{"id":1304,"date":"2022-10-24T10:56:51","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T17:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/?p=1304"},"modified":"2022-10-24T10:56:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T17:56:51","slug":"being-kind-to-yourself-after-an-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/being-kind-to-yourself-after-an-injury\/","title":{"rendered":"Being Kind to Yourself After an Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Living an active lifestyle is a total game-changer &#8211; better mood, better sleep, more energy, and even increases memory\u2026but I don\u2019t need to tell you all this right? Chances are if you\u2019re an active person, you\u2019re aware of the countless benefits. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1305 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/1149_physical_therapy_20190619-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"249\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/1149_physical_therapy_20190619-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/1149_physical_therapy_20190619-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/1149_physical_therapy_20190619-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px\" \/>But what happens when the body you are honoring through exercise, gets injured? Ugh. The worst, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can feel like the train has fallen off the tracks, the last song has been sung, or really, that your whole life is over. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what if I told you that an injury isn\u2019t the end game? And that this time of recovery can actually turn into some of the most beneficial moments in your active life? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yep &#8211; you probably have to get creative here, but there just might be some blessings in disguise. Here are a few tips to get you through:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Tip 1: Take a Breath.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like seriously\u2026unclench your jaw, roll your shoulders down, soften your gaze, and breathe. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can be overwhelming, right? Suddenly the body that you\u2019ve lived in for years needs some help working properly, and that can feel really stressful. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But you are not alone in this, and your body is an amazing thing. If you breathe, treat yourself with kindness, and nourish your body from the inside out with positive energy\u2026you\u2019d be amazed at what you are capable of.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Tip 2: Use Positive Self Talk.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Speaking of being kind to yourself, practice speaking to yourself in gentle and kind ways. It is normal to feel frustrated within the recovery process, but try switching your mindset from what you can\u2019t do to what you can do!<\/p>\n<p>Celebrate yourself through every little hurdle within recovery; it\u2019s a great way to appreciate your body and treat your mind! Here are some examples of what I mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Replace \u201cUgh I can\u2019t do anything. My body is so stupid\u201d with \u201cMy body has been through a lot. I am proud of what I am able to accomplish with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Replace \u201cMy body is so weak and useless\u201d with \u201cMy body is relearning how to do lots of things. I respect the hard work that it still is doing.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Replace \u201cMy body can\u2019t do this\u201d with \u201cMy body allows me to do so many things that I love\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1306 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/NAU-CAL-student-paints-bucks-on-canvas-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"244\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/NAU-CAL-student-paints-bucks-on-canvas-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/NAU-CAL-student-paints-bucks-on-canvas-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/NAU-CAL-student-paints-bucks-on-canvas-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px\" \/>Tip 3: Find a new hobby.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How many of us have a \u201cmaybe later\u201d box? You know, the box full of books that we have yet to read, the crochet project we only did two rows of, or the painting that was left unfinished? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This could be a physical box, or a metaphorical box, that is filled with things that once brought us joy, but had to take a seat on the bench while we tackled life. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the time to crack open those boxes again. Filling your time with new things to bring you joy can help make the healing process seem less daunting and scary! <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Tip 4: Focus on the present.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The human mind is full of imagination. We like to wonder about things from our past, worry about the present, and dream about the future. But this \u201cdaydreaming\u201d can create feelings of worry and panic about what is to come. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focusing on the present however, allows us to tune into our bodies, and creates lower stress and increased mindfulness. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you struggle with tuning into the present, try practicing some meditation or breathing exercises. As always, you know yourself best, so be patient and kind to yourself when trying out these new activities.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Tip 5: Accept help and support.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We don\u2019t heal in isolation, but in community\u201d-S. Kelley Harrell. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be easy for a college student to get wrapped up in the spirit of independence, but remember that it is OKAY to accept help and support from those who care for you. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Times of recovery can feel a little isolating, so reach out to those around you and let them into your circle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Injuries are not the end of you, I promise! The body is really good at adapting and healing the parts that need some extra love to work properly. Your body is a powerhouse, your mind is amazing, and you are a force to be reckoned with!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-button -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-button shortcode-button--left\">\n      <a class=\"main-button\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/meet-our-coaches\/\">Abigail Pye, UCAN Health Coach<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Living an active lifestyle is a total game-changer &#8211; better mood, better sleep, more energy, and even increases memory\u2026but I don\u2019t need to tell you all this right? Chances are if you\u2019re an active person, you\u2019re aware of the countless benefits. But what happens when the body you are honoring through exercise, gets injured? Ugh. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1304"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1312,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304\/revisions\/1312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}