Man and woman playing poker on a bed.

The Poker Player’s Guide to Mental Health

7 strategies to boosting your mental health so you can give yourself an advantage in the game of life and poker!

Chip here from The Poker People… 

Most of my posts are about how to play poker as part of a virtual team building game or an in-person fundraiser, but today I want to talk about how you can use the principals having a winning poker hand to give yourself a mental boost.

The winner of a poker hand is determined by the best five out of seven cards available.  Why not carry that strategy into everyday life?  When you pick five out of these seven options to do each day, you set yourself up for long-term success in life and at the poker tables.

  1. Get a good night’s sleep.
  2. Make a healthy meal choice.
  3. Do 30 minutes of vigorous exercise.
  4. Take time to really stretch.
  5. Spend quality time with friends doing something fun.
  6. Sit quietly outside and feel the sun on your skin.
  7. Take a simple walk around the block.

You don’t need to do the whole list, just pick five out of the seven best cards and try to do them each day.  Still too much?!? – then pick just ONE!  Sometimes the high card wins.  My motto in poker is “Make the best decision you can, as often as possible.”  It works pretty well off the tables too.