How-To: Tips On Being Positive When Coming Back From Injury

* Runners compete at a local cross country meet in August

Photo Credit: Ken Blevins/USA Today via Star News

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Throughout my running career, I have faced adversity head on. If you have followed my articles, podcasts, instagram, or stories I've shared, you may know bits and pieces of these challenges. I never expected my career to be derailed by three bone injuries. However, these injuries have taught me true gratitude for my sport and I really think that finding that is what has helped me continue to maintain a positive mindset when I come back to running.

This month, my goal is to share advice on the practice of gratitude and appreciation for your sport and how injury opened my eyes to some important recognitions that help me stay positive and connect to my love for running.

When I was first injured, if I knew the trajectory ahead of me, I would've thought that I never would've been happy again. Those times when I thought that the injury was the hardest thing I could ever experience, I didn't see beyond it. 

There are so many things you are dealing with post-injury, such as: the constant fear that it could happen again; relearning what your body needs; understanding how your body may have changed; the feeling that you feel like a different runner; limiting comparison, intentionally or unintentionally.

But after going through this, I have found other things to focus on and other ways to stay positive in times when it's really easy to get caught up in these thoughts. So here I have some grounding practices to share with you on staying positive and applying gratitude after overcoming adversity in the past. My goal is to help those who have been in my position post-injury, and also to those who have not and may be blinded by an injury in the future. My insight to you: find gratitude for your sport.

Tips To Navigate Post-Injury:

Recognize your purpose on your team. Before I was injured, I was one of the best on my team. After I was injured, I had to re-establish my purpose because I was no longer in our top eight when I came back. I showed up and I worked hard because that fulfilled me. But my bigger purpose was to show up and be the positive energy for all of my teammates -- the one who was there for everybody, who could comfort anyone and who would always bring a smile and laugh to practice. This kept me excited to come to practice and less focused on how I was or wasn't performing. When you have a purpose that brings value much farther than results, it helps you stay positive and show up for both yourself and your team. The biggest thing to remember is that every person on a team is a contributor. Everyone's roles are important.

Lean on your teammates. I struggled a lot my senior year because I wasn't as good as I was my freshman year. However, my purpose was so much more valuable, and that kept me loving the sport. I showed up everyday to become a better version of myself, to chase goals, and to connect on a deeper level with my teammates. We created an amazing support system for each other that helped me stay positive and love showing up for both me and them.

Recognize the appreciation and gratitude for what you get to do everyday. This is a very difficult thing to do when you're wrapped up in the day-to-day routine. But seeking out the small things you are grateful for is a healthy practice to help you stay present and find joy in little moments. Maybe you had a great conversation with a teammate that day, maybe you had more energy than you usually do and you crushed a workout. Take a moment each day to breathe and then write down or say what made you feel grateful to be a runner that day.

Take a step outside of the box and realize that what you do everyday is incredible. Taking a step outside of the box might just be the most important practice for maintaining a positive and happy mindset. When you step back and realize that just the fact that you show up everyday is a massive accomplishment, and realize that probably 1-percent of people could do what you do, it makes you feel special and amazing. Being an athlete is an incredible honor. You GET to be that every day.

Don't be afraid of another setback. I mentioned this before, but the fear of another injury or setback after getting over another is so real. It's really hard to separate from the fear of "what if this happens to me again?" My advice for you is to be extremely mindful and in tune with your body, fuel extremely well, modify your training to meet your needs and don't over do it. Take moments to be grateful and reflect on what you can do to keep it. A huge part of mental wellness in sport is feeling like your body is healthy, strong and durable. I realized that this was my No. 1 priority when I learned that 1) I am mentally so much happier when my body is healthy and able to run and 2) My body feels so much stronger physically when I can be working towards my goal in the way that I want to be.

Don't compare yourself to others. You are on your own journey. Often times, many of the competitors you are lining up against have not been through what you've been through. Remember that you are where you should be and the results you want will come with time.

Recognize that there will be good days and there will be bad days, but good training is built on consistently showing up and putting forth your best effort. Often times, when we're coming back from adversity we want everything to be going well right away. Remember that a bad day is not a derailment, it is a part of the process toward where you want to go. Checking in with yourself on this is important to maintain an overall positive attitude.

Keep dreaming and reaching. Don't ever count yourself out. Keeping a future vision or a north star of where you want to be might help you stay positive and motivated. Sometimes after adversity we put ourselves in a box, limiting us from what we can accomplish. You are so capable of achieving what you want to achieve even after a setback, it just takes patience.

I want to conclude by saying that these practices or pieces of advice are building up the person that you are, the person who shows up and becomes the athlete.

These are important foundational lessons and perspectives I learned after overcoming adversity that help me show up as a positive version of myself, and therefore contribute to my team and personal goals in the best way possible.

Take a moment each day to breathe and then write down or say what made you feel grateful to be a runner that day.