Was PE (physical education) for you also a pain in the ass at school?

[noname223]

I know maybe some will say this topic is shallow but I associate a lot with it.

Most of the time I hated PE at school. I am glad noone is forcing me to do shit like that at college. However I know it is bad for my health and my bones will hurt in case I will live for many more decades. But I am lazy as fuck in that relation. My fitness is a joke.

There were some activities I liked at school. Playing soccer. As a proud German it is a civil duty to love playing soccer. I liked some other sports. Basketball. dodgeball, handball or hockey. In some sports I was useful for teams. In some other sports I was among the last ones who were picked which always leaves a horrible feeling.

Though by far the worst was endurance sports. I don't know what it is like in other countries but in Germany there are official rules which performance the students must deliver to earn a certain grade. I was very often close to the worst grade possible. The standards in my country are unrealistic even the teachers admitted that. They want that the youth engages in sports to stay fit. But their standards were ridiculous. I was close to throwing up a couple of time and still got the worst grades in my life. LMAO. Sometimes or a few times I skipped school to avoid endurance sports. The teacher knew it was a lie and it was so awkward. Some people did that regularly at such tests. Me included. It sucks being close to throwing up for nothing.

The fun thing was. I was pretty fat for a long time in my childhood and adolescence. Everyone says when you lose that weight sports will be so much more easier. For me this was not true. I barely noticed a difference. I did some sports to lose weight but only shortterm so there was no longterm effect.

One of the most horrible experiences I had in PE was the following. We had to dance in the PE lesson. I felt very embarrassed. I was horrible at that. And the teacher (we hated each other) filmed the dances and left some mocking remarks. It was humiliating. Kind of traumatizing. I mean I still remember that shit which happened more than a decade ago.

There was other horrible shit. For example people were seperated by their weight for some exercises. Which also was humiliating for a teenager that already experienced major bullying. There was so much shit that reminded me how much I suck. Like gymnastics. Holy shit I was so fucking bad. Always scared to hurt myself.

It is really relieving that now as an adult noone can force me to do shit like that. That is really an accomplishment. My dad recently called me the guy with the healthiest lifestyle in our family. Due to the fact I am very slim. Thanks bullies for traumazing me my BMI (body mass index) is close to perfection. I am not sure how healthy my lifestyle really is. I don't drink alcohol, eat almost never sweets, I consume very seldomly sweetener. Though I never do sports. I am exhausted if I have to climb some stairs. Moreover I prepare to kill myself. This might reduce my life expectancy and thwart positive activities.

Personally I think it is not smart to completely give a fuck about health because only already plans that one will ctb. I think this often results in being with one's back against the wall. I would like to avoid or at least postpone that. But for doing sports I am way too lazy. I don't have the feeling I gain a lot of it. I read sports can work very well against depression. In clinics we had sport as an activity but alone at home I am too lazy. Or I just don't want to do it. I often stimulate myself with cognitive exercises like writing more than 1000 threads in a suicide forum (have I reached that point already?). There are aphorisms like your body is a temple etc. Probably I am too ignorant and too careless but I rather use my body as a device. I won't elaborate on that and maybe this statement needs more nuance but I don't care for example about fitness. For me it feels like wasted time. However I know this is probably stupid to think of.

 

[Fulminare]

I feel you on this. I am also from Germany and the standards for PE class are rather interesting. I loved running and sports in general, but it sucks when you do your best and even then it isn't good enough. Don't get me started on the throwing up and then the mocking comments by teachers.

"It is really relieving that now as an adult noone can force me to do shit like that. That is really an accomplishment."
You hit the nail on the head. I miss being a teenager a lot, I feel like I missed out on almost all the typical teenage experiences, but at least nobody can force you to anything anymore. I don't regret skipping school, not one bit.

It's probably wise to care more about your fitness, but as long as you're not going to run a marathon, it's fine to lounge around. Even just light cardio would help you a lot though. But I get it. I think it's hard to care about things like these when you struggle with mental health.

 

[MidnightDream]

Yeah, I'm overweight and didn't know how to dress for my body shape back then so kids used to make fun of me. Got to the point where I just fully refused to partake during class, I'd sit on the benches and I would not move. Had a great time in that class listening to music and reading, teachers couldn't do shit

 

[Rocinante]

Played basketball a lot during PE, so it was fun.
Was the only time I really enjoyed participating in groups at school.

 

[aloneinwinter]

Yes! 1) I wasn't able to join sports and teams early on like my friends because family had no money/parents wouldn't commit to driving us to things like that. 2) I had the same angry ex-army-style gym teacher for both years of required PE (7th and 9th grades) and she painted physical education as punishment for me. 3) I had undiagnosed diseases making my body weaker and smaller and had no idea why. I wish I had been able to learn to love working out much sooner! Also learning how to breathe properly while running was a game changer they REALLY should always teach in school.

