Why I Love... Reading as a Sports Stress Relief

Tonight, my Washington Capitals play in Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Husband and I have watched every game in the playoffs, but this series is the most important. The Penguins have been our second round kryptonite. They are one of our biggest rivals who always seem to find our weak spots. The Caps never seem to be able to close out playoff games even when they have dominated in puck possession and drives to the net.

Watching the Caps play is stressful enough on a normal day (they ain't the cardiac Caps for nothing) but Game 7 just makes it... well...

To cope, I tend to multitask. That way, I am only half-focusing on the game. It's an imperfect way to keep my heart-rate in check. Lately, I've been listening to podcasts during tee game to drown out the announcers. Usually, however, I turn to reading. Instead of watching the game, I will read whatever looks good at the moment - my book, a magazine, something on the web. This offers enough distraction from the game but still allows me to look up from time-to-time when something good (or bad) happens.

Reading is a great sports stress reliever because it lets me skip-out for a bit on whatever is bugging me. It's involving enough to get my mind of the game without causing me to miss all the big plays.