Blog 3

How to deal with an injury without letting it change you?

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Injuries, whether they require short or long rehab periods, are often a challenge for athletes. I could speculate and say that 95% of us let our sport define us. Remember that first day of class every semester where the teacher asks all students to introduce themselves to the class? This is how I did it all four years in Memphis: “My name is Catherine Levasseur and I am a soccer player”.

When an injury happens and takes away our sport, it feels like we lose a part of ourselves. For athletes like me who are very professional in their approach to the game, it is even worst. I put a lot into my preparation: I eat well, get good nights of sleep, roll out, get in early before practice to warm up, and stay late after practice to do recovery. Because I do the most off the field to stay as healthy as possible, when I get injured it feels like a failure.

When athletes get injured, they doubt themselves not only as players but also as individuals. It is a time where we feel lost. Our schedule is shaken up. We don’t go out to the field and we are not around our teammates as much. In other words, what we used to look forward to everyday is taken away when injuries happen. However, there are ways in which athletes can remain connected to their sports even during injuries.

First, be the loudest person on the sideline and encourage your teammates during weights, practices or games. You may not be able to contribute on the field, but your energy and your encouragements from the sideline will make a huge different on the pitch. Your voice can help your teammates bring out their best game. During my time in Memphis, one senior tore her ACL, and she was not able to play the remainder of the season. However, she did not let her injury change her. She was always very loud on the sideline and her energy was contagious. She helped the team in her own way and her passion for the game did not go unnoticed.

Second, you must trust the process, your trainers and their expertise. Injuries definitely teach you patience, but having faith in your trainers’ abilities to get you back on the field stronger than ever is essential. Without trust in this partnership, your recovery will not be as speedy as it could be. In addition, going back on the pitch too soon can aggravate your injury and keep you off for even longer. It can be frustrating, but understand that you are not the expert here, your trainer is. Trust him/her, do everything he/she tells you to do and work hard in rehab. Think about it this way: your teammates are working their tails off at practice, and so should you in rehab.

Lastly, know who your God is. Is God your God, or is your sport your God? As I said earlier in this post, athletes often defined themselves through their sports. However, we cannot let our sport defines us completely. Moreover, you cannot let your sport control how you feel on a day-to-day basis, and you cannot let an injury change you. Injuries are temporary. God may be testing you and this injury happened for a reason; there is a lesson for you to be learned. During times of hardship, being the best teammate you can be, support your team in any way you can, and trust the process will help you remain sane. Injuries are often unpreventable. They happen, and you cannot see them as failures; they are part of an athlete’s journey. Instead of focusing on the injury itself, focus on your comeback and turn this time of doubt into strength.