāt change anything, much less fix it.
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Now Iām sad about my footy team and I have a radio melted to my shirt.
Whatās the next step?
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Itās not so much the club thatās the reason to turn off, but the whole league, style of play, interpretation of rules, governing body, low standard, shallow talent pool, broadcasters over fans, ā ā ā ā game day experience, AFLX, commentators, lack of accountability and just āmehā that AFL is these days that are some of the reasons to turn off.
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Very wise, Mr OāNeri.
I would take a break but Iām not sure what else to do with my time
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Well said, and I completely agree with you.
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I hate watching essendon games with anyone
even essendon fans
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Give up ironing. Pay someone to do it.
First time Iāve turned off a game this year was Geelong at half time. I also didnāt watch the Hawks game, coz of the start time, but listened to it on the radio as I was working. I listened on the ABC and I found it much easier coz they actually call the game and donāt barrack.
But yeah, I am also checking out from EFC in degrees because I canāt handle it emotionally any more. It also means I have been over invested in the first place, but that is part of my personality, as well as Essendon being a part of my life since I was a kid. Either way we individually need to assess our engagement and if itās healthy or not. The saga actually effected me to a degree that my personal life, aspirations and career suffered - Iām not going to let that happen again.
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Well summarised. Essendonās 2020 performance is just the poison icing on the cake of AFL decline as a spectacle anyway!
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