How skateboarding can help with psychological health

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A skateboarder in Sevier County credits the activity with transforming his lifestyle, and mental health and fitness industry experts say obtaining hobbies can have a favourable influence on one’s properly-getting.

Isaac Blackburn lately entered Tony Hawk’s Skatepark Hero Contest, with hopes to give young children in Sevier County access to skateboarding. The winner of the contest will get a opportunity to meet with Hawk and get $10,000. Blackburn options to place that funds to buying skateboards for youngsters, if he wins.

He reported his enthusiasm for getting into the contest was how skateboarding has impacted his lifestyle.

“Really, skateboarding is just one of those people matters exactly where it teaches you how to recover from failure like 90% of the time you devote on your board is used failing. The other 10% where you make it, it kind of will make it all specific in the stop,” Blackburn claimed.

He claimed skateboarding as a kid formed his childhood.

“Growing up skateboarding was a single of those people matters exactly where I have usually been a bizarre, off-coloration kid and I did not seriously feel like I experienced a close-knit team of buddies until eventually we found skateboarding collectively, due to the fact skateboarding is just one of these communities where it does not issue what your qualifications is or the place you arrived from, if you are on a skateboard and you are next to somebody else on a skateboard, you’re sharing one thing,” Blackburn said.

Being all around people with prevalent pursuits can enable enhance your psychological health, according to Shannon Dow with the Helen Ross McNabb Middle.

“To sense that they’re part of a local community, that they really feel linked with people that they have hobbies with, they share distinctive strengths with, and can continue on to increase those people strengths by means of these social connections, so social connectedness is truly significant for nurturing one’s psychological wellbeing,” Dow mentioned.

Outside of social routines, any pastime can be helpful to someone’s psychological wellness.

“There are other hobbies this sort of as gardening, painting, or listening to tunes, individuals are also shown to lower stress and anxiety, to lower melancholy and cut down anxiety,” she stated.

Blackburn hopes other children can find the appreciate for skateboarding that he has.

“I’ve found skateboarding straight help you save persons, whether it is just by means of distraction or locating a superior goal to do with your time,” he claimed.

Blackburn also hopes to construct a skatepark in Sevier County with the aid of Tony Hawk. Individuals who want to aid Blackburn can vote for him here.