 

[Message In A Bottle]

Yeah…because if you didn't perform well, you'd be blamed for bringing down the team. The kids were merciless - laughing amongst their friends about how "bad" you were at certain activities.

Why I would skip…for good reason too - no one should have to be poked fun of in order to pass a class.

Side note: my face was a target for dodgeballs.

 

[Rainy_days]

I think it was pretty chill where I was and a nice diversion from being stuck in a classroom. The only time I remember disliking it was in highschool when the weather was really hot. Hated getting sweaty because I didn't want to shower there.

 

[Lost in a Dream]

Yes, I dreaded it almost every time I went there. I was always that kid you hear about who couldn't even catch a football because they were too afraid of getting hit by it. I'm so glad that part of my life is over and I don't ever have to go through it again.

 

[WorthlessTrash]

Yes. I never changed or hung around in the changing room because I hated my assigned sex.

 

[LastFlowers]

IIRC, I somewhat unceremoniously excused myself from participating in PE, not long before I also had to drop out of school entirely because of how I was being mistreated and ostracized due to my appearance (my face, not my style)…the overall hostile environment towards someone like me, etc. It was a concentrated hell.
I sort of just stopped going (to PE).

Not only could my body and energy levels not keep up (already depressed, already an insomniac, mind was elsewhere, had trouble breathing and always had bad ankles/shins/knees so that didn't help), but I also hated changing..this is supremely embarrassing but sadly my unfortunate appearance didn't end above the neck.
Somehow I've got the chest of someone who is 50 years older than myself, had like ten kids, gained hundreds of lbs then lost it..and things never developed properly on top of it.
(Despite being thin, never having had children, not being old enough to warrant the look, etc.)
I don't think it was quite as bad then as it is now but I do remember still being scared shitless to change out in the open or to put on an appropriate you know what..my body composition itself already sucked but this was just crossing the line.
I usually changed in the only bathroom but then people start wondering why you're doing that..
I'm not saying I was the only person who did that, but I was the only one who had all these other factors going on to complicate the situation and draw negative attention to myself.
I didn't want to deal with it.

I took one of those dna tests with the health aspects tied in, and it didn't surprise me to see that I had the worst category of muscle composition lol.
Among other things.
It was always very hard for me to have much "shape", even when I killed myself athletically..hard to look in shape and hard to actually be in shape.
But I did try a lot harder than most still..for a long time, I was actually quite good at PE when I was younger and murdering myself to keep up. (Decent at sports too as a young child, when the bar was more about raw effort versus skill.)
Then I noticed I was starting to get poor marks despite trying my damnedest..and that also pissed me the hell off. (First one may have begun in late secondary school.)
I think I even brought it up with one of the PE teachers at one point..rare moment of boldness, but my grades were often my only source of "pride".
I asked what on earth was I doing wrong, when I knew some other kids who didn't even fucking try were getting much better marks..


I liked soccer too, I genuinely enjoyed playing the sport and much preferred it to other sports where more hand coordination and upper body strength is needed (which I don't have).
My feet still twitch when I see a soccer field.
But other kids (and some adults) ruined it for me..and I was also apparently not good enough to remain on one of my long term travel teams.
(No coach ever actually taught me a fucking skill or how to get better, so idk what they expected!)
Then I got chewed out on the field multiple times when playing HS soccer, by other teammates who also weren't good enough to be on Varsity and had no issue taking that out on me, namely because of my other vulnerabilities. I was an easy target.
I wasn't very good..but I was far from the worst on the team..yet I got the brunt of the distaste.
I broke my arm near the end of the season and the couch got frustrated with me for not making a fuss about it on the field..because she at least wanted the other team to get a penalty out of it.
(I knew my arm was broken because I had broken the other one years earlier, but I kept playing, cradling it.)
But she was still better to me than my supposed teammates overall.
..Reminded me of another time where I inadvertently body slammed a player on the opposite team and then I apologized profusely to them and helped them up, seeing if they were alright.
My team was so mad at me for being nice to the person LOL, but glad that I inadvertently hurt them with my body.
I heard the opposing team say that it was nice of me though..so I guess there's that!
I just didn't take the fucking thing so seriously…it was quite literally a game to me.
Other people treated it as life itself.
I knew worse things than losing a fucking HS JV soccer game..Jesus Christ.


