Being injured sucks, especially if sports or movement are a big part of your life. I’ve recently been there, and I suspect many of you reading this can relate. If you haven’t gotten injured, that’s amazing, and I hope you never do! Injuries can be very frustrating and disappointing, so I’m going to offer some ideas on how to deal with them from an emotional and mental aspect.
 
Please note that I’m not a trainer, physical therapist or medical doctor, so none of my suggestions here will tackle the rehab process. You’ll have to consult your medical doctor or physical therapist for that. What I am sharing stems from my own personal experience, and from my knowledge as a psychotherapist and sports psychology coach.
 
Let Yourself Heal
 
First and foremost, consult your doctor and/or physical therapist and follow their recommendations. The last thing you want is to get even more injured and take longer to recover, so take the time and do the necessary work to heal. Sometimes we have to take a step back and do things we don’t really love to do because they will benefit us. Most of us would prioritize the wellbeing of people we care about, even if it means doing something for them that we don’t enjoy, so we should do the same for ourselves if we value our own wellbeing.
 
So often we are in denial about the fact that we are hurt and can’t do some of the things we used to do, that we end up doing things that will cause more injury and set us back even further. Don’t let your ego cause you more harm.
 
Focus on Yourself
 
Instead of doing something that will give you instant gratification but risk long-term damage, you are investing in your health and body while even potentially building new strength by taking the steps you need to recover.  One of the worst things you can do during this healing process is to compare yourself to other people who aren’t injured, or who had an injury like yours and recovered more quickly than you are. Your experience is your own. You need to respect that even the same injury on a different body may need a different amount of time to heal.
 
If you must look to the experience of others, seek out inspiration from people who have overcome injury or disability. It’s not uncommon to hear of athletes who have gotten injured and actually broken records after their recovery! Check out how powerlifter Brian Carroll’s experience with getting injured helped him.
 
Look for silver linings in your own process and try to focus on positive progress. For example, I’ve been doing a lot of step-ups for my rehab, and they inadvertently led to me being able to do pistols since I have now improved my balance and single leg strength.
 
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (But Find Outlets to Express This)
 
Healing from injury is a frustrating process, and you will feel vulnerable at times, and that’s okay. Stressing about the situation will not change what happened, and will certainly not help you heal, but will instead cause more anxiety and make it more difficult to recover. Strength isn’t always about how much weight you can lift. It’s also about how you deal with challenges and with your emotions. In fact, I would say that many people find it more difficult to sit with their painful feelings than to do something physically challenging like lifting weights or running a marathon. It takes a lot of courage and strength to be able to accept and honor your feelings. Instead of beating yourself up about feelings of frustration, acknowledge them and that it’s okay to feel this way, and do the best you can while working towards healing.
 
Some mental practices you can do to help with dealing with the stress and healing are meditation/breathing exercises, and visualization exercises. You can find many videos or apps that guide you through breathing or progressive muscular relaxation exercises, like this deep muscle relaxation or this progressive muscle relaxation. You can try apps, too, such as the Wim Hof Method app, or Headspace. One simple breathing exercise that doesn’t require an internet connection or a mobile phone is to take long slow deep breaths that fill your abdomen, holding them in for a few seconds, and releasing. You can also work with a Sports Psychology Coach to guide you through visualizations to help heal your injured area and manage pain. Keeping a journal is also a great way to process your emotions throughout this journey. And of course, don’t forget to spend time with loved ones! We all need some sort of outlet for our feelings, so this could be an opportunity to try new ways of letting some frustration out. Consult your doctor to check what kinds of movements are okay, and look into new creative ways of expression through arts and music.
 
Injuries are Messages
 
I deeply believe that our bodies are constantly trying to tell us something, and injuries are one way to send us messages, so we should listen to them. Rather than feeling like a victim and asking yourself “Why me?” ask your body, “What are you trying to tell me?” “What is it that you need?” “What do I need to change?” “How have I been unkind to you?” It could be that you’ve been doing too much, or not addressing an unresolved imbalance, or not eating or sleeping well, or not managing stress properly.
 
This is a golden opportunity to be curious and kind to yourself and work on making positive changes. Instead of seeing it as a problem, appreciate the chance your body is giving you to do something better for your future self. Ideally, we need to become better at listening to our bodies before we get injured and modify our training and lifestyle accordingly, so take this time to learn more about what your body and mind need to be healthier and prevent injuries in the future.
 
Enjoy the Things You CAN Do
 
Yes, there are some things you can’t do now, but there are still many things that you can do. It’s easy to get stuck in a negative loop when, in reality, there’s so much to be grateful for. How many inspirational people have you seen on social media or TV that do tremendous things with their incomplete bodies? Our body can do wonders, so don’t limit your beliefs to what you know, and take this opportunity to learn about all the other amazing things your body can do.
 
We all know that training can sometimes get repetitive or serious, so we can easily lose our sense of adventure and spontaneity. This is a great time to try new things you’ve never done or even do the fun things you’ve been wanting to do but never get around to doing because you have other priorities. Who knows, you might discover some new strengths or even new passions along the way, but how will you ever know if you don’t explore? I’ve been doing some strongman workouts lately and have been enjoying them a lot, not to mention that they have been really helping me get a stronger core and body.
 
Re-evaluate yourself
 
Change is necessary and inevitable, but we are so scared of it at times that we stick to our comfort zone and stop growing. But change can be so much more fulfilling if you embrace it. This could be a time for you to reflect on your values and your goals and make some pertinent changes. Very often we find ourselves clinging to an identity because it gives us a sense of security and confidence, but we don’t integrate or nurture other parts of our personality, and so we feel lost when we aren’t able to do the things we know.
 
Athletes can easily focus their identity on their sport, and so when they get injured, they feel incomplete and anxious. There is so much more to life than performance, and this may be a time to change your perspective and awaken parts of yourself that have been dying to come out, or to focus on your connections and relationships. Maybe there are experiences in your life or loved ones you have been neglecting, and your body might just be telling you to take a step back and remember to value other things in life as well before it’s too late.
 
Bottom Line
 
At the end of the day, the message here is that you have two choices: you can either dwell on your misfortune and your misery, or you can take this as an opportunity to listen, reflect, and grow from this process. Yes, it is a process, but you choose what kind of journey it will be for you.