Latest / Yips and Giggles / Injuries & Setbacks

Transcript

Injuries & Setbacks · Yips and Giggles

• Peyton: Thank you all so much for listening. Give us a follow at Yips and Giggles on Instagram and TikTok, where we'll be posting episode content every week. You can also find us on our YouTube channel under Yips and Giggles. Check back next Tuesday for another episode. In the meantime, don't take life too seriously and have a laugh on us. Peyton Intro: Welcome back to Yips and Giggles. This week we are getting into how to deal with injuries and setbacks. We discussed the idea of athletic identity and how it might impact players when they are left out of a squad or dealing with a long-term injury. We also talk about the grief response to an injury and different ways to handle it in terms of an athlete's thoughts, feelings, behavior, as well as how they can kind of use their values as a guide during this difficult time. So if you or someone you know is going through a tough time with an injury or isn't playing for some reason, this could be a helpful episode to listen to, to get a few tips. Peyton: right, we're back. it going on? Anya: We are back. I'm good. I'm good. You know, it's a nice 78 degree day here in Charlotte. I like I talk about the weather every single episode we start off. Yeah. I went for before this. was in leggings and a tank top and I was sweating. Wait, that's incredible. I wish I was wearing shorts. It's so nice. I'm so excited. Peyton: You're the one. that time of the year. ⁓ Anya: You know, life is looking up. I am a little congested still Yeah. How are you? ⁓ Peyton: Yeah, also getting over the cold. We're almost there. almost there. We sound much better than the last episode. ⁓ Anya: Yes, we do. Peyton: We at least have voices in this one, so that's good. Probably a little better to listen to in the first place as well. So yeah, we apologize to anyone for the last episode if we weren't the nicest to listen to, but here we are. Anya: I hope so. I mean, our angelic voices are back, so you're welcome, everyone. Exactly. We really worked hard to get back to health as quick as possible. Peyton: I Yeah, no, I feel like I'm also kind of a little bit at a low point because the Olympics are over and you know, you have that kind of like high of being able to like watch that every day and like you get so into it and you're just like, was. So I feel like I'm coming down from that, as I'm sure many of the athletes are that actually competed in the Olympics. ⁓ But yeah, I think for this topic this week with injuries and setbacks and things like that, think. Anya: Yep, yep. Peyton: pretty pertinent to talk about because I mean the Winter Olympics, it's brutal when it comes to injuries. ⁓ Talk about crazy. Anya: I've always liked the Winter Olympics more just personally than the Summer Olympics because probably because of, you know, my family's connection to hockey and winter sports. ⁓ And maybe I'm a little biased in this take too, but I feel like the Winter Olympics are just like, try not to kill yourself as you're these sports compared to like the Summer Olympics are like. Yeah, run as fast, which is like so hard. So it's like, I'm to run as fast as I can on this track or I'm going to try to swim this lap as fast as I can. Exactly. Whatever. Like tennis. Meanwhile, the Winter Olympics are like, yeah, let me just put some blades on my feet. Go jump and spin four times around or try to go as fast as I can with like four other people around the rink or let me just put these like like two wooden sticks on my feet. Peyton: It's survival of the fittest. Anya: and hurled down a mountain as fast as I can. It's insane. The curling. Yeah. Which is still super cool. Peyton: watching like the half. It still looks hard Yeah. But like I was watching ⁓ the pipe and I was just like, if they land ⁓ on the edge ⁓ like you're breaking so many bones. You're breaking so many bones. crazy. I mean, the bravery you have to have to actually ⁓ do the sports that they is ⁓ nuts. ⁓ So I. ⁓ I really enjoyed it. One thing I didn't enjoy watching was obviously Lindsey Vonn crashing and that was really sad. for those that don't know, she actually ruptured her ACL before her run and still, you know, it like, yep, I'm going to do it. ⁓ This is what I've worked for. Yeah, like she literally didn't have an ACL. Anya: I have been on so many painkillers. Peyton: Yeah, I do wonder how painful it was because she had videos of herself like working out and like doing lifts that I couldn't do right now. And I'm just like, what in the world? ⁓ But the worst part was her ACL injury actually had nothing to do with her really bad crash. So that was pretty sad. But I think she had to have like multiple surgeries. She's already had like three surgeries, I think, since the crash. ⁓ I mean, her leg was basically in pieces. She had a tibia fracture, a fracture of her fibular head and a fracture of her tibial plateau. So basically her lower left leg was just in pieces and she's like posted it. She posted her like x-rays and everything and it's just crazy. She also broke her right ankle just to add ⁓ another ⁓ which she's like updating people on social media, which I mean, I think is pretty brave in the first place, like to go through like every single injury that you have all of like the trauma of it and everything. And she was talking about how she actually got compartment syndrome, which is actually really scary. So it's basically where you have kind of excessive bleeding. And so it causes a lot of pressure to kind of build up within that closed space. So, you know, in this case, it's her leg. ⁓ And because that pressure is kind of impacting the blood flow and restricting everything in that region, it's cutting off that blood supply to her tissues. So it gets serious. it's it's essentially like whatever is getting cut off in that region, whether that's like, you know, the tissues, the muscles, it's dying. Like it can't it can't get blood flow. So ⁓ that's really scary. Anya: Can't that like lead you to like amputation or something? Peyton: ⁓ yeah, hundred percent, a hundred percent. Like if you don't act on it quickly, it can very much lead to amputation, which she actually did talk about as well. And she was like, I'm so lucky to have the doctor that I have. and so he actually ended up doing a fasciotomy, which is basically when they kind of like release that pressure by cutting like both sides of her leg open, like fully, like it's a large wound. ⁓ yeah. It's, it's pretty gnarly. Like she posted some photos of it as well. ⁓ so yeah, she basically has a metal leg now. ⁓ but that's just what I mean. Like the injuries there are just insane. And so I think it is important. Anya: Obviously that's like an extreme example. Like a very extreme. Peyton: Yes, this is very. This is like pretty much the worst thing you can do to your leg. ⁓ So she was pretty unlucky in that aspect. But I think it's a tough injury to deal with just because