At this point we have already put on the table an endless number of anxiety treatment options. From alternative therapies to psychotherapy through anxiety pills. However, we had left behind a resource that is not a treatment, nor a therapy, but it is very useful for learning to manage anxiety. We have discovered poker as one more ally against anxiety.
Poker for anxiety
It seems that from the practice of poker you can get quite a few skills that will help us manage anxiety. Less nerves and more self-control are the most obvious of those advantages that poker can provide us. In this way, with the game of poker we could control our emotions more and be less sensitive to anxiety.
And it is that playing poker you learn to handle stressful situations, to make quick and safe decisions and not to be influenced by external factors. This gives an idea of how useful it can be when it comes to controlling anxiety . In addition, poker increases our cognitive abilities, since we must be aware of many variants at the same time. More attention span, more concentration and more memory.
But if we find something especially effective in poker to combat anxiety, it is the ability to face adverse situations. Poker forces us to be attentive, to plan a strategy, to make some decisions, to move ignoring stress and to hope that the move will turn out well for us. But also to be aware that a good play does not depend only on us, so if we lose, we have no choice but to find another plan.
Other benefits of poker
It is true that we have linked to poker the mental image of cigarettes, dangerous bets, glasses of whiskey and perhaps the odd weapon. But now we can forget about that cinematographic image and begin to see the benefits that poker can bring to our emotional balance. Benefits such as more security, decision-making capacity, search for alternatives and acceptance of what is not in our hands are just some of the skills that we can achieve.
But poker is not only a good ally against anxiety. It seems that he also gives us other types of abilities, this time to help us in the workplace. Poker teaches us to have a broader perspective of situations by having to be aware of the cards, our play, the play of others and trying to guess the intentions of others.
From this it can be deduced that by practicing poker we can be more observant, better negotiators, faster when looking for solutions or alternatives and more mentally agile, as well as having a plus of insight. Maybe it’s time to learn how to play poker.