On throwing up..I also did Track and Field briefly in HS and I remember one time we were running on the track in the pouring rain..a few kids were puking or ready to puke and the coach screamed at them to get their asses off the track, puke, get it over with, and then get right back on the damn track.
I'm surprised I wasn't one of the ones who threw up that day, because I usually felt like I was going to when any long term running was involved.
Most coaches and PE teachers don't have much tolerance or sympathy for people with physical limitations.
"Mind over matter" and all that bs..idk how things are now, but back then the only excuse they saw as legitimate was "asthma".
Even if the person with it was hardly affected and was better off physically than most of the class.

I did notice a few kids who were overweight sitting out certain activities or entire PE classes..I think some were permitted to do so while others were punished later but simply did not care.
Maybe they were sick of being humiliated or made fun of..combined with having a harder time because of their weight (which can be hard to lose once you get to a certain point..not any easier to have motivation when people are picking on you ironically, they make the person feel more defeated and helpless).

And now that you mention it..I do remember a few times where we were openly weighed in front of the rest of the class!
Who in their right mind thought that was a good idea!?
I am sorry you had to deal with that.

Speaking of endurance sports, I did Cross Country in secondary school and that was PURE MISERY, no fun AT ALL.
The "sport" itself: Absolute murder.
Hated it. Obviously I was a masochist to do it as long as I did.
But the kids and the coach were a lot more pleasant to deal with, more encouraging..less nasty when I did poorly and a lot more supportive when I did remotely well.
Maybe it was partly because we were less a team in the sense that individuals weren't tied down to one another, we were kind of on our own in a way.

Oh god..I remember we had a dance thing once or twice in PE too, I think I blocked most of it out..all I recall as of now is learning 'The Cotton-Eyed Joe' dance, but any partner shit was dreaded, especially with the opposite sex..comments and comparisons and rating partners based on looks was common place.



I am not a lazy person, and once I got on a healthy diet, I also kept up with relentless workout routines for a few years straight…
this was quite some time after I had been out of school.
Other things happened to me since that pushed me further into the abyss...but I had to take a medication that required certain levels in my blood test and so that actually forced me to take control of my diet and exercise situation..as much as I could, in order to get on the medication.
I ate healthier and worked out harder and more consistently than the majority of the people on the planet..but it could only get me so far.
And I knew that, I knew I would burn out eventually. And I did, mainly after another fluke incident stole away another motivator.
Now I've barely moved for over half a decade.
I don't even bother. I'm tired and I'm miserable and it won't make up for inherent and permanent physical detriments.
I already look extra sickly and prematurely aged/haggard from not sleeping and being in a constant fight or flight response mode..
I've tried to keep working out through that shit before and through my insomnia and it just took a toll on my body and mind. Had to stop.
Doing it used to be about looking and feeling better..overcompensation for what I already lacked..but now it can't even accomplish that much and is no longer possible for me to keep up with.
I do regret not being able to keep up with it..same as with hygiene in general..because it just compounds what's already killing us..however, I have significant reason to end my suffering regardless, so what is the point?

Played basketball a lot during PE, so it was fun.
Was the only time I really enjoyed participating in groups at school.

I accidentally threw a basketball in a haphazard manner during one PE class and it hit one of my more blatant bullies smack in the head/face.
My immediate reaction was to apologize over and over and over again…but as soon as I walked back over to my friend, I was more in the headspace of "what luck…" Haha.

I still wished it didn't happen though, I'm sure they convinced themselves it wasn't an accident..I also still would rather not have damaged anyone's face (not that I did..but close)..if I'm remembering accurately, that particular bully wasn't much better off than me looks-wise so I still had some sympathy for them versus others who fucked with me.

I think it was pretty chill where I was and a nice diversion from being stuck in a classroom. The only time I remember disliking it was in highschool when the weather was really hot. Hated getting sweaty because I didn't want to shower there.

People who had gym as their last period were the luckiest.

 

[Celerity]

Like you, I found PE to be a waste of time at best and actively miserable at worst. As a girl though, being terrible at sports wasn't as big of a deal because my school system (stupidly) used coed classes. All the girls in my class maybe save one failed to keep up with the guys in any competitive sport, so we were allowed to walk the track instead. I would have gotten more out of it if the geniuses in charge at my school had given us more time to shower and clean up after class. In the 90 minute runtime for my high school classes, our genius gym teachers only gave us 15 minutes at most to shower and clean up. All in all, how could anybody be surprised that none of us put forth any effort in PE, especially the girls?

 

[CowsAgainstCapitali]

PE was at best, an extension of recess where my few friends and I would run laps which we were going to do anyway. Stating in middle school it became a nightmare because we were required to change into PE clothes. I was horrified by the fact that they threw 20-30 unsupervised boys into a locker room and told them to take their clothes off. Uncomfortable anyone? I was bullied and hit and made to feel shameful for nothing. I still don't like people to see me unclothed even though I'm "normal." PE is a big reason I came to resent school and associate it with violence. To me it was forced labor with no end product: a punishment. In high school I simply skipped classes until I dropped out.

