Dear Injured Athlete,
First off, this is not the end. You will be able to play again. I promise.
It will get better and it's okay to cry. I cried my fair share when I got the news. It sucks to be told you are out for the rest season or for any amount of time. It's okay to be upset now, cry as much as you want, but then you have to wipe the tears. Yes, it is awful finding out the injury has a long recovery, and that everything that you could once do with ease will soon seem almost impossible, but you have to accept it. This will not last forever. Being angry will not heal you and being upset will not make you stronger. They will just get in the way of the process. The emotions cannot change what happened, it will only make it worse. All your focus must be on getting better.
Accepting the injury does not mean that you have given up, it means that you accept the challenge. You are ready to fight, so fight for the sport you love. The sport you worked so hard to be a part of. This bump in the road cannot take what you worked for. Accepting the injury is you standing up to it saying “Bring it, I can take whatever you throw at me.” So get ready, it's about to be one hell of a battle. There will be days when you want to throw your crutches, or you sit on your bed staring at your sneakers, cleats, or skates that you have to hang up for the season, crying your eyes out. That’s okay, just do not let that be everyday.
The physical parts are only a small portion of the battle; mental is the majority of it. The fight will begin when you sit and watch your team practice. You watch them go through plays, and run through drills. It will kill you on the inside, but you have to stay strong. This is how you are helping the team. You might have had a different idea for helping your teammates this season, but this will have to do for now. Be there to motivate them, it will be tough but that is your job. Lift them up when they are slacking. Just because you cannot physically help them, doesn’t mean you can’t help them mentally.
When you start PT, its normal to be frustrated. Your leg or arm isn’t as strong as it once was. Basic movements are tough now, but they wont be for long. Overtime it will become easier. The toned muscle you once had will be back, with some hard work of course. During this process you have to be patience. This is the hardest part, but it is not long term. In a few months you will be back to running and playing the sport you love.
The last thing that you must remember during this process and after is to appreciate what you can do. While you sat on the sidelines of games and practices, you saw your teammates half ass drills and I know for me it pissed me off. It made me angry. I wanted to yell at them for not giving it their all. Not to try their hardest because they can. It made me realize that you cannot take sports for granted. Yes, running suicides sucks, but it will make you better. You will not be able to play sports your whole life, so appreciate the time you have now with the sport you love. There comes a day when every athlete hangs up his or her jerseys and shoes. Appreciate every game, practice, and drill. Not being able to play sports for a year opened my eyes. When I come back, I will give 110% in every aspect of the sport.
Remember why you have played for so long, that will give you the strength to climb this mountain. Every point of this journey will be a climb. If you work your hardest to climb it, the trip down afterwards will be a breeze.