she's essentially going from skiing, you know, 70 miles per hour down a mountain to not being able to walk for like, you know, a couple of months, possibly fully like on her own. And so I think that would be a lot to deal with. ⁓ And, you know, she talked about how it was worth, you know, doing the work. It was worth it. And she's not like regretting what she did, which is good to see. But, you know, you always like, you know, you see that on social media, but you also hope behind closed doors that she's getting the mental and physical help that she needs. Because that's pretty crazy for such an elite athlete to go through that. Anya: So scary wishing her the best of luck. Yeah best recovery possible Peyton: Yeah, for sure. Unfortunately, it is part of being an athlete. And I guess when you're a winter Olympic athlete, it's just to a different level, it seems like. Anya: Yeah, that that leads us into our topic today. So dealing with not playing. And I think there's kind of. You know, two different main scenarios, and then there's maybe scenarios under those scenarios that come with dealing with not playing, the first of which, like we mentioned with Lindsey Vonn and other athletes as well, dealing with not playing due to injury, right? Getting injured. Is something that can easily happen to an athlete, you're you're rigorously training ⁓ have this insane competition schedule. ⁓ ⁓ pushing your body to the limit all the time, whether you're collegiate, professional, even just like, you know, playing for fun. Like ⁓ if you the game, you're out there a lot. You're putting stress on your body ⁓ and ⁓ It can be very, very difficult mentally when you are injured to to stay positive, first of all, right? Right. And also to do all of the work that needs to be done in order to get back to the point where you are fully ready to play. Because you know, ⁓ you, ⁓ if a long-term injury, it can be hard to sit out for weeks, months, et cetera. ⁓ All you to do is get back out there. ⁓ If you're on a team, help your team win. If you're not, just play for yourself, right? You feel like you're kind of getting behind, first of all, and your competitors or people, you know, other teams are getting ahead of you and you're losing that edge. Also, ⁓ depending the it can seem like it's just such a long, long way away to get to where you are or where you want to be. And there's like no end in sight, right? Like you have to focus on the like little steps every single day. I was listening to Holger Runa on the Served podcast with Andy Roddick. I think it came out in like December and he had a really, really bad Achilles injury. Peyton: Yeah, I seeing that. I remember seeing that. Anya: And he was talking on the podcast about how, you know, it's been really, really tough mentally that he's seeing all of these other guys out there competing. He can't compete. He feels like he should be there. And he knows he has a really long journey ahead of him because it was a very serious injury and he's going to be out for months. And, you know, some days it just seems like he's not getting better and there's no light at the end of the tunnel. And something that really, really helped him was setting like these smaller goals in between. These weekly goals, these daily goals of just what he wants to see happen and just keeping your head down instead of just focusing on like, man, why is my kill? Why can I still not push off my right leg? Right. Or whatever leg it was. Right. And so I think that's just something that, you know, almost like as as important as mental performance is during competition and during practice and when you're playing, it almost can be more important when you're not playing. You're trying to get ready to play. Peyton: Yes, 100%. Yeah, for sure. I, and I think a lot of people don't realize that until they're actually in that situation. So I wish there were ways, you know, talking to a sports psychologist all the time instead of just doing it right when you get injured. You know what I mean? Like having those tools already. So if those kind of non normative transitions happen, then you're able to use some skills that you already have. But no, I agree. Like focusing on those little goals. that you can kind of tick off every day is so important to stay motivated to actually get back to your sport. And I think it's important with those goals that you have, you know, something that's a goal that is very specific. So not making it super, super like vague in the sense of ⁓ I just want to get better. You know what I mean? Like that's not really something that you can really shoot for ⁓ in sense. And I think it's important to have goals that are in some way can be ⁓ measurable in a sense, or can be attainable. I think that's the most important part, especially when you're injured, because there are obviously certain goals that you cannot attain when you're injured. can't focus on certain strokes most of the time. You might not be able to focus on certain aspects of conditioning or things like that. So you really need to make them attainable. And I think that that's important to reiterate for players who are injured. Anya: Yeah. And I think another risk you run when you're injured and this can come both from internal sources, like from yourself or from external sources as well is the risk of returning too early. Right. Yeah. Right. Before you're ready. You, like we mentioned, you really, really want to get back out there. You want to help your team or you just want to, you know, compete again and feel like you're not losing that edge over your competitors. And also sometimes your coaches really want you to get back out there too, especially if you're an integral part of the team, right? And, you know, maybe the team's not doing as well as they were, you know, with you. ⁓ And they just really want you to get back out there and contribute to the team. And sometimes that, that pressure can lead you to compete too early, but that runs the risk of you getting injured again and injured worse because you're not fully healed. your body isn't ready to go. And you know, I think it's going to be worse for you long-term. it's kind of something that you need to be really honest with yourself and your team about, right? That, know, yes, I want to be out there. I want to help us win. I want to, you know, support my team. Because sometimes you also, like if you're out and your team is losing, I don't know, sometimes you feel like it's your fault, even though it's not. Peyton: Even though you have literally no control at that moment, technically. Yeah. Anya: Yeah. Yeah. So you need to be honest and be like, listen, I want to, I want to help everyone. want to compete myself, but I'm not ready. I'm not ready. And I'm not willing to take the risk to potentially hurt myself worse and be out for even longer. Peyton: Right. And, and I'll get into this a little bit later, but I think it's also important to recognize that you still can be