If you’ve ever been injured, you already know this: physical pain is only part of you.
The hard part is usually mental.
You are sidelined. Your routines disappear overnight. Training partners maintain training. Progress keeps happening… not because of you. And suddenly the thing that usually keeps you focused—motion—is gone.
I’ve been there. Many times. When I broke my foot running during Covid, then I had a weird knee thing that stopped me on the jiu-jitsu mat, I went through this. And while every injury is different, the mental challenges often look very similar.
The good news? Sports psychology gives us strong tools to get through this time without losing your mind – or your identity.
This is not about “staying positive” or pretending you don’t ask for it. It it does please. (Trust me. I know!)
This is about staying engaged, healthy, and strong while your body heals.
1. Reframe What “Training” Means Right Now
One of the hardest parts of being injured is the feeling you get nothing. But recovery is not rest — it’s a different phase of training.
In sports psychology, athletes are encouraged to move working principles to process goals during the retreat.
Instead of:
- “I need to come back with full strength.”
- “I’m falling behind.”
Try:
- “My job right now is to heal as well as possible.”
- “This category is about evolving consistently, not pushing boundaries.”
Try this: Write down what training said during recovery. It may include:
- Physical therapy sessions
- Travel job
- Breathing exercises
- Sleeping and eating
- Mental skills practice
If it supports healing, it is important.
2. Separate What You Are From What You Can Do
An injury can quickly disrupt your identity. If movement is a central part of who you are, losing it – even temporarily – can cause anxiety, frustration, or even depression.
A useful mental shift to remember is this: It is not your current dose.
Elite athletes are trained to maintain a stable sense of stability through injury by reinforcing the identity of values, not skills.
If you’re dealing with an injury (or even recovering from surgery), answer these questions honestly:
- What does movement do? represent them my? (discipline, freedom, confidence, happiness?)
- How can I express those values while I am injured?
You may not be able to train hard. But you can still live as an athlete.
3. Take Control (And Let It All Go)
Injuries come with a lot of uncertainty. Timelines change. Treatment is inconsistent. That lack of control can be cruel.
I get it.
One of the most reliable tools in sports psychology is to focus only on what is actually in control.
You can control:
- Rehab Consensus
- Attempt during PT
- Nutrition and hydration
- Sleep
- Attitude towards process
You cannot control:
- How quickly your body heals
- How others are trained
- The past
Try it: Make a short daily checklist of controllable and aim to hit them at ~80–90%. It’s not perfect. It’s just agreeable.
4. Use Visualization to Stay Connected
Visualization isn’t just a motivational variable—it’s been shown to help maintain emotional pathways related to movement and skill.
Athletes who visualize their game while injured often return with better communication and confidence than those who “check” mentally.
Spend 5–10 minutes a few times a week:
- Visualize your game
- To repeat the movement smoothly and without pain
- Thinking of your return – not urgent, but strong and confident
Think of this as keeping the lights on while the body is catching up.
5. Create a Time Cycle (Even Simple)
One of the reasons why an injury feels so debilitating is that it disrupts your routine. And people – especially active ones – don’t do well without structure (speaking from experience!).
A temporary habit does not need to be intense. It just needs to be there.
Create a simple daily routine:
- Rehab / PT
- Gentle movement (any is allowed)
- One non-physical focus (reading, reading, creative work)
- One social connection
This keeps your nervous system in check and your days from blurring together.
6. Expect Emotional Waves (And Don’t Panic When They Hit)
Some days you will feel fine. Some days you will feel angry, sad, or impatient. That doesn’t mean he’s “bad at recovery.”
It means you are human.
Athletes are often told to adjust to emotional fluctuations during an injury rather than fight it.
When a hard day comes, try this:
- Say the word: “This is the day of serious injury.”
- Avoid making big conclusions about the future.
- Focus on one small, positive action.
Emotions pass quickly if you don’t fight them.
7. Redefine Development — Temporary
Progress during recovery is often subtle:
- A little pain
- Better sleep
- Improved range of motion
- More endurance than yesterday
If you measure progress only by performance, you will miss important wins now.
Once a week, write down:
- One thing that improved
- One thing is to handle it better mentally
- One thing you are proud of
This keeps your brain focused on growth, even when gains are slower than usual.
What Injury Taught Me (Even If I Still Hate It)
I’m not going to pretend I’m good with injuries.
I’m impatient. I remember to move the way I want to move. I don’t like sitting on the sidelines watching other people train while I’m stuck doing slow, unglamorous rescue work. Every time I get hurt, there’s a part of me that wants to rush to the end and skip all the middle.
But here’s something I’ve learned – over and over again.
I never came back from an injury weak in the most important ways.
I come back knowing my body. Most respect for recovery. It is better to listen instead of forcing. I come back with a deeper understanding of what really keeps me training for longer – and it’s not the intensity or the grind due to pain.
Patience. Consistency. And the ability to adapt when things don’t go according to plan.
An injury forced me to postpone the shoot. To stop defining myself by what I can do right now. Remembering that being an athlete doesn’t mean never getting injured—it’s about staying engaged with the process, even if that process looks a lot different than you’d like.
If you’re injured or recovering right now, I’m not going to tell you to “stay positive.” You don’t need that.
What I will say is this: This section does not waste time. It is not a deviation. And it doesn’t delete work you’ve already entered.
If you show up – imperfectly, inconsistently, but faithfully – you’ll come out on the other side not only healed, but a little wiser. A little stiff. And in general, you’re better prepared for the long game than ever.
Even if it doesn’t feel right now.
