Maintaining your Mental Health During Injuries
We go for a run to clear our heads. A bike ride gives a dose of fresh air and provides scenery for distraction. Visits to the gym for a WOD or a HIIT workout are social activities that give joy.
But then you get hurt. You can’t run; you can’t bike and it feels weird to go to the gym when you can’t participate like normal.
Physical injuries can turn into mental health struggles. Our routines are broken.
What can we do to keep our spirits up while we regain our health?
We talked to three Jacksonville area residents who have been on both sides of the injury and mental health equation. We asked for their best practices to help kick those discouraging thoughts to the curb, helping you to focus on your next goal - getting healthy.
Physical Therapist Perspective
Dr. Kate Montgomery, Clinical Director and Performance Physical Therapist, MotionRx
As a physical therapist, Montgomery notes injuries causing depression in active people is an incredibly common occurrence. An injury can affect so much more than their athletic pursuits, it can affect their day-to-day activities and make them feel like they’re letting their loved ones down when they can no longer do their usual tasks.
Montgomery says that how you view your injury can impact healing. In a rut, when healing is taking a long time, people can find themselves in a low level state of depression and start to believe this is just the way it is now, not being able to envision ever getting better. That alone can delay healing. The key can be finding the right health care practitioner who knows your potential for healing and puts you on the right course with realistic expectations for that healing timeline.
“One of the biggest things we try to do is to figure out how we can keep people moving because for most of them, movement is so important,” said Montgomery. “So if it is the knee that's bothering them, then we seek this opportunity to work on upper body goals. Let's just figure out how we can keep you moving and get those endorphins that you need for stress relief.”
Kate’s Takeaways for Injury and mental health
Find a provider, whether a medical doctor or physical therapist, that believes the human body is adaptable
One that will break down your goals and help you get there and believes your goals are their goals too
One that will keep you moving and take this as an opportunity to work on a weakness elsewhere so you can see progress sooner
Know this is a temporary setback and the journey looks different for everyone
There are peaks and valleys in the healing journey but studies show the number one predictor of someone getting better from back pain is the belief you can get better
Check in on the other buckets of health and fitness
Nutrition: Make sure you’re eating enough and generally eating well
Sleep: Practice good sleep hygiene to ensure you’re getting enough sleep to aid in healing
Stress: Find other outlets such as hobbies and social activities
Try to reframe this injury as a positive learning experience
Mental Health Counselor Perspective
Paul McRae, licensed mental health counselor, Jacksonville Center for Counseling and coach with Personal Running Solutions (PRS)
McRae echoed Montgomery’s sentiment that it is quite common for athletes to experience a depressed state when injured and that that injury can put a strain on relationships. As a mental health counselor and a running coach, people often ask him how they can bounce back when they’re getting the blues from an injury.
He encourages people to try to keep a bit of their routines from before the injury. Either join the group before or after a run as a way to keep the social connection. You can be the one to drive around and give encouragement, provide hydration/fuel or if able, even bike alongside. Social time is a main component in training; keep that element if at all possible.
McRae, through his non-profit group, Personal Running Solutions offers Tuesday night runs, where anyone is welcome to join to run or walk and gather for conversation over a beer afterward. For those who don’t drink, they’re encouraged to come out for a social run on Fridays where they gather for coffee and camaraderie.
He suggests talking to your medical provider about alternatives to keep you active. There are a number of Altra-G Anti-Gravity treadmills in the Jacksonville area and they use air to raise you lessening your body weight, reducing the load on your legs by up to 80 percent. Another way to stay active if you’re able is to aqua jog with a flotation belt in the deep end of the pool and swimming is non weight bearing as long as the injury does not affect your upper body.