involved in the team. It's just a different way. Right. And another point I want to make about this is a lot of it has to do with kind of relating to athletic identity, which basically is the degree to which a person kind of identifies with that athlete role. So in simple terms, if you have a strong athletic identity, you're a lot more likely to overtrain or go back too early and kind of at the expense of your body in these situations because you are just so focused on getting back to what you want to be doing the game you love. And I think that's when it can get a little bit problematic. Like athletic identity can be great for motivation and it can kind of steer you in the right direction and you know, point you towards the right direction in your sport. when you're not injured, but sometimes I think it gets, gets you in trouble a little bit. And there is the worry that if you are out of your sport for a really long time, you know, that player might start experiencing some lower moods or emotional problems. And that's when you get in trouble. And it's just because, I mean, you get so attached to that role and, and people have so much trouble with not being on the pitch, not being on the court and, you'll see it in like retirement as well, because obviously that's kind of like the biggest transition away from your athletic identity. And so I think at the same time, having other athletic or other identities can help. And I think that's what people kind of need to recognize even before they are injured, like find those other identities out there before, you know, it all comes crashing down basically. Anya: Yeah, a hundred percent. I mean, it kind of goes back to what we were saying a few episodes ago, one of our earlier episodes of like, we just tie so much of our self worth. Right. And like you were saying, our identity to athletics that when it's good, it's great. But when it's bad, it's really bad. ⁓ I was reading this NCAA study where they said that, when people injured, it is way more likely to cause depression ⁓ and mental health than than not. Right. obviously there's a correlation with not being able to play, not being able to perform and not having any other identity outside of your sport, which is hard for people to deal with because we spent, ⁓ I, of us have spent our entire lives focusing on this one thing and being told that we need to focus on this one thing. Right. So Peyton: You almost like someone to tell you like, hey, let's let's look at the whole world right now. Let's look at the big picture. Like this is not the only thing that you are. There are so many facets to you as a person, not just an athlete, which again, don't want to say that having a strong athletic identity is bad because it is necessary in certain situations and to be a good competitor. But on the other hand, it can put you in a difficult spot when when you are injured and I Mean, I'm trying to think back you were injured our freshman year, right? Anya: Yeah, I would say that was kind of like the one, thankfully, the one main injury I had. I know a lot of people had way more injuries. And again, like that same NCAA study that I was referencing, I it said something along the lines of like 60 percent of collegiate athletes will get injured during their time playing. It's very, common. Yeah. But my my freshman year. So it was kind of a weird one. I remember actually I think I was playing you in a practice match. I. It's all your fault pain. Yeah, we were playing like a practice set. No, it was literally so dumb. We were playing a practice set. I like remember I like took a step and I felt something weird in my foot and hurt. it like didn't hurt like that bad at first. And I was like, hmm. Anyways, obviously, like kept playing through it because I didn't think it was it was anything like too bad. And then it obviously got worse. Whatever. Long story short. Peyton: It's just something that Right. Anya: I ended up having a stress reaction in my right foot. So not a stress fracture. was from what I understand, like a stress reaction is like, if you keep playing on it, it's going to become a stress fracture. ⁓ so I was put into like a boot, ⁓ didn't play for least a month, think. ⁓ and play for a while. Then got taken out of the boot first match back, you know, hurt it again. Peyton: Yep. Anya: So I think I I probably played a little too early. ⁓ so that was really, really hard. I remember that was like the one my mom was there that weekend. Yeah. My mom was there that weekend. That was the first time she'd see me play a college match and I had to retire after the first set. Cause I was bawling my eyes out. And that was, yeah, we had recruits visiting that weekend too. I'm, I'm like bawling my eyes out. They're probably like, what is going on? Peyton: ⁓ yeah, I do remember that. never coming here. Anya: But that's the thing, like I was, I was crying because I was so upset that I knew that I would be out even longer. And I was so frustrated too. So was so excited to be back on court. Right. But then, you know, came back a little too early or even like retweaked it, um, in that match. And it's just so frustrating. It just feels like it's this never ending spiral and you're never going to get better. And you're like, I put in all this work and it was for nothing. Um, And that was in April. And then we had, I think, NCAAs coming up in like three weeks, maybe at that point. And I remember really wanting to get back out there. So they gave me a cortisone lidocaine shot in my foot. And then I ended up not playing NCAAs anyways. So I'm not quite sure why we did that. Peyton: Yeah, shot hurt. Any like shots in the foot? shots in the feet. Anya: hurt. I was like, I'm not gonna, like if I'm gonna end up not playing, why did you guys- Peyton: Why did you not play? It was just decided that you weren't going to play. Anya: Yeah, I don't know. Like, I guess they decided like I wasn't like ready to come back. I mean, I didn't. I felt way less pain in my foot, but that's the thing. Those cortisol, my decayed shots, right? They only mask the symptoms. They're like band-aids. But it doesn't, it doesn't heal anything. I call them So they probably decided. Yeah. They probably decided, ⁓ that it was better for me to like not risk making it worse and making it actually a stress fracture. Yeah. Which is a good decision. Peyton: had summer to kind of like let it heal itself. Anya: Yes, exactly. But yeah, that was kind of my big injury and it was really, really frustrating. It wasn't even like that big compared to other people's injuries. But I was just in and out of a boo. Peyton: especially being your freshman year, like it's just kind of disappointing to have to go through that in your first season. ⁓ yeah. For sure. Like a lot of people kind of equate it to like a grief response. ⁓ you feel like that was kind of what you were feeling? that like ⁓ disbelief and like denial sort of phase that you went through. Anya: Yeah, for sure. at first