Guest Blog: Injured, But Not Just Physically
The Mental Struggle Athletes Don't Talk About Enough
By Aubrey McLin | @thewallmclin
In sports, physical injuries are expected. There's a process. Rest, rehab, recover. But what we don't talk about nearly enough is the mental side of injury, how it can chip away at an athlete's confidence, their identity, and sense of purpose.
We need to get to a place in sports where mental recovery is treated as equally important as physical recovery. They should go hand in hand. Because the truth is, most injuries don't stop at the body. They hit the mind too.
As a goalkeeper, the health of my hands and fingers is everything. Last season, I broke a finger and sprained my wrist at the same time. The doctor told me I'd be out for six weeks. Having to be away from the pitch for six weeks, from training, from what I loved most, I did not know how to process that. Soccer is my outlet, my routine, my focus, and just like that, it was gone.
That's when I realized how quickly a physical injury can become a mental one.
I was out for just over a month. But I kept thinking about all the athletes who are sidelined for six months, a year, or even longer, players recovering from ACL tears or back-to-back surgeries. The toll that it takes mentally is massive. And yet, mental health often becomes an afterthought in recovery.
We're expected to be tough. To push through. But it's not about toughness, it's about honesty. We can't just ice the injury and hope the mind heals on its own.
The same way we physically rehabilitate something, athletes require mental support during recuperation from an injury. Mental health should not be treated as an optional add-on or cared for exclusively when deemed necessary. What starts as a torn muscle or broken bone can lead to isolation, anxiety, and loss of identity, and that's a much harder recovery without the right support.
If we want to protect athletes, we have to treat the whole person, not just the body and the craft, but the mind.
During my injury, I had to figure out ways to stay not just busy but connected, even when I couldn't play. How did I stay busy during my injury period? Since I couldn't play soccer, I wrote about it, articles on being a student-athlete, and my own experiences about this. I helped train younger players, including my sister, so even though I couldn't compete myself, I could help others improve. I also shifted my focus to fitness, working more on my legs and core.
How did I stay engaged with my teammates during the injury? Being a team captain gave me a role beyond playing. I focused more on setting up and taking down training equipment, shagging balls, and being there to cheer my teammates on during practices and games. Staying part of the team's energy mattered a lot.
If you're an athlete currently going through an injury or recovery, here's my advice: be okay with going through the five stages of grief. You're grieving the temporary loss of the thing you love, and that's normal. But don't get stuck there. Remember, it's not forever. Ask for support from others who've gone through similar experiences, but avoid getting caught up in comparing your timeline to theirs. That one is really tough. Everyone's healing journey is different.
There are so many resources and in fact more than you might think to help athletes through injuries and recovery periods. What resources are available to youth, high school, and college athletes to support mental health? There are mentors through platforms like Girls Soccer Network and Female Footballers, peer mentoring programs at schools, and workout groups at local gyms where injured athletes focus on rehab and strength. Podcasts where athletes share their injury and comeback stories helped me realize I wasn't alone and hearing that made a real difference.
Before facing an injury, a lot of players like myself have certain fears. Some common misconceptions players might have going into an injury period, the biggest one, is thinking you'll never come back the same, or that you'll fall behind everyone else's development. It's easy to let those doubts creep in. I know I did. But you have to trust your process. You have to try and remember that you were strong before your injury and you'll come back even stronger because you fought through adversity.
What can teammates do to support a fellow teammate and athlete dealing with a long-term injury? For me, it was the small things, teammates making me laugh, keeping things light, and also just being there to listen when I needed to vent or express frustration. Little moments of connection helped me feel like I was still part of the team even when I couldn't suit up.
Injuries take a lot from athletes, but they can also teach us resilience, patience, and gratitude. Recovery isn't just about healing your body; it's about healing your mind, too.
Aubrey McLin a high school goalkeeper, passionate about playing soccer, writing about the game, and advocating for supporting the whole person, not just the athlete. To read more from Aubrey, check out her linktree and follow her on Instagram @thewallmclin.
For more on the injury recovery journey, check out this blog with physical therapist and sports scientist, Dr. Nicole Surdyka.