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The Injured Athletes Club


Jun 27, 2019

Your doctor’s appointment doesn’t go the way you planned. Your healing is taking longer than you thought. Your first competition back ends in a poor performance—or, worse yet, a re-injury.

Even the strongest, most resilient athletes might explode in anger or sink into despair in the face of these unanticipated setbacks. You can’t always control that reflexive reaction. But it is often possible to pause, take a beat, and change your response—the thoughts you choose to focus on and the feelings they create.

This week on the Injured Athletes Club podcast, Carrie shares a strategy for shifting your perspective when you hit a snag. Obstacles to Opportunities gives you a step-by-step framework for recognizing counterproductive narratives and nudging them toward those that keep you moving forward.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The power of language in shaping our emotional landscape (1:02)
  • What childhood reactions to spilled milk and dental visits have to do with how athletes respond to injury (1:55)
  • Why it’s natural for our brains to jump to negative conclusions, and how you can start to change your internal wiring (4:55)
  • When talking to yourself—and poking holes in your ideas and theories—can be productive (5:43)
  • How to know when to use Obstacles to Opportunities (10:24)
  • The four key statements with the power to shift you toward a new way of thinking (11:17)
  • How to put the exercise in practice for yourself (14:25)
  • The way thoughts and emotions influence each other—and how to know which one to try to change first (16:53)
  • What happens when you’re able to see that “this is happening” versus “this is happening to me” (22:34)
  • How this exercise can keep you from time traveling and bring you back to the present moment—where your power to take action lies (23:10)
  • Some of the other life situations where injured athletes have used this exercise to change perceived setbacks into exciting opportunities for growth and transformation (28:34)

 

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To access more resources for injured athletes:

 

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.