đź’ˇ Get Philly smart đź’ˇ
with BP’s free daily newsletter
Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.
After a fantastic season, the Eagles came up achingly short in Super Bowl LVII.
But on a Monday morning you don’t need to be reminded of all that. What you do need is to pick yourself up and return to work, school, and the rest of your everyday life.
Here are some recommendations from experts that can help.
The right food and drink can get you through
To get your sleep-deprived (and perhaps hungover) body back on track, you need to hydrate. That doesn’t just mean chug a bunch of water first thing in the morning, said personal trainer and health coach Natalie Mitchell.
Instead, you should drink water throughout the day — and maybe try some Gatorade.
“The other thing with hydration is definitely electrolytes,” Mitchell said. “Sodium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, those are different things you get through foods as well as any type of electrolyte powder you can toss into water.”
As far as sustenance, it’s important to get your body back into a regular eating routine, she added, even if your energy levels or stomach aren’t quite feeling up to it.
“One really good option is a smoothie with protein powder in it, maybe chia seeds, or like a nut butter,” Mitchell suggested when it comes to breakfast. “That’s going to keep your stomach really happy because it’s easy to digest.”
In general, she advised meals that have “healthy fats, proteins, [and] some good sources of carbohydrates in the form of colors: vegetables, and fruits.”
Eggs offer a good source of proteins and fats, but Mitchell advised against the oily and fat-heavy bacon egg bagel sandwiches you’re probably tempted to order, suggesting you make a lighter version at home instead.
Exercise a bit, even if you don’t want to
Tempting as it might be to stay sedentary and cry into your pillow/chair/laptop, Mitchell encouraged at least some form of gentle movement.
“Sitting at a desk all day, while it feels good, by the end of the day you might get a little bit of stiffness,” she said. “Even 10 minutes outside before work, maybe at lunch and at dinner — 10 minutes throughout the day is even better than just sitting down.”
It’s not about “burning off” the night before, she added, but if you’re feeling up to it, go for a regular workout, while paying close attention to your energy levels so you don’t overdo it.
Heads up: Booze and betting can compound despair
Along with the physical aches and fatigue is the emotional pain. The highs of a successful season ended with disappointment, and the psychological rollercoaster can be tough.
“It can lead to that kind of euphoria and it can also lead to the opposite of that, which is despair,” said Jill Lamar, a professional anger and anxiety counselor.
People sometimes add to that by drinking alcohol, which is a depressant, she noted, and there’s the possibility of money lost, too. “There’s a lot more sports gambling than there ever used to be now,” Lamar said, “and that also leads to the depressive side of things.”
She hasn’t seen a lot of “catastrophic results” from this side of sports fandom, but continuing to ruminate on the loss can make people angry and irritable.
Breathe or punch a pillow: Find a good way to vent
How do you avoid taking out that frustration on friends, family, or coworkers? The first thing to do is to acknowledge that the loss happened, and how it makes you feel, said Mike Bass, a former sports writer and editor who is now a certified life coach specializing in sports fans (yes, that’s a thing — and he’s probably the only one at the moment).
“Being a fan can be an amazing experience, but this is the hard part,” Bass said. “So you go all this way and then boom, it’s all over. And so you grieve, and the grieving is absolutely real.”
Bass recommended taking a breath, and then finding a healthy, positive way to vent those frustrations. This can be exercising (see above), doing something nice for yourself, or even punching a pillow.
“There are ways that you can be cathartic here that are not dangerous or hurtful to anybody, including yourself,” he said.
It’s important to avoid venting in ways that harm your relationships with those around you, so be aware of your state of mind.
“If you feel yourself start to get on edge … like you’re going to do or say something that you might regret, and that you don’t really feel like is the way you want to come across, walk away,” Bass said. “It’s okay to walk away. You don’t have to be perfect right now because this hurts. This sucks.”
Shift your perspective — or commiserate with a group
As soon as you can, put things in perspective to shift out of the negative mindset.
“Ask yourself, like in the grand scheme of your life, how important is this, and if it is so important, why,” said Lamar, the anxiety coach. “Are there other things in your life that you’re ignoring?”
It could help to pull yourself away from the coverage and reaction on TV or social media, and instead read a book, watch a movie, or talk to people about something other than sports.
As you’re being careful not to let your frustrations spill over into your relationships, it’s important not to suffer in silence, said Clancy Philbrick, a local artist and mental health advocate who works with the LiveWell Foundation.
“Talk to a buddy, talk to a friend who’s also a fan, and just sort of process the year and just go through it all,” Philbrick said. “Go through the ups and downs, go through the what-ifs.” It’s not helpful to “bottle it up,” he added.
After Philadelphia picked up the bleak honor of becoming the first city to lose two major sports championships on the same day, Philbrick created a support group to help dismayed Phillies and Union fans process their respective seasons.
Now he’s got a meeting of the Sad Boy Fanatics planned for Eagles fans, too.
It starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Bridget Foy’s on South Street. Philbrick is asking people to arrive by 5:45 p.m. at the latest, for a meeting that might run for about an hour or so. Anyone and everyone suffering the Eagles loss, he said, is more than welcome.