Within the last few months, quite a few people in my life, including myself, have had physical setbacks in their training. The circumstances range from muscle tears, broken bones, surgery, illness and changing of medication. Instead of focusing solely on my own recent conditions, I would like to approach the accompanying issues in a more general sense.
It does not matter what activity level you possess — injuries and simple setbacks in life happen and the frustration and anger is felt by everyone. Many people greatly involved in fitness from performance athletes to avid gym goers get so accustomed to their routine and progress that when a setback occurs, their minds and emotions take the most trauma. Additionally, these people also focus on optimizing in their activity/sport — heavy training, a diet appropriate to their needs/goals, supplemental nutrition, rest and recovery therapy (stretching, massage, chiropractic care, etc.) — so when an event occurs out of their conscious control that affects their training, it can sometimes be taken in vain. People tend to make a global calamity out of a simple setback and find themselves in a deep depression when they need not be. Moreso, many even quit the activity that brings them joy, excitement, motivation and drive in life, which is the saddest part in my opinion.
My advice:
1. ACCEPTANCE – accept what happened, and also accept that you will need to grieve in your own way, at your own pace. Do not brush it under a rug. However, accept also that you will need to get over it emotionally.
2. REFLECTION – reflect upon what you learned; why do you think the event occurred? Was it completely out of your control? If so, know that it was not your fault. If not, write down what you could have done better to avoid the situation.
3. PLAN – plan your path to recovery, what you will do differently in your training and set new goals with respect to your [possibly] new circumstance.
Another word of advice is to never lose focus on the bigger picture of life. A sport or activity should not define you — YOU define YOU. That being said, keep your priorities straight and remain involed in other things that do not necessarily have to do with your activity …it will help you in the long run for overall emotional health!
Now, the emotional side …
Those who are competitors in some sport have higher expectations on themselves to succeed/win than do their supporters. They feel that people only care about them when they are on top.
To the athlete:
Those who TRULY support and love you are more interested in your “fight” than your “battle.” In fact, people want to see that you are HUMAN and are able to handle life issues and still move forward. This is what makes you as an inspiration relatable and in a way, trustworthy. The worst thing you can do is shy away and quit at something because you feel you let everyone down. You hold your head up high and say yes, I had a setback or, yes, I failed … but that is life and I will move on.
