“It's so important to pay attention to how you are talking to yourself, because your words influence everything. So you really need to understand your self-talk and start to dive into it a little bit and know, OK, is the way I'm talking to myself right now—is that helping me or is that actually hurting me?”

 

Imagine you’re walking past two sets of coaches and athletes on the tennis court, track, or soccer pitch. One coach is yelling at an athlete for her poor performance, telling her it’s all her fault and she’ll never improve. The other is offering encouraging words, letting the athlete know she may have fallen short this time, but if she tries again, success is achievable. 

 

Which coach would you rather play for—and which athlete do you predict will do better in the long run?

 

Most of us would gravitate toward a leader who’s empathetic and builds athletes up rather than tearing them down. But so often, and especially when we’re injured, we serve as our own nightmare coach—blaming ourselves for any setback and constantly pointing out our own shortcomings.

 

Co-host and mental skills coach Carrie Jackson sees this all the time in her clients, and now, we’re dedicating a whole episode to turning this equation around. Your self-talk matters, and there are many ways to notice that inner dialogue and shift it so you’re nourishing your inner athlete, rather than feeding the monster of self-doubt and criticism.

 

New this season: We’re asking listeners to support the show directly, which you can do at buymeacoffee.com/rebound. Make a one-time donation or download extras like webinar recordings and resource sheets. Or, you can join as an ongoing member; for $10 a month, you’ll get goodies like podcast extras, live monthly Q&As with Carrie, and discounts from great companies like Fluid Running, Lever Movement, Netic Health, and Reflex Health.   

 

You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show.

 

Resources/links:

• Rebound worksheets, which include several of the exercises we mention
• The Queen’s University study that quantifies the number of thoughts we have per day (more than 6,000!)

 

To access more resources for injured athletes:

• Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!
• Join The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for news and updates
• Join The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group, for support and camaraderie
• Like The Injured Athletes Club Podcast Facebook page, for the latest episodes
• Email us at [email protected] with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback

 

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.