Mother, Sports Can Be A Means To Return To Being Yourself To Avoid Depression

Illustration of Sports

JAKARTA - The change in role as a mother often causes mood swings for women. The sense of insecure or mild depression makes the mother also lose her identity. Especially after the little one entered the social environment, the woman was better known as the mother of the child or wife of the husband.

Loss of identity is increasingly felt when mothers lack time for themselves (me time). In the journal Psychosomatic medicine, lack of me time can cause anxiety, excessive worries, and high blood pressure. In fact, this also has an impact on decreasing happiness. For that even though it is considered trivial, me time is important for a mother.

Psychologist Sheare Bourg Carter, PsyD., said, me time is important for mother's mental health. Author of the book High-Octane Women: How Superachevers Can Avoid Burnout says, there are many things that mothers can do to get quality me time. One of them is back to pursuing hobbies and joining the community.

Astari Nindya Poetri, a mother and initiator of The Momster's Basketball Club, feels the weight of the challenge as a mother. She felt the need to take time for herself and return to pursuing a hobby of playing basketball. However, unlike several other sports, playing basketball requires friends from the team and also opponents.

At least 9 more people need to be able to play in one game. It takes field rental, friends who have the same interest, and of course the time is right," said Astari in a media statement received Thursday, June 8.

Departing from anxiety and the desire to return to playing basketball, Astari tries to invite friends during school and college who both like to play basketball. Unexpectedly, the mothers' response was very enthusiastic. It turns out that many of his friends who have become mothers miss playing basketball again.

"After the person is collected, there is another problem. When? Where will the children be with? Haven't just played, there have been many obstacles," he complained. However, everything has to start. From inviting each other, Astari and friends were finally able to play basketball in January 2023 at BX Hoops Bintaro Exchange Mall, Bintaro, South Tangerang. Consideration of choosing a partner in the mall environment on weekends so that they can invite family. Children and fathers can spend time together.

Starting 20 members, now the basketball group The Momsters Basketball Club has more than 50 Whatsapp Group members and has a range of about 30 years and over. Most of them live in South Jakarta and South Tangerang (Bintaro, Ciputat, BSD, and surrounding areas).

The Momster's Basketball Club is trying to create an atmosphere of playing basketball that Mom-friendly makes this group feel comfortable to be able to invite husbands and children to participate in watching the game near the field. With this comfortable atmosphere, members don't judge each other regarding how to play or about the flexibility of basketball regulations, which may have been forgotten since the last time they played," explained Astari.

To be able to play, members must check the voting schedule and location of playing on Whatsapp Group and book slots first. There is no obligation that all members must play every month, or the frequency of playing within a certain time. In 2 hours the playing session is usually attended by 20 players who alternate with a duration of 1 game = 10-15 minutes. The schedule of playing is carried out on weekends to facilitate the freedom of raising children and other tasks outside of busy time.

After playing several times, The Momster Basketball Club held a match with Libamak, the BSD domilition basketball group at GOR Bulungan. The plan, The Momster's Basketball Club will continue to accept and expand the member network. So that moms can get me time, be free to express and be themselves, "he explained.