Twanna A. Hines @ FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com | sex. dating. relationships.

5 Ways To Survive Post-Cup Depression

WTF?!?! For the first time in almost a month, there will be no World Cup soccer (football) games this weekend. I’m not quite sure what to do with myself. Now that the games are over, I feel a little blue. A little down. I think I’m suffering from Post-World Cup Depression. It hasn’t been properly diagnosed yet, but the signs are everywhere. I wake up and wonder, “who’s playing today?!” I open my dresser drawers and my hand instinctively wanders over to my collection of soccer jerseys. I walk down the streets of New York humming “football’s coming home”. And, perhaps most telling, I have a strong desire to get drunk with boisterous expats at 9 o’clock in the morning. But, there’s hope. In case any of you are going through PWCD too, I thought I’d share a few of the coping mechanism that I’ve adopted to help me get through the next 3 years and 10 months:

#1. Keep the Momentum Going. The time to get ready for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is now! See this movie. Sign up with FIFA’s listserv. Talk to South Africans in your city. Buy your favorite team members’ jerseys. Be strategic. Plan ahead. And, don’t forget: this will be the first time that the games will be held on the African continent. Learn more about the region’s history and politics.

#2. Keep Drinking and Partying Internationally. Hey, the games might be over, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still get drunk with the international community on a regular basis. Party with the Dutch (NL Borrels), Germans (Goethe), Scandivanians (NordicNights, Scandinavia House), Spanish (Instituto Cervantes), South Africans (Consulate has info) and others year round.

#3. Masturbate. Okay, I won’t go into any details on this one. For now, suffice it to say that the games may have ended, but the images of Zinedine Zidane, Luca Toni, David Beckham, and Thierry Henry live on. And on. And on. And on … Oooooh, Luca baby!

#4. Support Soccer Locally. Believe it or not, all the fellas of the World Cup all play each other in friendly (and other) matches throughout the year. For example, MLS has announced that the US all-star team will play Chelsea on August 5 in the burbs of Chicago. (Names you’ll recognize from Chelsea include: Terry, Cole, Lampard and Ballack.) I’ll admit it, even for me, this is new territory. I’ve always been a Cup Soccer kind of girl. EuroCup. World Cup. But, you know what? People change. And, besides, you get better seats at the local matches. Up close and personal “Soccer Hottie Sightings”.

#5. Commiserate with Fellow PWCD Sufferers. Anyone who has ever been through a traumatic life experience will tell you that it’s best to seek the help and support of others who are familiar with your situation. Find comfort in the arms of friends who love the games as much as you do. Trust me, little campers. We’ll all get through this together.