The Mental Side of Injury Recovery: Staying Motivated and Focused

Recovering from an injury can be a stressful experience. Aside from the physical discomfort, there can be a tendency to think about our limitations and how much less we are able to do at the moment. Questions can arise: How long will it take to recover? When can I go back to work? Will I ever again be able to run/swim/play sports, etc.? This can be a problem, because successful injury recovery takes more than just physical effort – there are mental aspects as well. Recovering quickly and effectively requires focus and motivation. Today, we’ll consider some of the mental challenges that accompany recovery and how best to deal with them.

Understanding the Mental Challenges of Recovery

We don’t often consider the mental challenges of injury recovery. The stress that comes with pain and discomfort is one challenge. There can also be anxiety or fear about re-injury. Slow recovery progress can lead to impatience and frustration. You may also feel isolated from your regular activities or sports.

Dr. Matthew Sacco, PhD, of the Cleveland Clinic cites five common mental blocks that can frustrate recovery after an injury¹. These include:

• A pessimistic outlook: Doubting yourself or your progress can make it harder to find the motivation you need to keep working toward your goals.
• An all-or-nothing attitude: It’s easy to think that not doing something perfectly is a failure, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Unexpected things can happen, and continuing to work toward your goals is never a failure.
• Fear of re-injury: The pain that can come along with recovery can lead people to fear they will make the injury worse or re-aggravate it. While it’s important to listen to your body’s signals and protect yourself from further injury, it’s also important to not let this fear keep you from pushing forward through your recovery.
• Everyday stressors: In addition to the stressors associated with your recovery, regular stress from work, school, relationships and other obligations can provide mental blocks that get in the way of your recovery.

To get the most from your recovery, it can be helpful to embrace mindfulness and adopt some mindset shifts.

Embracing a Growth Mindset

It’s not always easy, but it is possible to see your recovery process as an opportunity to improve yourself. You can become a more focused and disciplined version of yourself. It’s possible to view any setback as an opportunity for growth. In fact, your resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity can serve as inspiration for others as they face challenges in their own lives.

A small shift in perspective may allow you to focus on small, daily progress rather than comparing your capabilities to what they were pre-injury. Celebrating today’s milestones and victories – no matter how small – can help motivate you for tomorrow.

Some practical ways to stay focused and motivated include:

• Goal-setting: Break down your recovery progress into realistic, achievable short-term and long term goals.
• Visualization techniques: Imagine yourself healing and returning to full strength. Visualize the activities you’ll participate in after your recovery.
• Track your progress: Keeping a journal or using an app to log your progress and feelings can help you have tangible evidence of your progress and give you a chance to look back on how far you’ve come.
• Positive reinforcement: Try to surround yourself with positive influences – supportive friends, family members or online communities. Your physical therapist can also be a great source of positive reinforcement.

The Power of Patience and Persistence

Long-term injury recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. There may even be setbacks along the way. Keeping the long-term benefits in mind can help you stay motivated and push through the mental roadblocks. The U.S. National Library of Medicine published a study in 2017 citing psychological, work and financial stressors, and a lack of post-injury support as factors that can potentially impact how a patient perceives his/her recovery². If you let your mindset hold you back and reduce your motivation, your recovery can be even more stressful and take longer.

It’s not always easy to keep your focus and motivation through challenging times. Hopefully, following some of these tips and suggestions can help you start embracing the mindset shifts that will keep you on track. If you haven’t spoken with a physical therapist yet about your recovery, now is a great time to reach out. They can ensure that you are on a personalized treatment program that will optimize your recovery, and they can also be a great source of support on your recovery journey.

Sources:

1. “How to Mentally Come Back from a Sports Injury.” Cleveland Clinic, 27 June 2024, clevelandclinic.org/how-to-mentally-come-back-from-a-sports-injury.
2. Kellezi, Blerina, et al. “The Impact of Psychological Factors on Recovery from Injury: A Multicentre Cohort Study.” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2017, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5504249.