Episode 8: Feeling Like a Loser

How the downward spiral starts...

Here’s a fun fact you may not know about me: I currently play competitive tennis in a women’s USTA tennis league. Don’t get too excited—this is not at all anywhere near a professional level. But it’s an option for tennis-addicted adults who used to play in high school/college or became obsessed during the pandemic and want to play more competitively. It’s super fun, and I highly recommend playing in adult sport leagues if you used to be an athlete or you’re still an active person who loves a particular sport. There is something pretty magical about getting back into something you loved as a kid and doing something competitive outside of your daily work.

I played on my high school team (see above from my senior yearbook) and played off and on throughout my adult life after that. However, I got back into tennis in a big way during the pandemic partially because it was a socially distanced sport and because my kids were playing tennis and I wanted to get back into it so we could play together. Little did I know that I would soon find myself being the co-captain of a tennis team and playing up to five times a week.

I feel happier, I am healthier, and I have an actual hobby that is not tied in any way to my job. Here’s the real reason that my casual love of the sport went full force in this stage of my life…

Tennis is the one thing I do where I am not “Joy Cho of Oh Joy!”