Kickball, Therapy Balls, and Other Ways to Stay "Sane" for My Clients

Oh yes, kickball. The sport that never asks too much of you, except, of course, for some semblance of coordination and maybe a modicum of athleticism. But that’s the beauty of it: it's simple, it's fun, and most importantly, it allows me to vent my frustration while still pretending like I’m an emotionally stable adult. After all, how else am I going to be a good therapist if I’m not finding ways to stay in balance? I can’t exactly keep telling my clients to take care of their mental health when I’m one bad therapy session away from having a breakdown myself.

So, let’s talk about how playing kickball is absolutely essential for maintaining my emotional stability and, more importantly, my ability to keep my cool when a client tells me they “don’t know how to feel.” (I’m sorry, did I ask you to describe your inner monologue or just your feelings? I can’t be expected to decode this… but I digress).

There’s nothing quite like the therapeutic release of booting a rubber ball into the sky, imagining it's the voice of your client's ex who's not paying child support. Seriously. Kick. It. Hard. It’s a stress-release mechanism so primal, it should come with a warning label. This is my self-care, people. And don’t get me started on the satisfaction of seeing the ball land on the other side of the field. It's like life telling you, “Well, at least you nailed this.”

After sitting in a room all day discussing the deepest parts of the human psyche, sometimes I just need to run in circles. Kickball provides that option. And by circles, I mean an actual, physical circle (you know, the bases). At first, you’re sprinting like a champion, feeling all sorts of athletic. But then, midway through, it’s like your legs remember they haven’t moved since high school gym class. Suddenly you’re sprinting with all the grace of a newborn giraffe. I’ll tell you one thing, though: running like this definitely puts my mind in perspective. Sure, I’ve had clients express their existential crises, but now I’m wondering, “Is this the best I can do in life? Am I the fastest runner on the field? How do I make sure I don’t fall down like an idiot?” Progress.

I don’t care how old you are — at some point, the ball becomes a stand-in for everything that’s driving you crazy. The ball doesn't care if you’ve had a rough day with clients. The ball doesn't care if you're stressed about a looming deadline. All the ball wants is to be kicked, and in that moment, I am its willing accomplice. Screaming "TAKE THAT!" every time I kick the ball is more cathartic than any mindfulness exercise, because let's be real — I'm not going to meditate to relieve stress after hearing about someone's toxic family for the 500th time. Kickball, though? Therapy in motion.

As a therapist, I spend most of my days listening to others. But what do you do when you need to act instead? The kickball field is the perfect place to practice "working with others." Of course, the team dynamics are fascinating. There’s always that one person who insists they know exactly where the ball is going, and another who keeps yelling at everyone to “hustle.” Meanwhile, I’m just standing there wondering how the hell I ended up on a team of overconfident beginners. But I’m here for it. It's a great metaphor for managing clients — even if you’re surrounded by chaos, you’ve still got to figure out how to catch that ball, metaphorically speaking. In the end, everyone is running in circles. Except for me. I’m just jogging along, pretending to know what I’m doing.

Honestly, sometimes I just need to talk to people who aren’t emotionally unpacking their childhood trauma. Enter kickball: the ultimate way to socialize without being hit with deep, raw, unresolved feelings. You know what feels way better than a client revealing their darkest secret? High-fiving a stranger after a kickball win. No one’s judging your emotional state here, and the conversation revolves around, “Did I just accidentally kick that ball into the neighbor’s yard?” and “Why is everyone so obsessed with the color of the base markers?” Simple stuff.

Here’s the thing. Kickball might not be the solution to world peace, but it’s a damn good remedy for staying sane enough to help other people work through their chaos. And as long as I’m staying active and letting out my frustrations in a safe, playful way, I’m better equipped to help my clients manage their own. Plus, if I’m being real, after a rough day, nothing beats the rush of thinking, “At least I’m good at one thing today. At least I kicked that ball into the parking lot.”

So yeah, if you’re looking for a new form of self-care — and you’re okay with embarrassing yourself in front of a bunch of strangers — give kickball a try. My clients will thank me when I can hold it together in the next session without needing to scream. Or maybe not. Whatever.