I was like, because that's the thing when it started hurting in that practice match, I was like, yeah, there's nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong. Then you find out there's something wrong. It's not as bad as it could have been, but it's not great. And you're like, you kind of panic and you're like, oh my God, like, what does this mean? How long am I going to be out for? What does this mean for? my spot in the lineup, like even if I'm out, because you always think about it like, okay, I'm out, but then someone's taking my spot. And as bad as it sounds, you're thinking like, okay, what if they do really, really well? And when I'm ready to come back, they don't put me in, you know? It's selfish to think about it that way, but. Peyton: want your team to win, but it's like, ⁓ shoot. really want to be contributing to that win. You know what I mean? Yeah. Anya: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And then you end up, you know, coming back. It doesn't work out. And it's just like it just it just feels horrible. Like you're you're so sad. You're afraid that it's just going to keep happening, ⁓ that you're never going to get better. You're so frustrated. And then after a certain point, it comes that acceptance, right? You're just like, OK, this is the situation. I just need to do everything I can to make sure it gets better. and move on from it. Like nothing's going to happen with me whining and crying and feeling bad about myself. I just need to actually get better. ⁓ Peyton: Yeah, I mean, I feel like when it first starts, your brain automatically thinks, OK, what's the worst case scenario that could happen? Yeah. And you kind of go down that road because it is just so like deflating at that moment and everything. And I think it is really important to get that get to that acceptance stage as fast as you can. Yeah. And I mean, there's lots of ways to kind of handle injuries. And I think. at the early phases when it's just started, it's important to really have that emotional support. Because when you think about it, who can you surround yourself with at that time who you know is going to help you through it? That's huge. Whether that's family, teammates, coaches, classmates, things like that. Because at that point, especially if it is a pretty serious injury, you can't really do much. physically, like when it comes to like exercises and actual like rehabbing, you can't really do much at that point. So it's like, OK, you kind of just need some empathy. Like I always hated when people were like, ⁓ you'll get better. You'll bounce back like you just in a few months from now, you'll be good. I'm like, if it's like a day after I've gotten injured, I'm just like, please don't talk to me like, don't say, yeah, don't say that. Can you just be like? just empathize, let them go through that first kind of like, you know, ⁓ my gosh, this is actually like happening kind of phase. I think it's important. Yeah, it's important to let people process at first before you start kind of that encouragement talk. You know what I mean? Like just let them have a couple of days. Anya: Yeah Yeah. And also people react to things differently and like, you know, there's certain situations where I just want to feel sad. Like I just want to be down in the dumps. I need to get it out of my system and I don't need anyone to tell me to keep my head up or stay positive or you'll be fine or stop. Stop being so negative. Like, yeah, negative. Let me get it out of my system. It's part of the way I process things personally. And yeah, I just like don't like. Peyton: It's like. Anya: But also it's like people are just trying to be helpful and you know that you don't want that. So. Peyton: Yeah, I think especially if it's a long-term injury, it's okay to give those people a second and let them be alone and give them a second. But I think once you kind of get past that first kind of initial stage, I do think it is very important to speak with a professional at that point. Go to a sports psychologist, go to a mental performance coach, learn kind of those advanced skills that can actually help you with this and... something really simple that you might not even actually have to go to somebody for this first, but something really simple that I think is very helpful for players that are dealing with a new injury or a long injury or anything is to actually kind of start a journal of what's going on with your rehab, what's going on with your training. And I think from that point, once you actually start writing it down and seeing what you're thinking and feeling every day, you're just bringing so much more awareness to your thoughts and feelings kind of around the injury. ⁓ and you're kind of noticing things more, And a big part of it you know, denying those feelings. because in the first place, trying to avoid feelings or deny that they're there or change them is really energy demanding. Like it takes a lot to kind of like change your whole thought around how you feel about this injury. So I think it really helps to just learn how to be open to those feelings of it's almost like a feeling of loss. So it's kind of just being open to that, you know? Anya: And also one thing I wanted to mention about the journaling of like also how your how your rehab is going like That can help with seeing the progress that you're making like every single day If you write down how you're feeling like you might not feel like you're getting better But if you look back over the past, I don't know three weeks of notes that you have hundred the first day you're like, ⁓ wait actually Yeah, I have made small incremental improvements. Yeah, that is are hard to see day to day. Yeah, because I'm living it but going back and reading through all these notes actually helps you get a bit bigger sense of hope ⁓ and just seeing things are progressing slowly but surely. ⁓ Peyton: Yeah, truly that is because, you might find yourself just kind of in that rumination phase where you're like, Oh, well, you know, just those thoughts over and over again, like, Oh, it's not getting any better from here. Blah, blah, blah. And I think it's important to look at your thoughts in terms of workability. And when I say workability, it can be something as simple as asking yourself like, Hey, are these thoughts actually helping me work towards the life that I want to live? And I feel like when you're injured, that's a really simple question to ask yourself, but it's also very powerful. It's like just taking a step back and saying, okay, is what I'm thinking actually doing what I need it to do? Is it, you know, how is it affecting my behavior? ⁓ like when I have these thoughts, what am I doing? And so it's just kind of taking a step back and looking at that. And I think that's honestly like a really good. first step and it can be through the journaling. It can be through, you know, writing it down and saying, okay, what am I thinking on this day? What am I