We set big goals around here. When an injury occurs, it can feel like a failure. It’s challenging emotionally to cope with the loss of everything you’ve already invested in this season. For those of you on teams, this adds an extra layer of guilt and distress. @stevemagness outlines a plan he calls “How to Lose Productively” that translates to injury recovery.
1️⃣ Set a time frame for you to be upset
Don’t try to ignore your feelings! By setting a time where it’s okay to be upset, you give yourself permission to feel bad, and a reminder of when you need to start moving forward.
2️⃣ Evaluate but don’t obsess over what went wrong.
You can replay your injury in your head a thousand times, and still not find closure in why this happened to you. Rather than trying to place blame or isolate a single mistake. See this as an opportunity to learn more about your body, and how you can be even better. You need to be okay with letting go and moving forward, even if you don’t have all the answers.
3️⃣ Let go. Move forward productively. Get back to work.
The easiest way to get over an injury is to get back to work. To do this, you need to see physical therapy as part of your training. Each appointment should be met with the same intensity as a weight lifting, skill practice, or conditioning session. Setbacks suck. Injuries hurt. Everything about it feels bad. But you are not defined by your injury. What’s more important is how you move forward.
