As I sit here at the computer, one hand typing and the other motionless in a sling, I thought it would be a good time to touch on injuries. At all levels of sport there is a chance of catastrophic injury occurring. The chances are extremely low, but they aren't at 0%. We all take a chance whenever we compete, and rely on our physical preparation to handle whatever we ask of it. But even so, accidents can happen.
I myself suffered a torn pec about a month and a half ago. This required surgery and will put me on the mend for six months or more. Normally news like that would crush me.
That's:
Six months of lost progress.
Six months of stagnation.
Six months of my competition catching up to me.
Terrible perspective right? Do you think recovery is possible with that kind of thinking? Maybe. But I guarantee you it will be longer and filled with more pain than the latter.
What if instead we view it as:
Six months of working on my weaknesses.
Six months of focusing on myself.
Six months of growth.
How does this perspective look to you? Almost gets you excited doesn't it. This outlook will guarantee a comeback as not only a better athlete, but a better human being. Mindset plays a pivotal role during the entire rehabilitation process. Miraculous things happen when belief and effort are aligned. I'm not saying there won't be any doubts or setbacks. The reality of the situation is there will be, but how you react and move forward will make all the difference.
As I procure my "new normal," there are things that have been helping me move forward that I would like to highlight:
Meditation: I visualize positive outcomes and to retain movements that I am unable to perform at the moment. Utilizing all of my senses I rehearse whatever it is I want to work on during the session. This could be be the full use of my arm during a bench-press, or a jiujitsu scramble. I feel the muscles engage and synchronize together in order to lift that weight. I smell the mat and hear the thud as I take someone down to the ground. My mind cannot decipher between my imagination and real life and it responds accordingly. Muscles activate, my heart rate increases. I am mentally taking my body through something that would otherwise be impossible. This is a powerful tool to help retain techniques that could be lost during a long recovery period.
Plan: A goal to strive for coupled with a plan of attack. Every day/week/month I have a goal. Three month and six month checkpoints. Me personally, I am someone who needs structure. Without it I will aimlessly go about my day wasting time, never accomplishing anything. On top of keeping me on track, structure is great for my mental health. If I am moving forward and accomplishing tasks, I feel great about myself. During times like these where I'm not able to express myself physically, this is important to keep my spirits high.
Mindset: I touched on this earlier but would like to expand. This is the perfect time to cultivate an iron-tight mindscape. I take the rehab process day to day and not as a whole. Thinking about the entire 6-month+ journey could be overwhelming during a time where emotions are still high. Reading, writing, and creating content has become my new way of "working out." I haven't put nearly as much time into those skills as I have in training so the gradual improvements have been exciting.
Part two coming soon!
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