This video will walk you through how to mentally bounce back from a sports injury.
Getting injured is one of the biggest challenges in sport. So having the mental strategies to overcome this adversity will help you:
- Stay motivated despite not being able to play or train within the sport you love
- Have the resilience & grit to persevere through the recovery process
- Remain confident in your abilities and trust yourself as you return to play
- Focus on being a great teammate and becoming a better leader as you look to contribute to the team in other ways
The bottom line is that when you return – you will be able to perform like you have not missed a beat.
Heck, when athletes apply the strategies I’m about to cover – they often come back even better than they were before they were injured.
Unfortunately, most athletes don’t see the opportunity or silver lining that being injured presents.
The Silver Lining of of Being Injured
Big challenges equal big growing opportunities. Injuries are a great mental challenge, so they are a great mental growing opportunity.
No one wants to be injured, but when it happens you might as well make the most out of it. One of the greatest benefits is using the extra time and energy to strengthen your mental game.
But instead, athletes will commonly make these mistakes that prevent them from bouncing back from a sport injury:
- Mentally check-out, hit the pause button and just wait until they can return to their sport
- Play the victim – they blame, complain, & make excuses
- Focus on what they can’t control and can’t do
- Wallow in self-pity
However, it doesn’t have to be that way – if you use the strategies outlined below, you will not only bounce back stronger – you will be making the most out of your time!
Here’s how, step by step:
Strategy 1: Reflect On Your Mindset Daily
It is so easy to get caught up on what you can’t do and all the things not going your way.
So you want to focus on what you can do – mental training, being a leader, rehab, catching up on other areas of life.
Then you need to reflect on how well you are focusing on what you can do and making the most out of it versus being negative – blaming, complaining, and focus on what I can’t do.
This is not about being positive – that won’t work. Instead, it is about staying centred or neutral.
Getting this daily percentage to 95% will build incredible amounts of resilience, and focus on what you can control which will undoubtedly benefit you when you return to playing.
Strategy 2: ‘Scuba Dive’ to Make Progress
The hardest part of being injured is watching everyone else continue to train and compete.
Playing your sport is like surfing, but when injured you are not able to surf – so you are just stuck in the ocean taking waves to the face.
It sucks and it is overwhelming.
So the solution is not to swim away, but actually to put on your scuba gear, stay close by, and keep making progress under the water.
This scuba diving analogy is great for protecting your mentality because you are not checking out nor just sitting there taking the water in the face.
It’s a way to process your situation so you can feel calm and in control – and from there you can focus on what you can do to still make progress.
Key behaviours we suggest include:
- Imagery of your Sport
- Imagery of Healing
- Focusing more on things outside of your sport
- All the rehab and unique training you can do – a great example being Connor Bedard when he broke his wrist – it ended up being key to the development in his shot.
Strategy 3: Find New Ways to Contribute – aka Be a Leader
If you apply the first two strategies you are already getting into a better mental state and will be primed to step into being a leader.
This strategy has two major benefits:
- Fill the Void of Contribution: One of the biggest joys of sports is being able to contribute and compete. You can’t do this the way you would like when you are on the sidelines, but you can still contribute by focusing on being a leader.
- Develop Your Leadership Skills: Becoming a leader is one of the biggest benefits of sport, but often many athletes don’t intentionally develop these human skills. Tryout some of the behaviours listed below to improve your leadership skills.
Here are a few key ways you can continue to contribute to the team without being able to play:
- Provide 1-on-1 Encouragement: Think about which teammates are struggling or could benefit from a helpful reminder to trust their capabilities or that they can get the next play
- Be a Beacon of Light: Bring upbeat energy, keep it light and have some fun – although you are not playing you are still affecting the culture of the team with both your body language, what you say, and how you say it
- Coach Individuals or the Team: I don’t mean to replace the coaching staff but instead focus on how can you give feedback that helps athletes keep learning and growing
To summarize – bounce back from a sports injury by implementing these 3 strategies:
- Reflect On Your Mindset Daily
- ‘Scuba Dive’ to Make Progress
- Find New Ways to Contribute – aka Be a Leader
I encourage you to share this with anyone that is dealing with an injury – I’ve experienced the mental struggle myself as an athlete and we see it daily with the athletes that come work with us at CEP Mindset.
Nicholas Santino is a Senior High-Performance Coach, PhD Candidate, and the official Mental Performance Consultant for Elite Prospects. From his specialized psychology research program, to his PhD studies, Nicholas has gained a tremendous foundation of knowledge and appreciation for the human experience. His passion for psychology has accumulated to a commitment to studying and applying positive psychology and stoicism. This commitment has led Nicholas to conduct many research studies focusing on understanding why and how some people thrive and prosper while others do not. His admiration for evidence-based solutions has propelled Nicholas to produce studies revolving around mindfulness, grit (perseverance and passion), performance, quality participation, social relationships, and well-being.