thinking on this day? What am I feeling? And is that working towards something that I want to be working towards versus not, you know? Anya: Yeah, for sure. And also, I think that could probably help with a lot of the times, especially like during my freshman year injury, I thought about like all of these what ifs, right? So I kind of touched on it a little bit of like, OK, well, what if when I come back, you know, they don't put me back in or what if when I come back, I play really bad and I get taken out again or what if I never fully recover? What if, you know, X, Y and Z? And kind of just like, again, thinking about like, OK, how is this how is this worrying about the future serving me? It's not right. Like, it's really not at all. so being able to recognize that that these what ifs are just these hypothetical situations that your mind is making up to try to. Scare you, basically. It doesn't help. Peyton: Yeah, I mean, and we all get caught up in it. Everyone does. That's the thing. Like you're just putting so much attention on not only the past, but the future as well, and also even your self concept. And so instead of focusing on the present and the here and now to get better, You're focusing on your regrets. You're focusing on, you know, the what ifs. Like you said, ⁓ I think that's probably one the biggest things that athletes do is the what ifs. It's like, especially for injuries, they're probably like, well, what if I didn't go in for that tackle or what if I didn't run that last 400? And it's like, you cannot change that. That is something that is completely out of your control. Now you can't, know, you, you have no control over outcomes of things. You can really only control, you know, your behaviors and things like that. And so I do think it is tough to kind of break out of that cycle of ruminating on, you know, the past and the future and what's going on with yourself. And But I think at the same time, it's very important for practitioners like myself to completely validate those feelings and tell them that like, hey, that is completely normal to feel like that and have those thoughts. what I want to kind of stress is it's really not about if that thought is true or false. It's more so about what happens if you let those thoughts kind of dictate what you do. You what I mean? Like it's kind of the relationship with those thoughts and feelings that you have. You can have those thoughts and feelings. And like I said, some people can change those negative thoughts to positive thoughts. That's great. But at the same time, a lot of people at the end of the day find it very difficult to do, find it very difficult to change your thoughts. And it, and it takes a lot of energy. It really does. Like you're focusing more on changing a thought rather than what you actually need to be doing day to day. Anya: yeah, kind of along the same lines to I think something that has has helped and it helps in just every part of your life, not just athletics is realizing that, yes, you can have these thoughts ⁓ about situations, but at end of the day, you can't control other people. You can't control a situation. You can only control how you react to it. Right. Right. ⁓ And. I think that's something like I've been learning even like now in my life of like, I, there are so many things in the world that I can't control. can't control getting injured. can't get control getting stuck in traffic and, I can control how I react to it. Right. Like, ⁓ my gosh, there's been so many times where I'm on my way somewhere. I need to be somewhere at four o'clock. I leave way before the time. And then there's just standstill traffic or there's people driving super slowly and I just get so upset and it like literally stays with me for the next few hours. And it like ruins part of my day. Yeah. Because I showed up somewhere late and I got so upset about the way people are driving on the road. But. It served me. It doesn't serve me at all. And it's the same idea as with, you know, when you have injuries. Yes, you can get upset. You can acknowledge that you have those feelings. You can work through those feelings. But after a certain point, you need to realize that like Peyton: Think about how much energy that's Anya: The only thing you can control, can't control the fact that you got this injury. You can't control it anymore. Peyton: You didn't tell your body, let's just not work anymore. Anya: Yeah, like it literally just it happened. Okay, you work through everything and after a certain point you just need to be able to control how you react to it, right? And so like ⁓ What if I never get to play again? Okay. Well, I Need to control the way I react to it I need to control the way I react to my progress. The only thing I could control is what I'm doing right now. So right Peyton: And it's funny that you say that because I like to tell my players to practice certain techniques that I give them to kind of deal with these thoughts and feelings in kind of everyday life situations. So like, for example, if you are stuck in traffic, you can do certain things to kind of unhook your thoughts and kind of accept the feelings that you're having. And so I think that's quite funny that you actually brought that up. when you're in a situation that's not necessarily like when you're stuck in traffic, mean, you know, sometimes it might be important, but ⁓ it's easier to practice those skills. And so when you get in those high stakes situations, you can ⁓ use those skills and you've already practiced it. You know what I mean? So it's kind of like it into into your everyday life. But. When we're thinking about those thoughts and feelings when you're injured, I think a big part of it is almost creating distance from those thoughts that you're having. And so not necessarily changing them. You're just giving it a little bit of space. so, like I said, sometimes it's very hard to change a thought. It's very energy consuming. And so in order to kind of accept those thoughts and feelings and create that distance, it can be as simple as, you know, saying, I notice I'm having the thought that You know, I'm not going to be the same player. So putting that at the front of your sentence and saying, I notice I'm having the thought, it's like, It's not as kind of linked to yourself, if that sense. It's more ⁓ it's more like my mind is saying this. You know I mean? And so ⁓ it just kind of gives you that distance. And ⁓ people will actually come up with quirky little things, like sing a thought to the happy birthday theme song. So it'd be like. Anya: I suck! Wait, no wait. Happy birthday. I suck as a tennis player. I suck as a- Peyton: But you're looking at it and you're like, this is just words. This is just something that I have constructed. You know what I mean? Or sometimes people give a thought a name. So it's like, if you're having anxiety, it's like, oh, here comes Mr. Anxiety and something like that. It just creates a little bit of distance. And