Coping With an Injury: 6 Basic Steps

There’s nothing worse for an athlete or a busy business person than an injury. This calamity can cost you your success, prevent you from going to work and doing what makes you happy, so many people who get injured end up with depression and anxiety. However, if you learn how to properly cope with your injury, you’ll recover smoothly and quickly.

Accept your condition

Many people think that by accepting their injury they accept defeat, but that’s not true. Making peace with your current condition will help you move past the hate and anger and start your healing process. Sure, you might be limited to what you can do today, but don’t resort to sadness and frustration. No matter how serious, your injury is temporary and you always have space to move forward, recover and get better.

Don’t obsess over your loss

Every time you take a break from work or training, you will lose some strength, flexibility and skill. However, your brain and your muscles have something called ‘muscle memory’ that will allow you to bounce back quickly once you recover. While your muscles will need to take time to regain strength, you actually won’t need to start back from scratch.

Find a new distraction

For many athletes, exercise takes a lot of time during the week. It can occupy anywhere from 20 minutes a day to two hours, so what can you do with that extra time except think about your injury? It’s best to start exploring your interests that will not only occupy your time but also take your mind off your injury and pain. You can try practicing meditation or take up a new hobby that will keep you engaged. One of the best things you can do while you’re injured is study healthy living and healthy cooking. On the other hand, you can also dedicate your time to researching trusted superannuation lawyers who might help you receive a lump sum or monthly payments for your injury in case it wasn’t your fault. This will not only help you get over your break from working out but also reduce some of the financial costs of therapy.

Adopt a recovery mindset

When you get injured, your mind and your body will go to war. However, don’t let your brain win with its negative thoughts! Instead, adopt a good recovery mindset that will encourage you to listen to your body and retain your identity as an athlete or active businessperson.

Focus your energy towards healing and rehab instead of aiming it towards sadness and resentment. Forget about your past training or work schedule and focus on improving your current condition. If you try to ignore your injury and push through the pain, it will only make your recovery harder and longer. While recovering, you might want to stay away from other people and just curl up at home and watch Netflix, but this is a mistake. You need to be a good teammate to your friends and colleagues and try to be present in their life. Gratitude and teamwork are very important in sport and business and they will help you stay connected and motivate you to improve, take care of yourself and listen to your doctor so you can return as fast as possible.

Try low-impact exercise

While you might not be able to do 10k runs or lift your record weights, you don’t have to stay on the couch all the time. There are still things you can do in the gym. In case of a knee injury, you might not be able to run, but you can still work on your upper body strength and core. Or you can try some other form of low-impact exercises like yoga that will help you relax and stay active.

Set new goals

You need to forget about meeting those goals you had before the injury and make new ones. If you’re a born athlete or businessperson, you probably thrive on goals, so make sure to make new ones that will get you through injury. Make sure your goals are small and easier to reach so you can stay positive.

If you set your mind to it, you’ll be one step closer to recovery. So, stay positive, follow these tips that will help you on your journey and you’ll be ready to start working and training again in no time.