Injuries are part of the risk you take on when you engage in sport. At some point you may get injured during training or in competition, which can be very frustrating especially if the injury is severe enough to put you on the sidelines for extended periods of time. A lot of athletes, especially pro athletes struggle with this frustration. They spend most of their waking hours training with all they’ve got, but then they get a last-second injury that robs them of a chance to compete for a title or a championship.
The body needs the mind so it can reach its maximum potential, especially after injury. Sports Psychologist Dr. Matthew Sacco reports, “Research shows that if you have a realistically optimistic outlook (‘Recovery will be tough, but I’ll get through it’), you’ll recover more quickly and completely than if you have a negative outlook (‘I can’t believe this happened. This is the end.’)”
“That’s why it’s important to address an athlete’s thoughts about their injury,” he says, “because it does lead to improvements in the recovery process.”
Trusting in the rehab is also important and will help you overcome obsessive thoughts and fears about losing fitness in your time off. You are coming back a stronger athlete by doing a less intense or lower-impact exercise to strengthen the recovering body part as well as shoring up any muscle imbalances that could have led to the injury.
Strengthening your mental game when injured revolves around focusing on what you can do instead of dwelling on what you’re temporarily not able to do. And in the case of most injuries, there’s always something you can do to improve.