sometimes depending on the person, it also adds a bonus of humor. And it kind of gets you in a bit better of a head space. And so I think that's one way that you can kind of separate those you from your thoughts that you're having at that time, which is important. Anya: I really like that. Peyton: Yeah, it's it's funny. And you don't really notice it until you try it. And you're like, wait, you're totally right. It's literally just words. It's just words. Anya: fun. It's literally just getting you to realize. Yeah. Like you said, it's literally just getting you to realize like what you're thinking is It's just words in your head. It's not, it's not, it's not like reality. ⁓ You're in your head. ⁓ Yeah. Peyton: It's not like a written law. It's just you. And again, it can be true or false. It's literally just your relationship to that thought. You know what I mean? Yeah. And I think along a similar line, we talk, you know, I talked a little bit about athletic identity and you have certain values that contribute to that athletic identity. Right. And so I think it's also important for injured players. It's like they need to understand that these values can work outside of their sport as well and they can guide their life. And that's why I think it's important to not just have goals, but also have values that are kind of underpinning those goals. Right. So you can take it into all different contexts of your life. So for example, an athlete might be very much aligned with commitment. And so it's like, okay, how can we take that value and how can you use it now that you're injured? It might look a little bit different than your everyday life, but like, let's try it. And that might just be committing to the rehab, which is obviously very important, which, and shockingly, a lot of people were really bad at when we were at university. Anya: Right? ⁓ okay, wait, can we go off on a little tangent about this? I don't know. Maybe I just have a very high view of myself, but I feel and of yourself as well, of you. I feel like when I had like the slightest injury, I would I would be in the training room like like this because I was so maybe it was because like of my experience freshman year with that injury, I was so scared. Peyton: Yes. ⁓ yeah. Anya: of it getting worse and so scared of like not playing. And I feel like sometimes I saw like it happened in like every single sport, like someone would get injured and they just wouldn't go to the trainer. Peyton: I know, it shocked me. Anya: or like they go once and the trainer would give them like band exercises to do on their own at home. Right. And they wouldn't do, I'm like, do you not want to get better? Peyton: I know it is very interesting that dynamic and it's not like your trainers aren't there to babysit you. Like they have lives. Yeah, no. They have a schedule that they need to. Anya: So you're an adult at that point. Yeah. You need to be an adult at that point. Peyton: Get your stuff together. Like, yeah, come on y'all. Same. No, did me too. It's like you've gotten this far in your career. How are you not at a place where you are committed to do that? Yeah, yeah, that's a whole nother, but yeah. Anya: I'm sorry, it used to like drive me nuts. Sorry, that like got me fired up. Peyton: No, but like those trainers are so busy as well. Like they are pretty much going. Yeah. Athlete to athlete to athlete all day long back to back. Yep. So if you're messing with their schedule, they don't like it. But yeah, I mean, back to the values, like it can be something as simple as leadership. ⁓ Like even when you're injured, you can still be a leader, you know, show up to practice, be encouraging to your teammates, help with the drills. It's just like small things like that that you can still be involved with your team and be involved with your sport. It's not going to be the same, but at least you're doing something that is, you know, working towards a life that you want to live. And that's what I'm always going to come back to. Anya: And it's going to make you feel better about yourself too. Peyton: Yes, exactly. It's not going to make you feel worse by being a leader and being committed. It's not going to make you feel worse. It's it's that's what you're striving for. And I think even while you're actually exploring these values, you might find things that you like. You might find some other hobbies and they wouldn't necessarily serve as a form of distraction because that's not really the point. But it's almost like a form of self care. It's like finding another way. to enjoy things, finding more enjoyment. And so I do think it is quite important because, you know, at the end of the day, like I said, you don't have control over the outcomes of things most of the time, but you do have control over your actions and your behavior. And I think a lot of people need to hear that, especially when you're injured. Anya: Mic drop. period. so I think the scenario, so the first scenario obviously is not playing due to injury. ⁓ The second scenario ⁓ not playing due not being in the lineup. ⁓ And that's like really obviously for college sports, but also can be applicable for team professional sports. Right. ⁓ and within that scenario, I think there's two kind of sub scenarios. ⁓ first scenario is you didn't make the lineup to begin with. Right. Or a second scenario is you were in the lineup, but then you got taken out of the lineup because you weren't playing well. You weren't performing to your coach's standards, et cetera, et cetera. Right. And both can be equally as difficult to deal with. ⁓ but let's start with you didn't make the lineup to begin with. so I think something that's important to realize and I'm going to come at this from first a college standpoint and then we can go into like pro a little bit. so there's a lot of people that play sports within high school. I think only about only about 6 % of high school athletes go on to compete in college. So very low number. And then Peyton: Very low number. Anya: You said in a previous episode that about 2 % of those college athletes only ever make it pro. So you guys could do the math there. I'm not, I'm not going to do the math on that, but yeah. is hard. Yeah. Making it, making it to college is hard for athletics. This means that, you know, everyone who played in high school, a lot of the times they were probably the star, right? So you go from being the star on your high school team, on your junior team, whatever. Peyton: ⁓ yeah, for sure. Anya: to coming into college where everyone else at that school is also of the same level as you or better. And that can be hard to deal with. You can go from being someone who was the star to maybe being on the lower tier of your team and not making the lineup. Right. And how do you how do you handle that? Right. Like, how do you how do you deal with that? ⁓ know, again, it's the same thing as the injury conversation, right? It can make you feel like your self-worth is