The Mental Health Effects of a Sports Injury

Sports is a game where we know there is a risk of injury. Obviously, some sports are more prone to injury than others, but even a nice game of golf has the chance of hurting yourself. In an intense game like basketball or football, there are plenty of chances to be injured. Not only are they painful, and can set a player back, but they are mentally taxing on the player, whether they are a high school athlete or a pro. In this post, we will discuss what happens when a player is injured.

Counseling to Help with Injuries

If you are suffering from depression, the effects of your own injury, or need life advice, a counselor or a therapist may be the person you need. However, when you’re a star athlete, or just a busy worker, it can be hard to find a counselor or therapist who can work on your own schedule. Online counseling is here to fix that problem, and online therapy sites like Regain are helping.

The Emotional Impact of an Injury

When you get an injury, whether you’re a star like Kevin Durant or a college athlete, you feel a slew of emotions, particularly if this is your first time injured. These emotions can include:

Anger

You feel angry at yourself for injuring yourself and feel like you could do better, but you don’t show these emotions in a positive way. Instead, you may take your anger and frustrations out on those who don’t disturb it. Anger can be anything from a little bit of irritation to full-on rage.

Sadness and Depression

When you injure yourself, you may feel a little upset as a result. Depression can hit hard, and when it does, it may be for different reasons. You feel upset that you messed up, and upset that you have to wait too long to recover, for example.

You Lose Motivation

When you are set back, it can affect your sense of motivation. You may feel like you will have to start all over again, as you’re slowly losing muscle mass with every passing second. You may even want to quit altogether.

Insomnia

From the pain, and from your emotions, you may have a hard time sleeping, and this can make all your emotions worse. It can be a tough cycle to break.

The emotional reactions an athlete may experience will differ from person to person. Some can handle it well, and know they should have expected to be injured. Others may worry about their future, especially if their injury was serious.

The Mental Stigma

What makes it worse for these athletes is that there is a stigma towards expressing emotions and seeking help. Athletes are seen as modern day legends, and some feel like they must be tough at all times and not show signs of weakness. This simply isn’t true. If you are into sports, you should remember that your favorite athlete is a human as well, and suffers from doubts, depression, and anxiety, along with other emotions as well.

If you have a kid, you should teach them to not fear expressing their emotions. For help with raising your kid, click here or look here for more information.

Mental Healthcare in Sports

Sports do provide some mental health resources. For student athletes, their coach or their team may provide emotional support. Many sports teams may have access to other mental health care resources.