When we think about injury, our minds often jump straight to the physical aspects — how long will it take until my body’s fit to train or compete again? What steps can I take to speed up my physical recovery? But as anyone who has experienced an injury knows, it’s not just about the physical. Injury affects us on a personal, emotional, and psychological level, and to truly heal, our recovery approach should address all these dimensions. By focusing beyond the physical aspects, we can better deal with our injury, come back stronger and reduce the chance of re-injury.
Injury Is Personal
When we find ourselves unable to do the activities we love — whether it’s cycling, running, swimming, or walking — even for a brief period, it feels personal. These activities are often more than just hobbies; they’re a part of our identity. Whether you cycle to relieve stress, run to stay fit, or swim for the sheer joy of it, an injury can throw your life off balance and raise all kinds of personal questions.
It’s crucial to acknowledge what your injury means to you, not what others think it should mean. While well-intentioned advice from friends and family might come your way, only you truly understand the personal impact of your injury. Recovery isn’t just about physical healing; it’s about navigating the personal loss of being unable to engage in what you love, and then finding a way of moving forward that is in line with your values and desired way of living.
Injury Is Emotional
Because injury is so personal, it’s natural to experience a wide range of emotions during the recovery process — anger, sadness, envy, guilt, and happiness. There’s no single “correct” way to feel. Suppressing or trying to eliminate these emotions often leads to more difficulties in the long run.
Instead, it’s essential to recognize and allow these emotions to be present. Once you’ve acknowledged your feelings, you can then work on regulating and expressing them in healthy ways. Emotional awareness is a critical part of recovery because it helps you to process the experience, so you can move forward, and grow.
Injury Is Psychological
Sitting alongside our emotional experiences are our thoughts and beliefs — these shape how we navigate the world, the choices we make and who we are. When we’re injured, it’s natural to experience more distressing or unwanted thoughts, the key is to become aware of them, and understand how they influence the choices we make, and how that impacts our recovery.
Take, for example, a client I worked with after surgery who was feeling quite low. They shared how stuck they felt in their moonboot, consumed by thoughts like “What if this doesn’t get better?” or “Maybe I’ll just never be able to run like I used to.” These future-focused worries pulled them away from the present moment, making an already challenging situation feel even more overwhelming. As a result, these thoughts interfered with their ability to do the very things that would aid their recovery — like eating well, staying hydrated, and gradually increasing their daily movement as part of their graded walking plan.
Through our conversation, the client began to find their own solutions to these unhelpful thoughts. One strategy was to remind themselves that the situation was temporary; another was to focus on what they could control and start from there.
This highlights how significant a role our mind plays in our recovery. Being intentional about how we shape our internal landscape during recovery is crucial. And when we’re thinking about returning to exercise — psychological readiness is just as important as physical readiness — yet, this critical aspect is often overlooked.
What could I do if I’m injured?
Injury is more than just a physical experience; it’s deeply personal, emotional, and psychological. To recover well we need to address all these dimensions, so how do you do that?
Of course it makes sense and is recommended to seek help from a medical professional, like a physio, for the physical side of your injury — but also, consider seeking out the support of a psychologist, to help you use your mind to aid your recovery.
I’m also running a webinar for those who are injured and wondering how they can use their mind to help recovery — reach out if you’re interested.
hannah@becuriouspsychology.com
“Take control of your injury, recover better, and come back psychologically stronger”