As we get deeper into training and the weather gets colder, it’s not unusual for athletes and performers to be under more stress physically and mentally, thus prone to injury. When we rely on our able bodies as a source of our happiness, fulfillment, and possibly our financial stability, being injured can be rough to devastating.
The cause of stress on the body lowers our immunity, which opens the door to sickness and can negatively affect mindful performance, making us vulnerable to injury. Sickness, tiredness, and stress will increase our perception of pain (as well as exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression). It’s common for things feel harder to do and hurt more (physically and emotionally). Sometimes the injury is overuse or an event we deem stupid or silly, like finding a hole on our run that sprains our ankle. Negative emotions will also affect our success in school, work, and personal relationships.
After your injury has been properly assessed by a professional and you’re consistently following the prescribed treatment, here are three keys to get better and feel better in order to perform.
STEPS TO GET BACK INTO OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE
1. ACCEPT
Acceptance is one of the hardest things to do, but if we don’t meet ourselves mentally where we are at physically (aka “being real”), we’re not moving forward. It’s one of the hardest things to do, so if you want to get better, this is #1. Being injured is not where we want to be, but your day-to-day reality is different, and we must cater to those needs. For example, if you have a sprained ankle and you usually walk or bike to class, maybe you can do crutches, get a ride, ask for help or suggestions, or tell your professor you’ll be there as soon as possible (disclosing the injury). Life is hard and it’s harder with an injury, so look out for yourself! You may need to not participate in practices or competitions, but maybe you can cheer on others or do some self-care for yourself instead.
2. MINDFULNESS
Mindfully do your exercises, stretches and treatments. Think about how the exercises, stretches, and treatments are helping you heal. Look at the anatomy to be able to visualize it. Maybe you see and feel the ligaments tightening as you elevate and ice a sprained ankle. It’s ok to feel a bit obsessive about it because the injury is a vulnerability; the baby; the weak link. What are your actions doing to make you heal and what does the healing look like? Focusing on what we can control is a huge key to self-managing our emotions.
3. VISUALIZATION
Hesitancy getting back into the swing of things or even thinking about it? Visualization is one of the strongest tools we have, especially when we are injured. Neuropsychology has proved that mental practice is just as effective as physical practice. Obviously, our bodies need to be as close to “in shape” for competition as we can be, but when we’re not able to be out there physically, the next best thing to do is mental practice. YouTube Video Visualization/Mental Imagery must have certain key factors. It’s most effective using all our senses to make it as real as possible. First-person gives us the ability to feel the movements with our brains. (Super important!) If we go between 1st (in our bodies) and 3rd person (watching ourselves like a movie) that is fine. Using the third person enhances our confidence, watching ourselves succeed. Always make visualization successful. If you ever “mess up” or make a mistake, either erase and do over correctly or rewind and do it correctly. Use your brain like a computer to program your body. In your visualizations, you are not injured. You are recovered. Fantasize your achievements! Dream! Rewatch old successful performances to help yourself.
We can start visualizing every night before bed after breathing exercises to gain control of our body and mind. Visualize avoiding the hole that you stepped in when you sprained your ankle. You can run that same path AND avoid stepping in the hole. Now you continue your run and your body is healthy. If you believe in the power of this neuropsychological science, it can open doors you can’t imagine.
Examples of vizualization:
Kayla Harrison USA Judo Olympian London-2012; She vizualizes everything so this is just another example
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