Guided Imagery and SEC Football...what?

I pretty much limited my blog following when I decided to write primarily about women’s issues and today will probably limit my reading pool further…except for the Southern female supporters of the SEC. This weekend marks the beginning of college football season for my alma mater UGA, and I’ve already noticed the excitement building on my facebook newsfeed. Some people are probably perplexed about why a college football game contributes to this kind of fan frenzy, so I’ll do my best to explain what all the hype is about…at least from my perspective.
College game day contributes to feelings of excitement, but also a sense of community and a relaxing, reassuring feeling from the past – a time when things were easier…when no matter how stressed I felt about my upcoming exams, I could lose my worries in the melodies provided by the readcoat marching band. It was a time when I would forego other expenditures in order to save up for my red and black dress – yes, we Georgia girls “get dressed up” as the other schools say…it’s a tradition. The young freshman women know the expectation is to wear a sundress (or we are taught this the morning of the first big game by our dorm mates as I was). We also expect to see our male counterparts in their khakis and Polos…and even the young frat pledges in their shirts and ties…It’s a day of  great possibility – will we win the game (most importantly)?....but also who will we meet? What friends from home will we run into (yes, all our hometown friends come out for the games as well)…What great tailgate food will we consume? What memories will we make? And what mistakes will we recount during brunch tomorrow at Last Resort?

In therapy, we often use guided imagery to help clients recognize how thoughts can influence their feelings and induce feelings of relaxation – even during stressful times. We try to help them focus mindfully on the specifics – the sights, smells, images, feelings evoked, etc…The memories of college football games are vivid…walking across North Campus, the taste of a fried chicken biscuit, maybe a sip of overpowering bourbon and coke, playing a game of corn hole, and later packing into the student section of Sanford Stadium, and shouting Go Dawgs Sic Em until our voices become weak. The feeling of sunburnt cheeks as the sun descends on the adjacent side of the stadium, and the cool breeze of the fall Southern air causing us to huddle in close with our friends or significant others…as I reflect upon the memories – my breathing begins to slow, there’s warmth in my heart, and a sense of reassurance that life continues with ups and downs, stresses and worries, but there are moments and memories like these to carry me through and remind me that current and future worries will come, but they too shall pass… just like the academic fears of freshman year…one day my current worries will also fade and be replaced by memories of my daughter wearing her red and black.
Go Dawgs – may you perform your best on Saturday and continue to provide memories for our future!

My roommates and best friends from college - hoping our four little ones are as fortunate as we were when they begin college! 

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