low, because, again, we tie so much of our identity, whatever. We're not going to rehash all the things that we just said. But I think it's important to keep a positive mindset that just because you're not in the lineup, that you didn't make the lineup doesn't mean that you're never going to make the lineup. Right. Right. I think it's important to have honest conversations with your coaches about what they need to see with, ⁓ from you in order for you to be able to help the team out. Right. And also it's important to know that, you know, sitting on the bench, Right. That's what they call it. Like bench warmer sitting on the bench. That's still you can still help the team from the bench, from the sidelines. Like you can help them by being super positive. Right. Like lots of cheering. Cheering is really important in college. You can help them by, pointing out things that might not be seen while you're on court, on field. Right. But it's easier to see from the sidelines. Like Like people who don't play are still such an integral part of the team. They can be leaders, can be captains. You know, it's, it's not the end of the world. Peyton: Yeah. And I also feel like I don't think people understand how important the entire team is for practices and making the team itself get better. It's not like the people that are on the bench are just sitting around, you know, not practicing or not doing certain drills like no, no, they're doing just as much as the starters. Like it's not like, it's not like they're not there and they push the starters. You know what I mean? Like they. I felt like when I was not in the lineup, I felt like it was still my job to get my teammates to the best level that they could. If my, like, for example, if, you needed to work on something specific and I needed to hit certain shots for you to get better, I was going to do that. Like that was my job for the day. And I felt pride in that. And it's like, yeah, it might suck if I'm not playing, but at the same time, I know I have contributed to the team. Like, I'm not backing off of that, you know what I mean? Anya: Yep. And also the coaches see that behavior from you and they're like, she is a team player. She's also still working so hard to help herself and other players. And it puts more trust in you. have more trust in you and you can go on to build better relationships with them, have more open and honest conversations and like increase their good view of you, which like, let's be honest that probably does help you make the lineup at some point. If it comes down to like you and someone else who maybe has a bad attitude or something like they're a hundred percent gonna go with you. For sure. Peyton: Yeah, I, I will always, always give the advice of please keep an open communication line with your coaches. Please like, don't just like wonder what they're thinking. Don't just sit back and be like, ⁓ like, did I do enough there? Like, what else do I need? Like, please just straight up go ask them. It's their job. They probably want to talk to you. You know what I mean? ⁓ and yeah, you know, we've talked about this before. It's like, doing what's best for your team. Sometimes it would be really disheartening to be playing some of your best tennis, in my case, and there might not be a reason to switch up a lineup because the team's doing so well already. And that's something you kind of have to learn to accept. It's like, well, I'm playing like the best. I've ever played, like, why am I not in? And it's like, well, nobody else is losing either and everyone else is playing well. And it's just something that you kind of have to like take a step back. It's like, ⁓ yeah, you're right. And it's like, you know, you're, just focusing on what you control again. And are you doing what you need to do? If you are, then let it go. The rest of it will take course. I mean, ⁓ again, don't want people to get that confused with just sitting back and watching your career go by. That's different. It's about, actively doing something, actively engaging in what you need to do, how to help the team, how to be a leader to potentially get that spot, but also just make your team better at the end of the day. Anya: Yeah. Yep. Cause also like, like we talked about many, many times, you go to enjoy your time at college. You want to enjoy your time at college and you're not going to enjoy your time at college if you're constantly just sitting there feeling bad about not being in the lineup. Right. Right. Like it's again, it's about it's it's control. It's how you react to things. yes, it sucks. My sophomore year I was in the lineup and then I got taken out. Yeah. But it was a different situation because I was actually playing like bad. So like I knew I needed to be taken out. I was really, really bad. ⁓ But obviously, like, it's hard. Like it hurts your ego. We all have. ⁓ God. Right. Like you don't you never want to be taken out, but you kind of have to like sit back and be like, OK, yeah, no, I don't deserve to be in right now, but I'm not going to sit here and just be super negative every single day that goes by. Right. And, you know, I'm just going to like Peyton: Really terrible. Anya: try to enjoy what I can control, right? And it's going to make your experience a lot more enjoyable rather than you being like, why am I not playing? Why am I not playing? I'm never playing. So unfair. I'm never, never, never playing. Peyton: I also feel like it is different with tennis because you are coming from a place where you are playing constantly and as an individual. So you're never gonna be benched in like juniors and things like that. Whereas like in team sports, you might have that scenario happen before college. So it is a bit of a jarring experience when it happens from an individual sport perspective when you are on a college team. And so I almost wish there was like a way that players that were, you know, out of a squad, out of a lineup could still get some sort of competition because it really does hurt your game not playing matches. It really hurts. And I think that's something really hard to get used to when you've been playing so consistently your entire life. And, know, there were some times where I think we would do ⁓ matches that just like didn't count with players. Anya: We did like extra matches. ⁓ Peyton: who were not in the lineup. And I mean, that was nice to actually get, you know, point play, true point play against people that weren't your teammates. And I think that's helpful. But at the same time, you might be doing it on courts like really far away from the actual match. You're like, well, I'm actually not even involved now. Anya: Or like, would again, we would have those double headers, right? Where we would play it. Probably a strong team in the morning and then a less strong team in the afternoon. And, you know, some of the people who hadn't gotten to play as much would play in the afternoon, which I think those were great for getting matches