“One of the biggest challenges athletes face is trying to figure out if the pain that they’re experiencing is pain that’s a signal to stop or a pain that is okay to push through. Like, ‘When I feel this pain, if I push through, am I going to do further harm? Am I going to make things worse?’ The fear of re-injury helps you pay attention to your pain.
But when you are physically cleared to do your physical therapy, or cleared to get back to training and practice and return to competition, yet you’re still struggling with that fear—now the fear is holding you back versus preventing harm.”
Fear of reinjury can leave even the strongest, bravest athletes stuck in their rehab and recovery. Contrary to popular belief, this fear isn’t a sign of weakness. Rather, it’s an extension of your body’s innate self-protection mechanism—and while it’s often useful, especially early in rehab, it can easily become overactivated and detrimental to your recovery.
In this week’s episode, Coach Carrie shares her expertise about coping with these fears. The answer isn’t to ignore them or stuff them in a box, she explains. Rather, you need to turn into them—look them straight in the eye—to understand what’s beneath them, and how to take action.
Of course, she’s full of ideas for what those actions should be. Listen in for her advice on the difference between confidence and courage (and how to build one and summon the other); calming the body to calm the mind; and how to find professional support, if you need it.
Resources/links:
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Episode 47: Carrie and Cindy Rebuild Your Confidence
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Find a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Thank you so much to our sponsors for season 6:
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Fluid Running, which has revolutionized fitness by bringing running to the deep water
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IceeNOW.com, which provides innovative injury prevention and recovery solutions for athletes
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ADAM Rehabilitation, creators of the ADAM Brace System, the most stable exercise system built to save the health of your shoulders
Learn more and access exclusive discount codes for their products at buymeacoffee.com/rebound or by joining The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group.
You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show.
To access more resources for injured athletes:
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Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!
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Access webinar videos, injury sources, and more great resources for injured athletes while supporting our work
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Join The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for news and updates
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Join The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group, for support and camaraderie
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Like The Injured Athletes Club Podcast Facebook page, for the latest episodes
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Email us at hello@injuredathletesclub.com with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback
DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.