How can I get over my injury anxiety?

[Willow4]

I've been asked to go in for a national gymnastics tournament and I'm very tempted. I broke my back 6 years ago figure skating and didn't want to continue but carried on with gymnastics even though I promised myself never to get into any pro sport again.

I've turned down all offers before but I feel like I'd really like to try since I've been doing it for 16 years and I've already turned down so much already. I'm just so so scared I'll have another injury. My injury has left me seriously scared to take gymnastics any further and I'd really like to.

Is there anyway I can get over what happened and feel comfortable performing competitively again? :(

[Levin]

You might need some kind of therapy. Your mind/body will try and trick you, to protect itself from going back into the old emotions and pains that you previously experienced. It's called repression, and holds itself in the body as physical tension. So when you start competitively training again, you'll start feeling old pains associated with the injury, and then, you'll interpret that you should not go there; whereas, in actuality, what you need to do, is to go in the direction of the fear and the pain, in order to free yourself from those old emotions. I do this with meditation. But meditation takes a while to be sufficiently experienced to be able to lead yourself. In a way, all you need to do, is go in the direction of the fear, to reteach yourself that the way you are perceiving things does not necessarily accord with reality. Same with the likes of social anxiety and depression. You do exactly the kinds of things that make you feel uncomfortable, through this, old hurts release and you start to feel better. But it's an ongoing process and it sometimes feels like you're going backwards, so you need to be persistent.

[Willow4]

Thank you for taking the time to explain all of that! :) It is such a mind over matter thing. I'm fine training but the minute I step into stadiums and everything I just feel physically sick. I just don't want to end up seriously hurting myself, but I'm fine taking that risk back at the gymnasium lol it's weird.

[Levin]

My palms sometimes start sweating in fear when I do my kung fu kicks (I get problems with my calf muscles going), so, I can't imagine how you feel if you broke your back :) In my experience, there is some prevailing thought, which is founded on some even deeper thought, which in turn, is founded on an even deeper thought. We;re dealing with the subconscious; it's actually pretty interesting stuff. For me, the root of the 'misperception' that I spoke about earlier, was the idea that I could control whether or not I could get injured, which of course, is a total fallacy. If I totally let myself go, and just accept, that sometimes I would be injured and unable to train, that it's not the end of the world, that totally helped me. But of course, for you, it will be slightly different, since everyone's consciousness is slightly different. and of course, as I say, yours was much more serious. And again, this is an intellectualisation. We're isolating actual thoughts that occur instead.

[Sex_Panther]

Therapy. This is something that is actually rooted within your being rather than just a cursory thought so we can't do that. You should have ended up doing that as part of physical therapy; did they do not do that with you to treat the natural elements of fear that come from this injury?

[Willow4]

It was touched upon but because I seemed ok training with gymnastics I didn't feel like at the time I had a fear of performing. It seems to be an issue performing at big scale tournaments. I fell during a lift at a championship, I think it's the fear of that environment. It may well be that I can't get over it on my own :/

[Sex_Panther]

I would think you cannot. The anxiety that comes from a trauma of a major bodily injury is usually not something you just "overcome" by yourself and takes an extensive reworking of interpersonal logic specifically because the body automatically, well brain anyway, will safeguard against you doing the same things under the same circumstances so getting around that can be extremely challenging.

[Willow4]

That makes a lot of sense :) thank you so much. I wish I'd had his help earlier to be honest, I'm not getting younger if I want to compete lol.

[Sex_Panther]

Well start ASAP. I don't know when the tournament is but if it is a few months off you may be able to gain a little therapy between now and then that will at least allow you to compete if you really wish to. I would just explain the situation to the committee that invited you so they know to get an extra if it comes to you being unable to perform in that time.

I mean that's a bit ambitious and not playing it safe but as you said time is somewhat of the essence and I want you to live without regrets.

[Willow4]

Same lol and it is in a few months time, it's actually around Christmas so there is time I suppose. I guess it just depends on how long therapy might take and what is possible to achieve by then. I can only try I suppose, if I can't do it, I can't do it. My trainer knows about my previous injury which is why he's suggested putting me in as a reserve but if I'm going to go I want to go and actually perform lol.

[Sex_Panther]

Completely understandable. Well seeking therapy is the first step!

[Willow4]

Thank you as always! :)

[Sex_Panther]

I've done nothing. :3

Maybe someone else will come up with something wiser.

[Willow4]

You suggested something positive, which is more than I've done sitting thinking about it for the past 2 days :P

[Sex_Panther]

That's what we're all here for. :p

[Hans222]

Hey! I would certainly contact a doctor specialized in sportsmen and speak to him.
Your uncertainty is one thing... if you get back into the sports it may disappear and be replaced by confidence.
But if your back is physically not ready for it you may get injury just due to the stress put on your back and its muscles. So better (I think) to take the decision together with a doctor :-)
Wish you the best with it, thumbs up!

[Jsmith123]

I've learned that you can't live your life in fear. Try easing back into it. Little by little. Not competitive at first, but just for fun on your own level so you are comfortable. Sorry to hear about your injury by the way :(

[Willow4]

Hey lol :) thank you for being sweet. I should have dealt with it sooner but was forever putting it off lol, I'm 22 now so if I want to compete I can't leave it much longer :/

[Jsmith123]

Maybe there is some therapy for it? I don't know much about it but I'm just trying to brainstorm some ideas

[Willow4]

Yeah I think therapy might be the way forward, I'm not entirely sure what therapy exactly but perhaps that's something I can ask my trainer about :)

[GoldCobra]

What? I'm so sorry to hear that. That sounds really painful? Well I'm no expert on the subject lol but I hope you do make a full recovery. Maybe a therapist like others suggested?

[Willow4]

Hey :) To be honest I was out cold when I fell lol I knocked myself out completely so it didn't hurt then but the aftermath was quite painful. I'm well enough now to be able to do gymnastics but it's the mental problems that are hard :) I'll have to try and find some form of therapy to try I think.

[mario1321]

You can't predict what will happen, good or bad, but you will regret if you never try

[Willow4]

That's what I'm thinking too, one day it will be too late to do it. I'm 22 now :(

[mario1321]

Than i say no regrets, have fun