Last week, we discussed the psychological effects of injuries on athletes that can derail an athlete’s rehabilitation process. The next question athletes, coaches, or parents ask is – what can I do manage or minimize these negative effects?
Research shows that a significant predictor of how quickly and how fully an athlete returns from injury is largely based on how much agency they feel in their healing process. In other words, whether they have a victim or hero mindset. A victim mindset means feeling like things happen to you and you can’t do anything about it. A hero mindset, on the other hand, means looking at what you can control and focusing on that – remembering that you can’t control what happens to you, but you can control your response. Another term for this is having an external locus of control (things happen to me and there’s nothing I can do) or an internal locus of control (I control my response to external events). Shifting into a more empowered (hero) mindset where we see ourselves having a more internal locus of control is not easy and takes practice, but it is well worth the effort and has benefits beyond sports and injury recovery. (The use of the word ‘victim’ is not to dismiss or minimize the significance of an injury or the reality that an athlete may be the victim of a violent act on the part of another athlete that caused the injury).
Maintaining a connection with their teammates and coaches is one of the best things an injured athlete can do to help themselves. It may bring up difficult feelings to go to practice or games (jealousy, guilt, etc.), but the positives for staying connected are big – feeling a sense of belonging, social support as you heal, finding new ways to contribute to the team, and maintaining a sense of structure and routine.
As an athlete prepares to return to play, breathing exercises and visualization are two helpful tools to aid in this transition. Simple breathing exercises like breathing in through your nose for 4-5 seconds and out through your mouth (like you’re breathing through a straw) for 6-7 seconds are a powerful tool in reducing the fear (fight or flight) response in your nervous systems. This allows athletes to play with less tension, anxiety, and fear.
Visualization is a powerful tool athletes can use as they start to re-enter their sport. Specifically, visualizing moments in competition that may make you nervous (due to your injury) and picturing how you want those moments to go and how you’ll respond if they don’t go as planned. Visualization is like mental practice and helps athletes feel more prepared and confident because it’s like they’ve already done it before they step back into competition.