What a terrible way to introduce kids to healthy, nonviolent physical education. It could have been fun.

 

[FuneralCry]

Forced physical education is just a completely unacceptable way to torture people. I tried to avoid it as much as possible when I was in school as such a thing really is nightmarish to me. And I always used to feel really unwell physically when I had to go into school, the times in which I was actually there in the class I barely did anything.

But basically schools are like prisons to me and I hate the whole education system in every single way possible, being there certainly made me want to ctb even more. It's disgusting to choose to procreate and then force people to suffer by making them go to school. And with PE they always made us go outside even when it was freezing cold or incredibly warm, I'm so glad that I haven't been to that awful school for many years now.

 

[Jarni]

I was in professional sports since 4 y o, so PE at school was extremely boring and low level ... :-)

 

[Piki]

哎呀，该死的...
我小时候因为不寻常的投篮姿势被同龄人欺负，之后我鄙视所有的球类运动，害怕训练，独自玩它们是为了享受。两年选修课，有一次只好选羽毛球，然后考了班上最低分，哈哈;还有一次，我真的不知道为什么我别无选择，只能跳舞，我是一个非常害羞的傻瓜，在那些漫长的上课时间里，除了无所事事的致命尴尬之外，怎么可能如此被迫让摇摆的四肢开始变得自信？最后又收到了一个糟糕的分数，我感到很惭愧。

那时候我宁愿上数学课多，也不愿上体育课——尤其是到了"空闲时间"的时候，我没有朋友，没有喜欢的运动，同学们赶紧成对离开，让我丢脸。我曾经躲在体育馆的顶楼唱歌或看电子书，直到下课;这有点令人愉快，如果我能忽略所有讨厌的外星人，可悲的是，我做不到。

 

[ferny]

I really hated PE, but it was mostly a combination of me constantly being worried about disappointing other kids if I didn't do well in team games + absolutely hating my body. I managed to avoid PE, but only because i developed anorexia during my school years. Honestly, if I were to have PE now I think I'd be okay with it.

 

[hellispink]

I hate PE class because I was bullied constantly. I do like sports but I hate it the class with passion because classmates were shit people

 

[Forest Fire]

I used to love PE as i used to be top of the class at it. It makes me sad that so many people have a negative experience with it as exercise/sport is such a useful thing for stress relief. I can understand why people had a negative experience though, particularly if you went school a couple of decades ago as some of my PE teachers back than were wankers to the kids that weren't very good at it.
There is no point whatsoever in forcing someone who is overweight to do endurance events with the fit kids. Or putting some small timid kid in a rugby match with the kids that go gym and actually enjoy being able to hurt each other within the rules.
I honestly believe there is a physical activity or sport for everyone it's just a lot will never find it because of unpleasant experiences when they are young.
I did a few years in a primary school and the PE lessons i took were the ones that took the most planning because i wanted everyone to enjoy it. In any other subject the kids that are struggling will probably get more help than the others, be reassured etc but in PE they tend to not get thought of, at least by the other teachers in the schools i was in, whether i was working there or as a pupil.

 

[Celerity]

I used to love PE as i used to be top of the class at it. It makes me sad that so many people have a negative experience with it as exercise/sport is such a useful thing for stress relief. I can understand why people had a negative experience though, particularly if you went school a couple of decades ago as some of my PE teachers back than were wankers to the kids that weren't very good at it.
There is no point whatsoever in forcing someone who is overweight to do endurance events with the fit kids. Or putting some small timid kid in a rugby match with the kids that go gym and actually enjoy being able to hurt each other within the rules.
I honestly believe there is a physical activity or sport for everyone it's just a lot will never find it because of unpleasant experiences when they are young.
I did a few years in a primary school and the PE lessons i took were the ones that took the most planning because i wanted everyone to enjoy it. In any other subject the kids that are struggling will probably get more help than the others, be reassured etc but in PE they tend to not get thought of, at least by the other teachers in the schools i was in, whether i was working there or as a pupil.

Yeah, now that I think about it, I can remember exactly one PE teacher who wasn't a total asshole, and she still didn't really give AF about the job. I still think my elementary school PE teacher was a pedo. He legit would fail to notice all-out brawls on the basketball court because he was too busy chatting with the girls in the class. Fucking useless creep.

 

[Ultracheese]

I loved things like the mile because I loved running, as I participated in cross country and track in middle school and was pretty good at it. I hated the pacer because of the loud dinging noises and music. Other than that, I hated PE, especially dodgeball because people always thought it was funny to throw the ball at my crotch and watch me freak out over it for whatever reason.