If your injured... or have been an injured athlete in the past, this letter is for you.
Text From Letter Written Below:
Dear Athlete,
I’ve often heard, you choose your pain. Either you chose the pain of trying or you chose the pain of not trying. When you get hurt, you have a choice hide or to heal. Injuries can take different forms. Maybe you are in some of the best shape of your season and you had a freak accident that tore you achilles. Maybe you’re dealing with the aftermath of a sexual harassment incident with someone close to you. Or maybe your mind is hurting itself from years of feeling like you have to be perfect. Whatever the injury is, there is a path to heal yourself. And if you want a different perspective, please read on.
While, healing takes many forms, there are four main stages I’d like to share with you. If you’re willing, the first stage is to stop. You have the choice to either stay in a place where you are hurt, or you can stop and start to heal. No matter what, it’s difficult to get better in a place where you are being hurt.
If you choose to stop, you can move onto stage two. It’s all about removing debris. In a physical injury our body does this for us. The body activates it emergency repair system getting rid of waste so it can create new tissue. In our lives, with mental and emotional injuries, we also have a chance to take major action and alleviate the debris that is holding us down mentally. Whether it’s a place, a person, or a feeling.
In stage three of healing, the focus is to fill. Our bodies naturally do this for us as new blood vessels are formed. And yet, mentally, it’s easy to forget our minds might benefit from fulfillment.
If you feel ready, you can now start to create your life with things you love and enjoy that maybe weren’t as available when you focused solely on sport. Friends, family, hobbies, and things that make you smile.
Finally, the last stage emerges. Stage 4, where our body gains strength and flexibility again. In our minds, we have the choice to shift our thinking to allow more openness around who we are and become flexible in our view of the world. It makes us stronger, more resilient.
Everything we think, is about our own perspective. So it could help to change and expand it.
Whether you are healing physically, emotionally or mentally; how you heal and the process you take is up to you. While our bodies are incredible and complex, our souls are simple. We want to feel safe, valued and loved.
It can be hard to see beyond the injury right now, but there's a whole world of possibilities waiting for you. If doubt creeps in, you can welcome it. It’s completely normal. This is a transition from what life was before the injury to who you are and will be.
Surround yourself with people who lift you up, who remind you of your importance even when you can't perform or live day to day at your best. Even if it feels like it, you are NOT worth less because of what has happened.
This is only a chapter in the book. And you are writing what happens next.
With love,
Kayla