And talk. McRae encourages everyone who is experiencing depressive feelings to talk to a mental health counselor. They have techniques that will help to reframe the negative thoughts. Even if it is a one-time visit, often the tools they provide can help build momentum. He also suggests thought dumping. That’s an idea where you type or write all the depressed things you’re thinking, take a moment to feel that negative energy and when you’re done simply close the notebook or computer. It can help you feel like you're closing a chapter and in turn get your mind thinking toward a positive tract as you put the thoughts behind you.
Paul’s Top Tips for Getting through an Injury
Check with your PT or medical provider to find ways to stay active that won’t exacerbate your injury such as swimming or aqua jogging
Volunteer to help with training groups to keep that social connection
Get the thoughts onto paper. Let your mind dump; let the thoughts go and turn the page on your new goal of getting healthy
If you’re injured and not active, explore the ideas behind Exercise is Medicine for after your recovery. It’s the belief that physical activity is integral is the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions
Find a network of people (friends, colleagues, run group) who are positive and will help pick you up on your down days and keep you motivated
You can’t do anything about being injured in the first place, give it time to heal and heed the health practitioners’ advice
Athlete Perspective
Stacey Steiner, local Jacksonville athlete
Stacey Steiner is a local athlete who grew up being very active in sports with a trajectory to play soccer in college, until an injury just before her freshman year sidelined those aspirations. Growing up not being taught about nutrition, a new-to-her-not-as-active life and the freshman 15 quickly spiraled into a significant weight gain.
A move to Jacksonville after college exposed Steiner to an active community and she quickly joined the local running scene. Steiner didn’t look at it as a mental health lift, it was to get fitter, lose weight and get stronger. But she quickly realized how the lack of activity in times of injury did impact her demeanor.
Over the years, the injuries kept coming. A torn meniscus pivoted her running into Crossfit. A nagging knee injury motivated her to search for other ways to stay fit. That’s when she became involved in Street Parking, an online daily workout program that can be done alone or with other members. Later a hip surgery and Covid shutdowns had her looking into new ways to stay active while keeping that all important social aspect.
What keeps Steiner going after all these injuries? Her dad.
After watching the deterioration of her father’s health after a catastrophic stroke, Stacey felt helpless for him but she knew she could change the course of her own life. Like many men of her dad’s generation, he didn’t prioritize himself when it came to nutrition choices and staying active. She would turn his stroke into a spark of change for herself (much like Kate’s tip earlier to reframe an injury into a positive).
Stacey’s Tips for Maintaining Mental Health when Injured
Celebrate the little wins because they add up and keep you motivated
Stacey suggests the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear to help recognize those small wins
Consistency is key
Have a daily schedule, from waking to PT routines, that you can do on your own
Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t do
Surround yourself with likeminded people, engage and show up
If you drink alcohol, try being sober curious, you may find better sleep, more energy and less brain fog
Stay hydrated
Avoid the Negative Creep of Bad Habits
Many of us find fitness as a way out of the dark. The endorphins from a workout have been a solid trade from the quick hit of dopamine from alcohol and sugary snacks. Those sneaky (and often tasty) dopamine hits can be an easy crutch for joy when we’re down. Resist and maybe even try some thing as a challenge like Whole 30, 75 Hard or an app that challenges you to some new habits like water and produce consumption.
Be a good buddy
Maybe your hobby is watching sportsball, not playing it. But if you notice a friend who seems a little down because they can’t do their number one hobby, lend an ear, offer to go for a walk or brainstorm ways you two can get active.
When the Funds aren’t in the Cards
Maybe you don’t have health insurance or your deductible seems daunting, look into area non profits for mental health counseling. Check out YouTube videos by physical therapists that discuss your injury. But remember, talking to a medical practitioner is the best course of action. And know your body and your limits.
Our three active locals all agree - staying active (within your limits) and keeping social connections are the main ways to keep your mental health positive while your body heals. Keep hydrated and believe you can get better. It may be a slow slog to recovery, but know that one day that injury will be in the rearview and you will have the knowledge of prevention and may even be able to help someone else who you can see may be headed in the direction you started.
