Sport Injury Archives - Reaching Ahead Counseling and Mental Performance

Mindfulness In Injury Rehabilitation: Helping Athletes Heal in the Present
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Mindfulness In Injury Rehabilitation: Helping Athletes Heal in the Present

Career, Life, Mental Health, Mental Skills, Other, Performance, Sport Injury

Mindfulness In Injury Rehabilitation: Helping Athletes Heal in the Present

When athletes are sidelined by injury, their minds often race backward and forward—replaying the moment of injury, worrying about lost progress, or fearing re-injury. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can be powerful tools for helping them return to the present moment and reconnect with their bodies during rehabilitation. Staying Present During Recovery Injured athletes frequently find themselves stuck between past and [...]

2025-11-04T19:21:40+00:00By timothyherzog|Career, Life, Mental Health, Mental Skills, Other, Performance, Sport Injury|

Handling Uncertainty Like a Pro
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Handling Uncertainty Like a Pro

Career, Life, Mental Health, Mental Skills, Other, Performance, Sport Injury

Handling Uncertainty Like a Pro

Uncertainty is a constant in our lives—whether you're an athlete, other high-performer, or navigating everyday life. It shows up in our work, relationships, sports, health, society, environment, etc. It shows up everywhere and can come out of nowhere. At times, uncertainty can feel paralyzing and stop us in our tracks. At other times, uncertainty can feel like an annoyingly [...]

2025-07-07T23:55:50+00:00By jacquelinekdouglas|Career, Life, Mental Health, Mental Skills, Other, Performance, Sport Injury|

Are Sport Injuries Contagious?
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Are Sport Injuries Contagious?

Mental Health, Performance, Sport Injury, Teams

Are Sport Injuries Contagious?

How does one athlete’s injury and fear of re-injury affect teammates? In sports like acrobatic gymnastics, group members rely on each other to perform each skill in their routine, and to perform them safely. Season-ending and other traumatic injuries can potentially affect everyone, both psychologically and in terms of performance. Naturally, observing it can lead to unintentionally rehearsing (mentally) [...]

2021-04-27T18:54:27+00:00By Becca Beauchemin|Mental Health, Performance, Sport Injury, Teams|

Simple & Effective Practices for Performance Enhancement
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Simple & Effective Practices for Performance Enhancement

Career, Lacrosse, Mental Skills, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams

Simple & Effective Practices for Performance Enhancement

Below are some of the mental skills practices that we regularly train for resilience and performance. They can be used in isolation or integrated as you hone the skills! Paced Breathing There is much research that supports the impact our breath has on our ability to perform. Practicing paced breathing regularly (per the guidance of a biofeedback expert such [...]

2020-12-22T18:56:50+00:00By Alex Oldham|Career, Lacrosse, Mental Skills, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams|

Crossing the Sport Career Finish Line
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Crossing the Sport Career Finish Line

Career, Lacrosse, Life, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams

Crossing the Sport Career Finish Line

Like it or not, all sport careers eventually end. Age, injury, family decisions, or other factors will determine how your competitive athletic career will end or be adapted. Like many athletes, especially elites, you may feel that the transition is abrupt. Your life and identity may revolve around sport. Your loss may cause emotional, financial, or personal challenges that [...]

2020-02-01T16:35:34+00:00By Alex Oldham|Career, Lacrosse, Life, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams|

Growing Up Well-Rounded: Developing a Multidimensional Identity
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Growing Up Well-Rounded: Developing a Multidimensional Identity

Career, Lacrosse, Life, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams

Growing Up Well-Rounded: Developing a Multidimensional Identity

“Who am I?” “Who do I want to be?” These are questions commonly asked by adolescents as they work to form their self-identity. Between pre-teen and young adulthood, life is riddled with decisions regarding paths and roles. Young people may find themselves identifying as a “kid”, “a student”, and a “friend” during this time. Some pursue sports, music, or [...]

2020-02-01T16:06:50+00:00By Alex Oldham|Career, Lacrosse, Life, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams|

Physical Injury, Mental Pain
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Physical Injury, Mental Pain

Lacrosse, Mental Skills, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams

Physical Injury, Mental Pain

Emotional pain from your injury will typically heal once rehab is complete. When emotional changes trickle into life outside of sport, lasting beyond rehab, you may be showing signs of greater mental health concerns. If you’re struggling with mental health issues post-injury, you are not alone. Frances Altick, a professional and NCAA tennis champion struggled with intense depression, anxiety, [...]

2019-07-19T20:58:19+00:00By Alex Oldham|Lacrosse, Mental Skills, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams|

Mental Imagery and Injury: Using your mind to heal your body
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Mental Imagery and Injury: Using your mind to heal your body

Lacrosse, Mental Skills, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams

Mental Imagery and Injury: Using your mind to heal your body

You’ve probably heard of mental imagery for performance training. This well-researched technique enhances performance by “practicing” technical skills (in the mind’s eye) and simulating environments to boost familiarity in specific contexts (e.g., a soccer field in France, a sailing venue in Tokyo, or a basketball court in the next town over). Imagery also improves motivation, reduces competitive anxiety, and [...]

2019-07-05T12:36:39+00:00By Alex Oldham|Lacrosse, Mental Skills, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams|

Emotions: The Mental “Ouch” from Injury
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Emotions: The Mental “Ouch” from Injury

Lacrosse, Life, Mental Skills, Performance, Sailing, Sport Injury, Swimming, Teams

Emotions: The Mental “Ouch” from Injury

Athletic injuries can take a toll, not just on the body, but also on the psyche. For some athletes, their identity revolves around their sport; being injured can lead to feeling lost and big questions such as “Who am I?” Why are your emotional reactions to injury important? The body is attached to the brain and the heart. In [...]