Paw Print Writer: David Cardenas
Finding Strength in Injury
Apart from athletic fields, injuries are among the toughest obstacles to overcome. As runners, we train hard, push our bodies to their limits, strive for personal records, and experience the excitement of progress. But when an injury strikes, all that progress comes to a dead stop. While the physical pain remains one thing, the psychological battle involved in the recovery process is indeed very cumbersome.
Injuries are experiences with far-reaching implications outside of the physical realm of psychological health. Such situations mostly bring about frustration, disappointment, and sometimes huge loss. For an athlete accustomed to continual activity, the abrupt necessity to remain inactive can evoke a sensation of losing a fundamental aspect of one’s identity. This experience resonates with me as I am presently confronting the challenges associated with being “benched” from cross-country participation as a result of an injury.
The Cognitive Conflict: Irritation and Persistence
One of the most irritating parts about sustaining an injury is the frustration. It's annoying to contemplate all the workouts that one is missing, the competition that you were training for, or what progress you were making before you had to stop. Also, the isolation from your team causes a case of F.O.M.O as the time of being injured elongates. Being frustrated like this can quickly turn into impatience. A lot of the time you want to hurry back into training, to push your body faster than it's ready to heal-but deep down, you know it'll only make things worse. Being patient is important, even when one's mind is telling them to get back to the old routine. Patience is one of those skills that most athletes have to develop during such times. As painful as that can be, this is the way to healing. One has to believe in the process, believe the body's healing capability, and learn to accept the fact that sometimes the only way forward is back.
Discovering New Strengths In You
Injury is not just a test of physical strength but also of one's character. It forces people to explore parts of themselves that they may never have encountered before. All of a sudden, one realizes that running a huge part of life is no longer an option. For this reason, one must reevaluate priorities and find out who they are without being an athlete. Injury in my own experience has provided a significant time of reflection. It has made me realize another part of me that I had to find. I have mostly defined myself as a runner, but once this part of my identity had been taken away if only temporarily realized that much more than running comprises my identity.
I reflect on my mind and find other ways to divert this energy and focus, such as being more fully engaged in academic goals, spending more time with friends and family, or with interests that have never been given an opportunity. I picked up little hobbies and habits like card tricks and podcasts on the endless hours I spent cross-training.
Injuries serve as a means to evaluate your boundaries; however, they simultaneously uncover a profound resilience that you may be unaware of possessing. It is during those subdued and arduous instances—when one grapples with maintaining optimism or battles the urge to surrender—that an alternate facet of one’s identity is discovered. This aspect is characterized by strength, patience, and adaptability.
Breaking or Making You Stronger
Injuries can either depreciate someone or strengthen their mind. In many ways, it is a choice an athlete has to make. If frustration is allowed to dominate one's world, then it's not hard to fall into negativity, self-pity, or confusion. But if these mental battles are faced and confronted head-on, then an injury can be used as an opportunity to gain mental strength. This process instills an appreciation of recovery, creates awareness of one's body, but also focuses attention on the only thing that can be the mind. Especially cognitive strategies can be of help in this respect. In my case, keeping a positive attitude throughout my healing process entails focusing on small successes. Whether it means celebrating a first day without any pain or merely completing light stretching such minor accomplishments keep reminding one that improvement is taking place, even if that happens quite slowly. Equally helpful has been visualization: picturing myself at that very starting line, stronger and tougher than ever.
Another thing that keeps me grounded is just staying connected with my teammates. When I'm not able to run, just knowing I'm part of the team through cheering, going to practices, or whatever it may be, makes me realize I'm part of something bigger than myself.
A New Perspective
It may set you back, but an injury need not adversely affect the current direction in which one is sailing. In contrast, it offers a unique chance for inner and emotional growth. When you come back, you will be a stronger athlete, and more importantly, a much stronger person. An injury forces you to face adversity squarely, thus testing your patience, grit, and ability to stay positive. For in the process, they reveal strengths you never knew you had- perhaps the most valuable lesson of all. Through injury, you may learn that running-though perhaps a key constituent of your identity does not define all of you. You are more than your sport. In healing and your eventual return, you carry with you a new kind of strength forged in the mental battle of recovery.
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