The Comeback

Coming back from any injury is hard. Coming back from a serious injury can feel impossible. The process is complex. I’m going to focus on the emotional and mental side of serious injuries. Injuries that can take you out of your sport for 6 months or longer. ACL tears, Achilles tears, back fractures, etc.

Injuries like these are scary, frustrating, and overwhelming. These feelings are powerful and can cause doubt. Lots and lots of doubt. Can I come back from this? Will I get hurt again? What if I lose all my skills? It is easy to drown in these doubts. But here’s the thing, even when it feels like you can’t get to the surface, you can and you will.

Sometimes, serious injuries can change your path, and that’s something you might need to face but no matter where your injury takes you, one thing is for sure: getting through a serious injury as an athlete will change you.

When we first get hurt, our brains go into overdrive with what-ifs:

What if it doesn’t get better?

What if I get hurt again?

What if my coach doesn’t play me?

What if I lose my skills?

What if my body is never the same?

What if I lose my spot in the lineup?

I wish I could tell you that everything will be okay and the what ifs are just that, what-ifs, but I can’t promise that. What I can promise is that focusing on the what-ifs will make your recovery harder. Instead, focus on what you can control at the time. How hard you work on your rehab, how much time you put into your strength program, how healthy you eat, and how much sleep you get. All of these are things you have control over and all of these things will help you heal, and your top priority is healing.

Rehabbing your body is insanely important! You need to be patient, take all the steps, and push through discomfort. This being said, your body is not the only thing you need to rehab. You also need to rehab your mind. Injuries can really mess with your head. Remember all the doubts? When we are injured It is so easy to doubt our strengths when we can’t use them. Your emotions are valid and if you don’t take the time to heal mentally, the comeback will be even harder. But here’s the thing, healing your mind, can be and usually is, much more challenging than healing your body.

Here is some unsolicited advice:

Be aware of your emotions and know that they are justified. If you’re feeling it, there’s a reason.

Focus on the “controllables”

Accept help. You’re not alone in this.

Remember, your health is more important than your sport.

Be patient. It takes time.

It’s important to take pride in your progress, no matter how small it may seem. Every step you take forward is a victory, especially after an injury. For instance, extending your knee a degree after an ACL tear is a significant achievement. Be proud of yourself for reaching that milestone.

Frustration is a guarentee. You will feel it but do not let it consume you. Feel it, direct it, and use it as motivation.

Spending time with your team is vital for your healing process. Whether it’s doing rehab at the gym or simply hanging out with your teammates, these connections provide emotional support and a sense of belonging. Feeling disconnected can be incredibly lonely and detrimental, so make sure to prioritize your relationships.

It’s important to remember that the people around you may not always have the right words or understand how you feel. Acknowledge that they care about you and that their presence and effort is meaningful.

I do find it necessary to address the elephant in the room: sometimes and in jury can drastically change or even end your athletic career. There are different reasons this can happen. it could be physical or it can be mental. Maybe you are not be able to perform at the same level as you did before. Maybe you might also experience persistent pain during your sport or maybe the injury made you realize that the sport you once loved wasn’t as fulfilling as you thought. This is what I meant by coming to the surface and realizing things are different.

You are not defined by your sport but you are defined by how you react to what life throws at you. How you deal with challenges. the thing is sports are about so much more than winning or losing. They are about passion. They are about learning how to push your limits, work hard, and overcome challenges. They are about the relationships you build. Most importantly they are about discovering who you are as a person. The skills you build as an athlete are unlike any other. Confidence, perseverance, grit, work ethic, leadership, and teamwork.

So, If you get to the surface and it looks different then it did before you will find your way. After all, you are amazing.