Experiencing injury:
Recognize, Feel, Respond
There is a saying that falling is an accident, but getting up is a choice! As an athlete, we train to be the best versions of ourselves, and we compete to win. We push through, we endure, and we overcome immense challenges and arduous terrain to be able to show we belong. One of the toughest challenges an athlete can face is an injury, and no one expects it! When we train, we only think about victory, and the possibility of defeat, especially in the form of an injury, never seems to register until it becomes a reality. Falling is an accident, and so is an injury, no one plans for it, and you can only respond to it and that is a choice. Experiencing injury as an athlete can be a demoralizing feeling as it can be just as mentally debilitating as it is physically.
Realizing your body is in a depleted state while watching your teammates compete, can leave you in a state of comparison as you wonder why your tire popped during your journey as the others continue to catch up, and sometimes surpass you.
Before seasons of competition, coaches, players, fans, and families bleed anticipation and excitement for what is to come but injuries are the unexpected visitor that shows up when you least expect it, and sometimes they stay longer than you could have ever imagined. When an injury happens, the first thing an athlete should do is recognize the unavoidable feelings that come with affliction. Disappointment, doubt, uneasiness, and despair are natural responses to circumstances that you did not plan for, or think would happen to you. Recognizing the feelings that are accompanied by the physical trauma of injuries gives you the ability to do what is rarely told – and that is to feel them. It is okay to be upset at a reality that you may have not envisioned, as no one plans to purposely get injured. Feeling your emotions erases the opportunity for them not to fester and build up, as this can be more detrimental to your overall well-being than simply letting out a cry, a scream, or whatever you need to do to process.
Recognizing your emotions and feeling them lets you process them, which allows you to heal once you feel! Suppressing feelings only makes them harder to let go, as the emotions you neglect to recognize may result in long-term feelings of distress. Recognition gives you the power to respond because you can’t respond to what you won’t acknowledge. Ignoring your pain simply eliminates the opportunity for growth. As athletes, we don’t plan on falling, failing, or derailing but it is our choice to respond! The only way you can respond is by recognizing your emotions, processing them, and deciding to react with a growth mindset even in the face of exigent and extreme circumstances. It is okay if you got injured, as it was not your fault! Fall, feel, and then look up and realize that you can get up!
