So this is going to be a very different thread for me but I hope someone finds it useful, if I'm honest I'm selfishly venting for myself

Here are my top tips for balancing fpl and mental health

Thread

As a disclaimer I have diagnosed depression and anxiety, this is not something I am ashamed of and do not let define me

However it is an inconvenience in all aspects of my life and I'm going to focus on FPL here

FPL, of course, is just a game

But if you're on here you more than likely take it seriously compared to the average player

Add into this the various other aspects of the community, twitter, pods, articles, streaming, YouTube etc. FPL is a community in its own right

In the short time I've joined in on twitter the community has been great and I've used it as a way to escape from the day to day struggles we all face, I've made friends and can hop on here to chat with people whenever I feel like it, this is a huge positive of the community

But the game itself can have negative impacts if I'm not keeping myself in check mentally, fantasy sports are very similar to gambling (something I no longer do due to the stress it causes)

There's a conpetive edge, risk and reward, highs and lows which can be frustrating

As Dee says in always sunny "when I'm doing good at the game its like I'm doing good at life"

Something as simple as a captain scoring a brace can instantly get that sweet sweet serotonin flowing for me but its a double edged sword, if I take the highs I have to take the lows

If I slip into taking the game too seriously I will become irrational when it's comes to a bad game week, it'll ruin my mood, I'll probably make rash transfers and inevitably get more annoyed when these go wrong

The other negative aspect that has occurred to me recently is the competive side of the community

OR, followers, engagement, grinding out content, it can be exhausting getting your name out there and earn respect and a lot of us want to get our names out there, but that's life

So how do I, as someone who bounces between my normal cheeky self and a self loathing depressive make sure I keep this in check?

First of all I try to remain grounded, I will probably win the office mini league but I'm probably going to be way off josh bull and magnus carlsen again this year, this helps me enjoy playing the game

Secondly I take breaks, I'm of course very active but I put time aside to enjoy other things and maintain social relationships, no tweeting or drafting, no FPL at all

This stops me becoming consumed by the game and burning myself out with information

Unless it's a last minute injury change, wait a bit before making transfers, don't do anything as a reaction, especially after a bad GW

Allow yourself to calm down and you'll probably realise transferring salah out for blanking is a little harsh

Don't force yourself if you're not feeling up to writing or analysing data

Unless it's your job you don't need to put pressure on yourself to grind out content every day, of course you need discipline and commitment but don't lose the enjoyment or you'll resent your hobby

Talk to people

Whether it's someone on here, a friend or family, talk to someone if you're not feeling like yourself, it almost always helps to work through your problems with someone

Be humble

I see myself as a bit of a jester, I enjoy the drama as much as anyone else and banter will always be part of any competitive community but we should all strive to be nice, avoid jealousy and support each other

If you really don't like someone just mute them

So that's my ramble on mental health and FPL done, feel free to contribute or message if you have any questions or want to chat

(you don't need to check in on me though I'm fine this was not a cry for help)

Look after yourselves and look out for your fellow fpl brothers

Love