It’s no mystery that speaking up and reaching out about struggles has been a source of stigmatization and prejudice stemming from a lack of knowledge on the topic. It took me a long time to realize that an emotional reaction to a sports injury is completely natural. Yet I failed to realize what the long-term recovery time could do to someone until I experienced an injury myself.

“The psychological response to injury can trigger or unmask serious mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and substance use or abuse,” wrote Doctor Margot Putukian, currently the Chief Medical Officer of the Major League Soccer (MLS) in her article “Mind, Body and Sport: Understanding and supporting student-athlete mental wellness”. She also urges that athletes experiencing the aftermath of  an injury should seek treatment not only for their ailment , but also for the mental health struggles that come with it. She then asserts that many athletes may find it difficult to reach out to said resources, which only furthers the importance of accessibility to such programs. 

What’s been important about my process of recovery, has been to be patient with myself and the natural process of healing. Giving myself the time and space to go through that grief and let myself cry over it was ultimately the healthiest thing for me. I’m proud to say that along with physical therapy, I sought out a therapist who specializes in sports psychology. However, that’s not to say that recovering from an injury is easy, athletes are humans first.