Being sidelines from a sporting or athletic activity due to an injury can mean a major loss not only for athletes, but also to anyone who likes time on land, land, a course or a gym.
Mental health professionals emphasize the importance of treating the mental and psychological aspects of the touch to help a healing process which includes the fight against much more than physical pain.
“When an athlete is injured and loses the ability to train, run, compete and be with his team, there are aspects of the sorrow that accompany the physical reverse they experience,” said Dr Justin Rossapproved clinical psychologist and Uchealth director Well-being program in the workplace. “It is common to deny or minimize the severity and impact of an injury during the first time.
Do not short-circuit the grief process after an injury
In addition to the pain that comes from broken bones and torn ligaments, an injury leads to the stress of treating medical and therapy meetings and learning to live and work or go to school with a new reality that could include physical limitations.
“The daily structure and the routine of a sport offer an important anchoring and a feeling of well-being for people,” said Ross. “When deleted, a central sense of someone’s identity can be impacting the deep way.”
Although the initial phase of an injury can lead to uncertainty, fear and even anger, once a diagnosis is made and a treatment plan is developed, people are often more optimistic because they see a path to recovery.
Ross warned that even as Athletes return to their sport or their activityIt is not unusual for them to still feel uncertainty and anxiety by thinking about their return to their pre-blue status or a higher level which could have been a long-standing objective.
“In fact, the return to sport phase can have the highest level of anxiety and stress for many,” said Ross. “People can worry about the possibility of being re-blue, not to return to their form or their physical form before the injury, and for the teams, they may be afraid of dropping their teammates.
“These are internal diseases that you cannot see, even when your body could be physically ready to come back,” he continued. “We do not want athletes to suffer in silence, so we must start the conversation by recognizing that these are generally aspects observed in the process of psychological healing.”
How others can help an athlete recover from an injury
When an athlete hangs up his shoes to recover, Ross has several recommendations.
- Parents, family, friends and community members should recognize and recognize the psychological stages that an athlete could live during rehabilitation and remain connected to support his recovery.
- Coaches, coaches and teammates should encourage athletes to be part of the team by attending practice, games and other related events as they can, so that they remain in contact with their sports family and keep close links with their teammates.
- Mental health professionals are available to help athletes sail in rehabilitation and recovery.
- Use time away from a sport to think about its importance, clarify the goals and appreciate other aspects of life.
“We must remember that the loss is the biggest engine of sadness and perhaps depression that we live as human beings,” he said. “We must give ourselves permission to treat the psychological components of the wounds and to resolve them, just as we do physical illness.”
This story appeared for the first time in the Steamboat pilot.