Components of Mental Rehab

Keep Perspective: Getting hurt is difficult. An injured athlete will feel many different things at various points throughout the recovery process, such as frustration, anger and depression and that's okay! However, if they allow themself to stay in that funk for too long, it will surely slow their recovery. So, after a short time, it's important that they get over the "pity party" and shift focus to their recovery, thinking about the present ("What can I do now to get healthy?") and the future ("I will heal and get back better than ever!"). Another part of keeping perspective is realizing that while this injury seems like a big deal now, when they look back on it in a few years, it will probably be just a blip on the radar.

Stick with the Program: A simple reality, if a patient follows their rehab program, they will get better (and if they don't they won't). The problem is that rehab hurts (sometimes a lot!), and at times it can feel boring, tiring, monotonous, in other words, it can get old fast. That's why so many injured athletes end up either shortening or skipping rehab sessions, or not putting in their best effort. The result: slowed or incomplete recovery. There is also a subset of injured athletes who have the belief that more is better, so they do more sets and reps on more days than recommended by their rehab team. Unfortunately, this "more is better" mentality often results in overuse injuries and other complications, and a slowed rather than accelerated recovery.

Become a Better Athlete: Getting injured can teach an athlete to be tough, endure hardship and really find their motivation for sports. Injuries can also enable them to focus on areas of the sport that have been weaknesses, but they simply haven't had time to work on them. Yes, a knee injury, for example, can prevent them from doing a lot. But it's also an opportunity to figure out ways to improve as an athlete working around the knee, for instance, strengthening their core and upper body, improving flexibility and increasing stamina. The goal is for them to return to their sport a physically better athlete than before.

Re-direct Their Energies: One of the most difficult aspects of an injury for an athlete is not being able to do what they normally do. They are often at a loss how to expend the energy that builds up in them every day. Another downside is losing something that has been a source of self-esteem, validation, meaning, satisfaction and joy. During this unplanned downtime, try to direct their energy and toward something that will provide them with what sports used to. It can be anything, for example, learning a musical instrument, cooking, reading, school, whatever. The important thing is to find something they can care about and throw themselves into it just the way they threw themselves into their sport. Not only will it bolster how they feel about themself, but it will also take their mind off of the disappointment of the injury and the difficulty of the recovery.

Stay Involved In Their Sport: The chances are that much of their life (and yours) revolves around sports and being injured can cause them to feel isolated from the sport they love. This separation from sports can also hurt their motivation because they aren't experiencing many of the good things they get from sports; the excitement, inspiration, fun and camaraderie of their teammates. So, look for ways to stay connected. For example, let them do their physical conditioning (around their injury, as approved by their rehab team) during regular team fitness sessions. While this might be difficult if they are anxious to be out there participating at the same pace as the rest of the team, the connection and seeing others having fun and getting results will further motivate them to rehab and get back on the field.

Watch Video and Sports on TV: Imagine if, while sidelined with an injury, your athlete just sat on the sofa all day. Obviously, their muscles would atrophy, they'd get really out of shape and they wouldn't be ready to return to their sport when their injury healed. The same applies to their mind. If they don't keep it sharp, it too will get soft and out of shape. One way to keep their mind in shape is to watch video of themselves and televised competitions of their heroes. They can use video and TV to "rehab" their mind and keep it focused and "in the game" during their recovery. Have them watch video of themselves three time a week for 10 minutes to keep a clear image of how they perform in their sport. Also, watch televised competitions of their sport and videos of their favorite athletes. They will learn about technique and feel inspired watching them (while recognizing that many of these athletes have returned from serious injuries as well).

Develop a Mental Imagery Program: There is nothing more important to an athlete's mental recovery than mental imagery. Imagery is not just something that goes on in their head. In fact, it connects their mind and body and amazingly, activates muscles in the same way as when they are actually performing their sport (though not with the same intensity). Mental imagery, in a way, fools the body into thinking it is really performing a sport. Research has shown that one can improve their skills without actual training by engaging in regular mental imagery. So, by doing imagery regularly, your athlete can maintain or maybe even better their sports skills. Seeing and feeling themselves continuing to practice and compete (in their mind's eye) will keep their motivation up, confidence high and mind focused.