When an athlete is injured, they are forced to make changes

Years ago, I injured my back during what was supposed to be a normal daily routine. I went for one too many squats with a weight I was not fully comfortable with. I was out of the gym for a few months but felt confident in my body’s ability to heal and get back to normal. After recovering, a year and a half passed of slowly building myself back up to where I was before the injury, and then disaster struck; the injury flared back up, worse than before. It was at this point that I realized the rest of my life would no longer be the same due to the one time I tried to take on too much. I had to start making changes now, to help my future self. It’s a shock when this kind of thing happens. You are forced to face a reality that you don’t want.

It’s common for athletes will experience some type of injury during their athletic career. Some may experience minor injuries and others experience career-altering injuries. When an athlete is injured, there is an immediate change in their routine for training and performing; a change that is suddenly forced onto them with no prior warning or preparation. 

You question yourself and what you can do about the injury

Injuries force anyone to take a step back and look at the limitations that have been forced onto them. This change is sudden and unexpected leading to many feelings occurring simultaneously:  frustration, anger, sadness, and disappointment bubbling up. Athletes may tell ruminate about what they could have done differently to prevent the injury.. Sometimes injuries can completely remove one's ability to engage in what we’ve been doing for years of our lives. This, understandably, leaves people feeling lost and confused concerning how to approach the injury and plan for the future. “Where do I go from here?” There is no more road map at this point. 

How do you process grief over losing a sport that meant so much to you?

Grief is very difficult to experience. The sense of loss is immense and difficult to wrap your head around. It leaves a toll on your mind, body, and spirit. In terms of athletic injuries, athletes experience a very similar process. There are usually 5 stages of grief that people experience as they begin to process their situation. 

5 Stages of grief for an injured athlete

1. Denial:

In this stage, the incident is still fresh in the mind and has been experienced recently. The person chooses to deny that something has been lost to them. With athletes, this might look like continuing the same training schedule despite an injury that could get in the way of practice or worsen after straining even more. If a long-distance runner tears a muscle in their leg, they would continue to try to run immediately after this injury if they are in this stage. 

2. Anger:

Frustration at the loss. The person has now moved past denying the fact that the incident has occurred and instead, they are now channeling anger towards themselves, the world, others around them, etc. In athletes, you might find them being overly critical of their inability to perform how they did before the injury.

3. Bargaining:

Making a deal with some force to make a change in lifestyle if they could return to how it was before the loss. In athletes, you might find a person who was injured bargaining by saying they will be more careful when they practice if they could just heal sooner rather than later. 

4. Depression:

After the bargaining doesn’t work, the person is left feeling empty, having lost the hope that was fueling them in the previous stages. The person falls into a depression in which they feel a deep sadness. In athletes, you might notice the person has stopped eating like normal, they aren’t very active and they are isolating themselves. 

5. Acceptance:

There is clarity. Although it might not feel great, a weight has been lifted off the person's shoulders. In athletes, you might notice they are actively searching for ways to get back into their sport. They are getting back into the field to redefine their purpose and find new ways to use the experience they have gained from their years in the sport. It isn’t uncommon for coaches of teams to have gone through these same stages and reached a conclusion to teach the next generation of athletes. That is one way they can make sense of their loss and feel in control of the process of no longer being an athlete.

One very important thing to understand about the 5 stages of grief is they don’t necessarily happen in order; you can experience one, jump two ahead, step back to the first, move on to the next, and work your way around revisiting each stage sometimes. Your grief is your own experience.

What can I do to mentally recover from this setback after a sports injury?

Injuries in sports affect both our physical and mental health, sometimes in ways we don’t even realize. It is important when recovering, to allow for mental and emotional healing and processing to take place. To do this, it is important to use mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as a mental state that is achieved by focusing on one’s awareness in the present moment, acknowledging and accepting one’s current state of being (emotional state, physical state, mental state etc.) and is commonly used as a therapeutic technique. Here are a few mindfulness techniques that increase body awareness.

• Breathing Meditation:

In a quiet and relaxing environment, sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and breathe air into your lungs for 10 seconds, focusing on the feeling of your lungs filling with air. Your mind will wander, but the important thing to remember is to gently turn your attention back to your breathing. Continue doing this for 5 minutes or until you feel relaxed and focused. 

Use this video above to walk you through the steps of mindful or deep breathing. This can help relax your mind and your body.

• Mindful Stretching:

Stretching is very important for athletes of all types. Mindfulness adds a layer of awareness to the different sensations you feel as you stretch. When stretching mindfully, notice how every movement causes some part of your body to tense or loosen. Some parts work together during a stretch, while the rest of the body is in rest mode. Make sure to maintain slow breathing through each stretch.

• Body Scan:

Similar to mindful stretching, you will be focusing on how your body feels in this exercise. First, lie on the ground (you can sit in a chair if you can’t lie down) and close your eyes. Focus on the pressure the ground is putting against your back, calves, triceps, head, and neck. Focus on the sole of your left foot, and move up the leg to thigh. Shift to the sole of your right foot and work your way up to your right thigh. Move your focus towards your abdomen and then to your chest. Now move along to your left shoulder and follow down your arm to the tips of your fingers. Move back towards your chest and repeat the same with your right arm. Move back towards your chest and now focus on your neck and move along to your mouth, nose, eyes, forehead; until you reach the top of your head. You have now completed a body scan! 

At Wilson Counseling, we understand that these setbacks can be incredibly frustrating and painful. It is important to share these feelings with a professional who will truly listen to and understand your perspective, guide you to a better understanding of yourself, and give you the tools to relieve some of the hard feelings.

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We have Houston sports counseling therapists at Wilson Counseling who want to help you discover more about yourself as you heal and strengthen your mental fortitude on your way back to the arena. You don’t have to do this alone.