Injuries, setbacks, mental funk days, and illness are normal. Yet, how do you change your mindset to accept the bump in the road rather than become angry and discouraged? Understand that a setback can actually be a comeback or understand that some days, doing nothing ACTUALLY is doing something? Coach Karina will share her experiences and techniques that she's used to overcoming her various injuries, setbacks, and mental funk days.
Since high-school, 5 years ago, I have had 5 major surgeries and a plethora of setbacks (school work, job, life, break-ups, and the recent quarantine). There have been many moments where I've become discouraged, sad, and even angry with life. I would think "Why is this happening to me? I don't understand the importance. I didn't ask for this." I would become anxious and frustrated because I didn't see others struggling with the same misfortunes as myself.
How do you deal with setbacks? What is your reaction? Is it anger, sadness, frustration, being scared, or disappointment? Look back and dissect situations where you were challenged. As you do this, understand that these feelings and emotions are normal. It is okay to feel them and are pretty uniform responses But, is it really helping you?
Change is inevitable. Life and misfortunes happen, even to the most successful. Avoiding the unavoidable or holding on to these pent up emotions will only make you stuck. Life isn't perfect and definitely doesn't go as planned. Some days, you feel on top of the world and other days, you feel like a big pile of poop. Or, you're hitting PR's and feeling invincible to be knocked down with an injury. But with every setback, there's a comeback.
Success is never linear. Instead, reaching your goal is full of ups and downs, usually more than expected. However, the valleys motivate you to continue pushing and the peaks remind you of how far you've come. Yes, progress can happen- even when it seems impossible at the moment. Making sure that you have a plan along with kindness, patience, understanding, and a little tough love will go a long way.
First and foremost, give yourself time to assess the situation. If it's a small setback, give yourself a few hours; a larger, more impactful roadblock, 24 hours. Your mind needs time to process what's happened. In this time, let the emotions flow. But, avoid panic. If you panic, you lose control of your situation possibly causing you to retaliate in a way that you'll regret.
One particular situation that I can relate this to is my first heartbreak. It occurred when I was a senior in high school. We had been dating for 2.5 years and ended pretty suddenly. I was devastated, as any young girl would be, and thought my life was over. Many tears were shed and I was a wreck because I never thought I'd find love again. As I look back on this moment, I can't help but laugh because I'm fine. The break-up was actually for the best and I was able to learn from the relationship.
Step number two is to accept the situation. Accept and move on, even if failure is evident. If you fall down, get back up, and get back up again. With failure comes growth, and growth is progress. Growth may occur in other ways, as well. Creation of different goals (given the circumstances), letting go of unwanted people, feelings, emotions, and positivity.
Being resilient is a trait that I've been able to harness. As an active individual, I've had to rehabilitate from two knee, a hand, a pinkie, and foot surgery. My first knee injury occurred while playing basketball in my sophomore year; a tore ACL. The recovery was 6 months, painful, and frustrating. But, that injury did not keep me from playing basketball. In fact, I played without a brace for the remainder of my HS career, was a starter, and helped lead my team to a sectional semi-final game my senior year. Along with resiliency, my injuries and setbacks have graced me with the ability to be flexible. For example, when I broke my hand, I set new PR's for myself in the gym and became more studious (4.0 that semester- woo hoo!). I stopped looking at what others were doing because I couldn't lift like them. I ceased being frustrated with what I couldn't do and supported what I could do.
Thirdly, cut yourself some slack but don't let go of control. Give yourself some slack and be kind to yourself. Some days, it's okay to do less or to even do nothing. We all have low points and lulls in productivity. Taking a step back and slowing down may be the best thing to do at the given moment.
When I'm feeling overwhelmed, sad, or struggling with something, I let myself slow down. If you continually push forward, you will run yourself into the ground. Avoid this by doing as much as you can do; no more, no less. It's okay to say no. Breathe. Stay kind to yourself and During quarantine, I went into a funk. I felt lost and did struggle. Instead of getting upset, I reassessed my goals and did as much as I could. If I did not cross off all that was on my daily to-do list, I said "Okay, I didn't meet it today. But, I'm fine. I can try tomorrow." Or, if the task causes too much anxiety, let it go, make it smaller, or modify the steps.
Finally, regain control of the situation. In a previous blog, I gave steps on goal creation and plan development. Those same rules apply here. Create actionable steps and a plan to get over the obstacle. At this moment, don't be afraid to seek help. Think about what you can control and ignore the uncontrollable.
Roadblocks will happen. But, it's how you act in those situations that will be remembered. Do as much as you can with what you have. Be actionable and kind to yourself so you can avoid future regret.
~Coach Karina, BS-Kinesiology, CF L1 Trainer, USAW Sports Performance Coach
