The typical approach to injury (in my experience) is fear, anger, and frustration. Why me?
This could be for a number of reasons – kids to take care of, competition coming up, and other external pressures. Not to mention the internal pressure we often put on ourselves to be perfect, always win, and never show weakness.
There is also an immediate sense of missing out. “What if” questions fill our heads and cloud our ability to step back and see an injury for what it really is – an opportunity.
I think a lot or our issues with injury could be solved if we approached them with curiosity. Why did that happen? Instead of why me? What’s going on in my body? Instead of my body doesn’t work. Reframing the questions we ask ourselves can lead to a deeper understanding of our physicality, physiology, and mentality. And then lead to solutions.
Curiosity (when applied to almost anything) can demystify and convert fear into unbiased question asking. And not just any questions, but questions that will help us learn, grow, and change positively. Asking good questions that stem from genuine curiosity can speed recovery . They get us thinking about the right things. They help us avoid the downward spiral of negative self-talk and self-pity that often accompany injuries.
The only true way to heal from an injury is to learn from it. To put mechanisms in place that help us avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. To build coping strategies that remove the idea that we are a failure and focus on what actually went wrong.
And wouldn’t it be nice to also build communities and processes and leaders that followed this way of thinking too?
