I just came from a team sport practice for a competitive club team. There were a lot of new faces today, and some of the younger players (21-24) just had the worst attitudes. They would give bad or just wrong advice, they were gossiping about one of my friends on the sideline, and their little group was so cliquey it completely ruined my vibe for the day.
I feel like this really negatively affected my vibe, not because they were bad, but because of their unwillingness to listen to me (27m, ex pro player, fkin beast in spite of old injuries). In my day to day life I have a fulfilling job, I’m going out on dates and loving early romance, and I have a lot of really amazing friends. But these cliquey people still somehow manage to get in my head in spite of all of that.
Wise men aged in years, how do you let these people not have mental power over me? Instinctually I want to say “fuck you” mentally each time I see them, but something tells me that might not be healthy, especially if they may be my teammates throughout the season. Or maybe I should channel that disdain towards breaking them on the field. or maybe both at the same time? I’m at a loss, any advice would be appreciated.