in. But it's like, you can't have them all the time because then the people who are constantly playing, like it's exhausting. Peyton: Yeah. Yeah. You have to play in both double headers. It's like, that is not fun. That is not fun. Yeah. ⁓ ⁓ thinking back just to any injuries that I've had. mean, ⁓ always was one that just had kind of lingering ⁓ that I could kind of get through. ⁓ it wasn't it was like my back or something that ⁓ could play with it because I've been playing it, ⁓ with it my entire life. ⁓ And so I was used to it and I knew how to, you know, manage it. But there there was one injury where I was. This is a funny story, but also it really was not funny at all at the time. when I was going into my junior year of high school, so so the summer before junior year, I hurt my left wrist. And so for those who don't know, like going into your junior year is basically when all of the recruitment starts. Right. And so that was that was how it was. That was pretty much the worst timing to get injured. ⁓ I also I couldn't hit a backhand, which was my best stroke. So that was just like pretty debilitating. And I remember I would, you know, because sometimes university coaches would come and watch you play like at your academy or wherever you trained. And I remember coaches would come and watch me and I would be hitting slice back ends. Anya: Back in our day, that's the way it Peyton: And I'm like, I don't know how my coach is selling me to you right now, I'm like, I'm hitting slice back ends like this whole practice. Like this just looks ridiculous. ⁓ but I mean, the craziest part was I had gotten actually multiple different opinions from doctors on this injury. And a lot of people have different diagnoses. They try different things and at one point actually ended up going to the surgeon and he happened to be like a pretty, you know, high standard. He had worked on some pretty important people in the world. And so was like, ⁓ yeah, this guy knows what he's doing. He looked at my imaging and he was like, yeah, you need surgery. And you know, once we do that, we can just discuss your career from there. I was like, But discussed my career. was like, mean, my parents probably went as pale as a ghost. They were probably just like. Excuse me, because that wasn't even like in the cards from other people. And we were like, yeah, discuss my career. What are you talking about? Because I mean, I mean, I had pretty much almost made it to college. Like, that's what my goal was, was just to get a scholarship to college. And so my parents are probably like, ⁓ my God, like we've put so much into this and this is just gonna destroy it. ⁓ But then I ended up getting another opinion. This is probably like my third or fourth opinion. And I did a PRP injection, which is extremely popular now and highly recommend. My wrist was perfectly fine. Like a few weeks later. Anya: Well that's good. Peyton: So I'm not sure what that person was. Anya: Go back to the surgeon though, like what, what was going on there? Peyton: sure what he was seeing on that imaging but ⁓ Anya: just trying to make some money or something. Peyton: Hey, surgeons want to cut maybe. I feel like. Yeah, I was just like, I mean, I guess the moral of the story there is the lesson of that story is get a second opinion. Get multiple second opinions. But yeah, that was that was a crazy time. I was like, oh, so you mean like the past, I don't know, like eight years meant nothing. Anya: As if they need any more j- Yes. We can discuss what's left of your flimsy career. It's to be like left in shambles. Peyton: Yeah, I was genuinely in shock. In shock. I remember my mom was like trying to like calm me down. I'm like, what? She's like, I don't know how to respond to this. ⁓ Anya: Especially as like a what like 16 year old like getting told you have to get surgery Peyton: Yeah, literally. and it might be career ending, which people do have to deal with that. That is a hundred percent a reality for people. And so I think it is important, you know, talk to the mental performance coaches, talk to support psychologists when you're going through that. If you are going through a career ending injury, please talk to somebody, please talk to somebody because your mental health, no matter how strong you are, I think your mental health is going to be affected in some form or way, you know. Anya: Yeah. Yeah, 100%. And make sure you have a strong support system around you and make sure you have a life outside of athletics to lean back. Peyton: Yeah. Yeah, I 100 % agree with that. And yeah, again, staying grouted in those values and using those values to make those goals, to make those action plans where you can actually figure out the little things that you can do every day that you can accomplish is going to be huge. And I think at end of the day, be kind to yourself. Like, don't beat yourself up. Yeah, it's going to get better. Promise. Anya: Please do your rehab. If you need to do a rehab, please go do it. I'm begging you. Peyton: Your trainer for the love of think I think our old trainers will really appreciate appreciate that message. Anya: like, thank you. Please don't show up to them expecting them to fix everything with one session and you not do anything, please. ⁓ Peyton: Yeah. And you like, well, that's the thing. that's where I bridge gap of physical and mental performance. If you're not doing ⁓ what you need to be in between your sessions. So if you need to be doing your exercises and you'd be doing extra rehab in between your sessions, if you're not doing that, you ain't going to get better. Also, if you're working with a psychologist and mental performance coach, if you're not practicing the skills that they are teaching you, it's probably not going to get better either. ⁓ So I think that's the most important part of working with psychologists, doing the things on your own, because there's only so much that, you know, they can teach you in an hour session that you need to be doing these things every day, every week, whatever they assign you. And I just think that's a little tidbit. had to get out there for a second. Anya: I agree. And it's also not going to happen overnight. You're not going to want to interactively from an injury from one session overnight. You're not going to just completely change your mindset and your mental performance. Yep. From one session overnight. Yeah. It takes practice. It takes time. Yeah. And as humans, we want things to happen immediately. And that's just not the reality of the way. Yeah. That's just not the reality of the way the world normally works. So Peyton: Yeah, it is a process that needs patience and hopefully the stuff we talked about today and the skills that we kind of went through can help you through that. So thanks for listening, guys. I think that's everything for episode eight. And we'll see you next week. Anya: I'm gonna go enjoy my 78 degree day now. Peyton: I love it. Love it. I'm jealous. Bye guys.