We can all agree that being injured is not easy-peasy. Physical limitations are one thing, but there’s also other stuff coming to the surface connected to this. Fear and anxiety, sadness, worries, negative thoughts, and ‘what if’ worst-case scenarios, loneliness, self-pity, just to name a few.
And a piece of advice that so many people offer to those who suffer (and that I strongly disagree with) is: ″Just hang in there – it’s gonna get better.″
Fact: it’s not gonna get better unless you intentionally work on it.
Your physical injury might get better and as a result, your emotional and mental state might get better as well – BUT better doesn’t equal resolved. Better doesn’t mean being free.
The Power of Recovery Demons
Recovery demons that are not resolved now in this incredible opportunity (this is how I describe any physical trauma because there are many hidden gifts that come with it) tend to come back – over and over and over again until they are resolved and put to bed.
Recently, I watched a few episodes of Hell’s Kitchen on YouTube. (If and when I’m watching this kind of series, it’s because I’m fascinated by psychology and how humans react in difficult/stressful situations. Very much like when an injury occurs. Out of the ordinary, different, and often very stressful.)
There was a guy who had an accident probably a year or so prior to joining this ‘experiment’. And this particular injury was the reason why he withdrew from it.
Not because there was a physical limitation. He was ok. But! Mentally and emotionally he wasn’t free and the old demons started coming back. Obviously, they didn’t go into the details of what was happening with him psychologically, but this is such an important topic and we need to talk about it.
What Happens If Nothing Changes?
If everything goes well: your bones will heal, the tendons will heal, your muscles will heal… but your mind may not.
If you do not intentionally work on all the emotional and mental challenges that physical trauma brings with it, this will come back to haunt you.
I’ve seen this many times.
And it saddens me to see that most people mostly (or exclusively) focus on the physical side of the recovery, forgetting the most important part.
- Fears that you don’t deal with and resolve will come back or never leave. In fact, they can turn into phobias.
- Negative thoughts that you’re trying to push aside and not change will stay.
- Doubts that creep in will continue creeping in – perhaps in different forms or situations, but they will be there.
- Sadness might loosen its grip on you a bit, but it’s not unusual for it to come back with a vengeance when another stressful situation occurs.
- You might not feel much anxiety anymore over time… until… the next major event.
- And so on.
And all of these things (and more!) are what needs your attention as much as that pulled back or dislocated shoulder or fractured ankle or bulging disc or whatever it is that is going on with you.
This needs to be taken care of for you to be completely free from this physical injury.
Your Next Step…
Right NOW you have an incredible opportunity to deal with all of these demons and put them to bed. Because they are staring right at you and they are loud and showing off. And THAT is their beauty!
They are guiding you towards your solution.
Yes, I am a coach, but very often I am a mentor to my clients. Because I believe that we all have answers within us, but we very often don’t see them, and they can be challenging to find. So my job is to help you find what is already inside of you and then give you the tools for you to resolve it.
If I could give you one priceless piece of advice it would be this:
Do not look away (yet another time). You CAN deal with everything that is in front of you. You wouldn’t have been given this challenge if you weren’t capable of overcoming it. And remember that everything that you want is on the other side of fear / anxiety / sadness / mental distress / whatever-is-going-on-with-you-internally.
❤
Love and healing xx
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