Remaining Positive during Injury Rehabilitation
Are you recovering from an injury, and perhaps you feel like
you are stuck in a rut? Maybe you are just feeling down, or having trouble
staying positive about your abilities. When you are healthy, it is easy to feel
confident because you can practice and demonstrate your skills almost every
day, but when you are sidelined with an injury, you might begin feeling
self-doubt.
Athletes who are in the process of recovering from an injury
will sometimes begin to lose confidence in their abilities – this is fairly common.
It can, however, be a valuable experience to simply take some time to reflect
on all the hard work that has gotten you this far in your sport – surely it
wasn’t pure luck!
Reflection
-During your recovery from injury, if you start to feel your
confidence slipping (or even if you don’t), simply take some to relax, and
brainstorm. Think long and hard about what makes you good at what you do? Ask
yourself: “what have I done in the past to deserve good outcomes?” or “what
qualities do I possess that make me successful at my sport.” Creating a list,
either in your head or on paper, can help focus your thoughts on what you are
good at and can bring out confidence in you that will keep you motivated and
positive throughout rehab. This is NOT the time to be humble! This
is a time to give credit where credit is due.
-Next, brainstorm your many achievements in sport. Surely
you have some accomplishments that you are proud of, or can reflect on
positively. These can be non-outcome based
(e.g., had a stellar performance despite not winning), and
remember that giving your best effort should be considered an achievement. If
you can remember a time where you won a big competition, or scored a game
winning goal, then these are good examples, but keep in mind that there are
many others way to be ‘accomplished.’ You are a good athlete, but while injured
it’s easy to forget that. Remembering past accomplishments can empower you, and
can bring back your confidence, which can ultimately help you work through the
trials and tribulations of rehabilitation.
Preparing for the Future
When the negative thoughts begin to creep in, it doesn’t
mean that all hope is lost. In fact, negative thoughts are very common when
rehabbing an injury. However, you can combat negative thoughts by being
prepared with an arsenal of confident thoughts that are ready to be deployed at
a moment’s notice. Plan positive things
to tell yourself. This will allow you to be ready to respond to internal
negativity with a number of confident thoughts, and will ultimately get you to
begin thinking more confidently all the time. Respond to every situation
with confidence!
Activity
Directions:
Draw a confidence wheel like the one you see below. Leave enough room in each
bubble for you to write a complete thought. Fill in each bubble with a
meaningful confident thought that will keep you positive and upbeat. This can
be closely related to something from your previous reflection up above. You also
can fill in a bubble with positive self-affirmations, which are positive
statements that describe a desired situation or goal, and are repeated often,
until they get impressed on the subconscious mind. Hang this confidence wheel
in your locker or above your bed, to reinforce these positive thoughts that you
can use throughout rehabilitation.
Example: “I am a hardworking basketball player” or “I will battle through this injury”
Example: “I am a hardworking basketball player” or “I will battle through this injury”
Written by:
Scott A. Graupensperger, M.A.,
Bowling Green State University
