How to Enjoy the World Series Without Stress

In the Broadway musical "Damn Yankees", a frustrated wife of a rabid baseball fan bemoans, in song, the six months of the year she's a baseball widow. With the post season now stretching into seven months, those lyrics could use an updating.

But the fact remains that during the World Series, fans get emotional, bosses hear all kinds of excuses why their employees are late, and fights and violence are not unheard of.

To keep sane and still enjoy your favorite sluggers and pitchers, here are some tips.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• TV
• World Series tickets

1. Remind yourself, IT IS JUST A GAME. If the game is not going your way, take a few breaths, allow your muscles to relax and ask yourself: is it
   the end of the world if my team doesn't win? You know the answer. Keeping your perspective must be a priority.

2. Get plenty of rest. For fans living along the Eastern Seaboard, night games can run late, especially if games go into extra innings. So plan accordingly. Try to take a nap during your lunch hour. Make a point of going to bed early on nights when no game is scheduled. Taking time off from work may be an option.

3. If watching the game on TV and the game is going badly, switch channels for a bit. Distracting yourself with something else is a time-honored technique for calming the nerves. Five minutes of silly-sitcom antics will raise your endorphin levels, make you smile and may save you from watching your favorite hitter strike out with the bases loaded.

4. Watch with friends. Sporting events are social in nature. If you live alone, invite friends over or watch the game with like-minded folks at a local sports bar.

5. If betting on the game, keep your wagers small. Better yet, avoid betting at all. And never engage in illegal betting.

6. If attending a live game, keep your head and don't provoke a fight or allow yourself to be provoked. It's bad sportsmanship. Period.

7. Enjoy the World Series. No matter who wins, remember that you're watching the very best of what the world of baseball has to offer. And if your team loses -- there's always next year!

Tips & Warnings

• Focus on the positive and remember the rules of sportsmanship you learned as a child.

Resources

• True Stories of Baseball Hall of Famers

[believeinfamily]

on 11/20/2009 Thanks for the tips on enjoying sporting events without stress. Great article. 5*

[believeinfamily]

on 11/20/2009 Thanks for the tips on enjoying sporting events without stress. Great article. 5*

[midcenturymaven]

on 11/1/2009 I used to be a big time hockey fan, so I've been caught up in the emotions and experienced overtime related sleep loss similar to what world series fans go through. Having your favorite players get traded to another team is hard to recover from. It's definitely best not to get too attatched. Thanks for the reminder.

[writedesign]

on 10/27/2009 Haaa! Funny! I'll be reminding my husband it's just a game. He can't help himself.

[godfather25]

on 10/26/2009 Nice article on enjoying the world series without stress. Boy aces from each teams used to be on mine. That is enough stress.