It’s a challenging time we all find ourselves in. Some of us are right in the midst of lock-down 2.0, and with the added layer of mandatory mask wearing, some of us got the news this week that the World Championships we/they had been working towards has now officially been cancelled. Others are also dealing with home schooling, or a multitude of other things in their lives. It’s tough. I feel you. As I feel it myself.
BUT at the same time, we cannot let it drag us down. Yes we are entitled to feel all the feels, but you don’t want to stay down for too long. I listened to a great podcast this week in which I wanted to share with you some of the key messages from it. It was centered around dealing with injury and navigating your way through that, but it went into dealing with any setback – such as dealing with COVID in general, or the loss of a race, which most of us will or have already had to try and navigate. So the perfect time to read and listen to this podcast to help you either now, or into the future.
THE KEY MESSAGE:
If you want to go FAR in your recovery/move past your setback, you have to
FEEL > ACCEPT > RECOVER.
FEEL: You have to allow yourself to feel your feelings. Feel them to their depth and without guilt. You are allowed to feel angry, you can feel devastated, or frustrated. “I can’t believe that I won’t get to do the race that I’ve been working so hard for.” So try and label your emotion, for it then to start to dissipate and loose some of it’s power.
ACCEPT: Then you can start to move into acceptance. “I would really prefer for this to not be happening, but it is, so what do I do about it?” Only THEN can you move to recover/overcome it.
RECOVER / MOVE PAST: What can you do now to allow both your body and mind be ready for when races come back/ to recover from injury/setback? Work on shifting your perception of control. Adjust your goals. Ask yourself, what are your new goals. What is it you feel you need > What is going to fuel you now? The goal posts may have changed, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t achieve goals. “Turn an obstacle into an opportunity”
So now is the time to seek patience and marry yourself to the bigger picture, widen your lens…. Ask yourself, why did you get into the sport in the first place? Yes of course it sucks right now, but having patience and being grateful for what you HAVE and CAN do should be at the forefront of your being. Not everyone has the ability to do what we do. So have patience and practice gratitude – “this too shall pass’.
If this resonates with you then I encourage you to LISTEN IN FULL HERE.