Have there been times in your life when injury has forced you to stop moving your body in the way that you’re used to? Yup, me too.
After two unplanned surgeries in the space of two years and now dealing with a swollen knee joint, it really has seemed relentless. From one moment to the next, all your plans change and, if you’re anything like me, you start to catastrophise. As a yoga teacher, who cycles as a hobby, being physical is such a huge part of everyday life, so, when faced with such adversity, it can really feel like the world has ended. An array of overwhelming emotions can surface, from frustration and sadness, to envy and fear-of-missing-out; it really makes managing mental health a challenge.
If I were to let these emotions (my ego) take over, I would likely be in a constant state of misery, turning myself into a victim and questioning why this sh*t always happens to me. It can feel so lonely, as if you’re the only person in the world going through such a "negative" experience. This said, there are steps we can take to help deal with these seemingly overwhelming situations, which can aid our own recovery, and make the lives of those around us less miserable too.
Acceptance — accepting that we are injured is the first, and probably most difficult, step to take. It often feels like it would be far less difficult to sit and sulk and look for sympathy from others. Once we accept the fact that the injury has occurred and that it’s something we cannot change, we can begin to focus on the things we can control, such as our recovery journey.
Refocus — we can shift our mindset into a more constructive state by focusing on the things that we can do, rather than dwelling on the things we can’t. After my skiing accident, for a time I wasn’t able to even stand, let alone do my usual yoga practice. I was, however, able to sit on the floor and move and stretch my upper body. I started to see these “small” activities as achievements to be celebrated, which in turn helped keep me motivated.
Nourish — giving your body the nutrients it requires, as well as the rest it needs, can without a doubt help your cells to repair themselves. I’ve always enjoyed researching my injury, and the body part(s) affected, and finding out what foods promote healing.
Mindspace — being out of action gives us the luxury of working on our mindfulness skills. Whatever we find works for us, be that meditation, visualisation, breath work, and so on, can all help in our recovery process.
Get support — whether we find professional support (physiotherapist, psychologist, etc.) or support from those we love, having that sense of someone looking out for us can comfort us in a time of need. It can sometimes seem easier to cut ourselves off from friends and family and deal with things alone, or as a way to avoid dealing with it at all, but it really doesn’t hurt to talk and share our thoughts and feelings; you will be surprised at how willing people are to help.
Injury cannot always be avoided, so when it does happen, it’s up to us to try and make the best of the situation. Whether we realise it or not at the time, these experiences help us grow and become more resilient. I often remind myself that nothing lasts forever, and that in a few months or years’ time, this period spent recovering will seem so small in the grand scheme of things.
To round this off, I'll leave you with a quote from a podcast I recently listening to featuring the great ashtanga yoga teacher, David Swenson: “Nothing is ever lost. Experience in life, positive or negative, becomes an integral part of us on a cellular level. Something we might have perceived as a ‘bummer’, at some point becomes an asset: the lessons learnt; the fertile ground that we now have available to us from these experiences.”