“Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is” – Vince Lombardi

Whether you are a professional football player or not, injuries are an unavoidable part of a football game.

Fortunately, some injuries can be managed without any or little disruption in the game while others impose a substantial mental and physical burden.

The physical impact of an injury is challenging to manage, but the mental impact may be more significant if the athlete is not mentally tough.

The Psychological Part of Recovery

A major issue for injured athletes is regaining and maintaining football confidence after an injury, especially in the body part that was injured.

For some, injuries can trigger many psychological responses or cause serious mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and substance use or abuse.

Common Emotional Responses to Injury are:

• Isolation
• Irritation
• Lack of motivation
• Anger
• Frustration
• Sadness
• Changes in appetite
• Sleep disturbance

It often happens that an injured athlete becomes afraid to reveal his symptoms as he might view help as a sign of weakness.

Mental Game Coaches are aware of the common signs and symptoms for various psychological issues that result from an injury and are equipped to help athletes overcome them and successfully return to play.

Mental Strategies for Recovery

It is easy to become over anxious and rush the healing process, but this will increase the chances of another more serious injury.

Research by Sport Psychologists, Clement and Shannon; recommend a strong social support system and medical team during the rehab phase. This will help decrease the anxiety levels and aid in setting a realistic time frame to return to play.

Mental skills strategies such as goal setting and imagery will prepare you mentally and physically for your return to play. Research has shown that the use of imagery is effective in promoting healing.

Consider these tips to counter the obstacles that are experienced by many athletes who are going through the recovery process. Awareness of the process and the things that need to be done will empower you to find a way to bounce back and return stronger successfully.

1. Understand that healing is a mental and physical process.
2. Carefully select your support team.
3. Set realistic goals. Consider using SMART format.
4. Focus on the short-term functional objectives; these will help with the long-term goals.
5. Practice mindfulness and meditation to center and ground yourself.
6. Hydrate and eat nutrient-dense foods and supplement wisely.
7. Exercise is medicine. Think of brain endorphin release like an opiate.
8. Recover adequately after each rehab session with sleep and relaxation time.
9. Push yourself wisely as tolerable from a pain perspective.
10. Don’t be fixated on timeline-based objectives but functional landmarks.
11. Communicate your feelings with your team through the entire process.

*Download the free mental game assessment and get started on Improving your Mental Game in Football.