A Native of Quebec, Sara was part of the St. Lawrence University Women’s Ice Hockey team that competed in the NCAA Division 1 hockey league ECAC. During this time, Sara helped her team appear in four ECAC Hockey Tournaments and two NCAA Frozen Fours, and was a four-time member of the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Squad. Following her career at St. Lawrence University, Sara played one year of professional hockey with Lugano, where she truly honed her skills in understanding the intricate connection between mindset and performance.
Blair has over 13 years of experience as a Professional Dancer, Assistant Dance Captain & Cast Manager, as well as an additional 17 years of training. Over the last 3 decades, she has lived and experienced first hand the highest of highs & lowest of lows that come with pursuing a career in the Performing Arts.
Natasha Habert draws from her training in sport and performance psychology, personal experiences as a competitive athlete, and deep passion for consistent high performance. She is a lifelong athlete and high performer, excelling in volleyball as both a player and coach.
Luciano’s hockey career is highlighted by his time playing college at the University of Victoria and two professional seasons in Europe. Throughout his career, he struggled with performance anxiety, a lack of consistency, fluctuations in confidence, and being caught in the results trap. This eventually led him to deviate from the main reason why anyone should play sports – for the enjoyment of the game. As a former athlete, Luciano has a unique understanding of the psychological pressures and struggles that athletes experience.
Alexis Woloschuk is a name synonymous with mental fortitude in the world of professional hockey. Throughout her career originating playing boys hockey, going to an academy away from home, playing her four years at Boston University and 7+ years in pro hockey she’s learned the importance of resilience, confidence, and dismissing both fear and other’s opinions. With a blend of relatability, confidence, and an acute understanding of playing to one’s potential, Alexis helps athletes reshape the way they perceive and harness the power of their minds.
Sean Mahoney is a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), and a Master’s candidate in the Sport and Performance Psychology program at the University of Denver. For as long as he can remember, Sean has been fascinated by human performance and how to gain an edge over the competition. For most of his athletic career, he focused on the physical aspect of performance but neglected the mental. Because of this, he struggled with performance anxiety, focus issues, and limiting beliefs pertaining to confidence and self-doubt. His lack of focus on optimizing his mental game prevented him from reaching his full potential.
Savannah Fitzgerald is earning her M.A. in Kinesiology, Sport Psychology Option at California State University, Fresno. Possessing an internal motor that fires her rage for success, Savannah forged this attribute over five years while competing as an NCAA D-I water polo player and swimmer. Combined with her opportunity to represent and compete for the United States, she feels that sport has significantly impacted her professional development. Due to her personal experience playing at all levels, Savannah’s passion for mental performance began when she struggled to overcome pre-competition nerves and post-competition processing. When she discovered a world out there that people were referring to as ‘sport psychology,’ she felt like a piece of her brain was unlocked. Reality shifted as she stumbled into a space consisting of the most beautiful blend of elite performance, mental well-being, and athletics.
Gabe is currently completing his Master’s in Counselling Psychology at the University of Victoria. Although Gabe played several years of high-level baseball, including a stint in the British Columbia Premier Baseball League (BCPBL), he chose hockey as his sport to pursue at the highest level possible. Gabe went on to play four years of junior hockey with the Richmond Sockeyes in the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) while also coaching minor hockey. Prior to junior hockey, Gabe played 3 years in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) where he experienced the pressures and expectations of moving on to the next level. During those three years, Gabe constantly compared himself to others and struggled with coping when things did not go his way. Over time, he learned how to focus on his own process and path to the next level, while also developing strategies to improve well-being.
Louie is a mental performance coach from Toronto, Canada with a professional hockey career spanning over 14 years. Being a standout player at the University of Michigan, Louie was a Hobey Baker finalist and a 1st team All-American, which led him to getting drafted by the Ottawa Senators and playing in renowned leagues across the globe, including the DEL, SHL, and AHL.
Mia Landry is a former varsity hockey player at Brock University, where she competed at the USPORT level and was part of the 2021-22 OUA gold medal team. Mia currently represents Canada on the Women’s National Ball Hockey team and is pursuing a Master of Kinesiology Sport Psychology at her alma mater. Her research focuses on areas such as team cohesion, group dynamics, leadership styles, and sports culture.
As a former member of McMaster University’s women’s soccer team, Emilie intimately understands the demands and challenges athletes face on and off the field. Although she encountered many challenges as a high-level athlete, particularly struggling with self-doubt and overthinking, Emilie was able to make a remarkable transformation when she began to embrace the principles of sports psychology.
Max is currently attending William James College, where he is earning a Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Masters Degree in Professional Psychology. During his time as an undergraduate student, Max was inducted into the International Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi), and played on the Quinnipiac University men’s club ice hockey team.
