What keeps Michelle Akers coming injury after injury, illness after illness, and illness after injury? Akers — who has had 13 knee operations, has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and recently recovered from breaking several bones in her face — set forth some sound principles for recovery physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Michelle says:
I think some of the keys to coming back quickly and wholly are fundamental:
1. Endure the initial crisis.
Here's what usually happens. I am playing like a maniac and all of a sudden I go down with an injury. Some are worse than others. Some are more dramatic. Whatever the case, I don't expect to get hurt. One minute I am playing soccer, and the next I am being carried off on a stretcher or limping to the locker room. Life stops for a second and my
reality has changed in an instant. During this crazy time, the important thing is to get treatment for the immediate injury (whether it be going to the ER, having surgery, seeing an orthopedic doctor, or getting to a physical therapist). Find out what the problem is, begin treatment to minimize the trauma, and get things under control. Stay calm. Don't freak out. Get past the emergency of the
moment.
2. Chill out and see what happens.
After the initial flurry of triage, treatment, transport, ER, etc., it is important to stay calm and relax, let the docs do their job, ask questions when appropriate, and just wait. Years ago, I would freak out not so much because of the pain, but because I feared or understood the lengthy rehab process that was to follow the initial injury. Along with that, I took the doctors worst case scenario of one of the possible diagnosis as Bible truth and immediately my mind would fly to the surgery needed to fix everything, the months of tedious rehab needed to recover, and how long I would be out. Let me just say this, don't go there. Wait to see what is really going on and then, take it one step at a time. Keep your mind on the present and although, it is important to hear the information the experts offer, never put too much stock into how slowly (or quickly) your body will recover. Doctors and physical therapists (PT's) can give you a ball park idea as to when you
will come back, but they have been wrong before and might be wrong again . . .and besides, God is the only one who really knows. So, this is a good time to just wait and see what the injury is, what rehab entails, and how your body responds and recovers.
3. Cultivate and maintain a comeback mentality.
OK, so now it is post surgery, post emergency, or whatever, and it is rehab time. Depending on the seriousness of the injury, it could be weeks or months before the injury is healed. Early in my career I used to practically blow up knowing I couldn't get out on the field. All I could think about was how slow the time was passing, how much I was missing, and how far I had to go to come back. It ate me up inside. I hated every moment and could think of nothing but how quickly (or slowly) I could get back in action. Now, it's a whole different story. I have discovered so many rich things from being injured that I now have learned to relax and actually enjoy the process of my rehab and recovery time. Here are some tips: Find a good PT and start focusing on the work at hand. Immerse and commit yourself to rehab and if possible supplement your training with other activities (i.e., swimming, biking, horsebackriding, rollerblading, etc.). Focus on what you can do instead of what you can't. Start looking at the other parts of your life you have been ignoring because of your time commitment to sport. It could be spending more time with family, getting to books you've been meaning to read, seeing people you've been wanting to see, renting movies, learning to cook, visiting sick kids in the hospital, speaking to your church youth group or an FCA huddle, walking your dog, getting to that project that's been there since last year, whatever. Don't mope and submerge yourself in the tragedy of your situation. Look outside yourself. Get involved with others. Take advantage of the time off and do something productive. Re-evaluate your life and get busy in the parts of yourself that have been neglected. I also think it's important to stay connected with your team. It might be easier to not see them or go to training, but it is a good reminder as to what you are working so hard in rehab for in the first place and it will also keep you in the loop with team training, sagas, and season. You might not be out on the field, but your presence can still be felt and you are still a part of the team.
4. Face and overcome fear, pain, and uncertainty.
When I broke several bones in my face, lots of people asked if I was afraid to get back in the thick of things again. Heck no. Not for an instant. First of all, I'm not gonna be stupid. I am not jumping back into action before I am physically ready. However, when I am ready, it will take a bit of time before I am really ‘game ready' both physically and mentally. There still is a time when the doc says you are ready and your body has mended, but your mind isn't so sure. So, be gentle. Don't force it. When I do get back in the field, I play simple and progress slowly with intensity and competitiveness until I am ready to rock and roll again. Some people are able to move to this stage quicker and others, well, it takes a little longer. Don't worry. Do what you are able and soon you will get caught up in the action and find yourself tackling and taking on just like old times. There also comes a point where after a serious injury some might ask is it worth it? Is it worth it to risk going through another injury and lengthy recovery like this again? Don't shy away from answering honestly. Most of the time, the pain and trauma of the injury has melted into the background of our minds, but sometimes, it's may not be worth it. Be honest with yourself and take care in being sure you want to be out there again. Being healed both physically and emotionally is equally important. If
one is there and the other isn't then, don't put yourself into a situation that could cause a set back.
5. Do business with God.
God does great work when we are side-lined—if we let Him. Here are some goals to shoot for:
· Yield to God's sovereignty. God knows what's up with you, has allowed you to be in this situation for a reason (in fact it is perfect for what He want's to do with you), and wants you to run to Him. Seek Him. Look for Him. Listen to Him. Wait for Him. Be confident of His presence, stand on His promises, know His timing is perfect, and trust God is in control.
· Yield to God's timing. God has something specifically in mind for you (and others) during this time. Don't try to hurry past or out of your situation. When I try to rush my recovery, bad things happen. Yield to His perfect will for you and the timing of His choice to act, heal, and train you.
· Yield to God's training regimen. God uses adversity to build patience, endurance, hope, our faith, and ultimately, Christ-like character. Adversity exposes us and draws us closer to God. It causes us to see the truth about our hearts, faith, character, frail bodies, and lack of resources. Adversity builds our faith. When we discover that we are lacking in multiple areas or take a look at the shallowness of the things we trust and rely upon, then we start to depend on and love God in greater measure. Adversity makes us tough. God doesn't want you to be a wimp and His training program is relentlessly moving us toward becoming a champion warrior. If you've never tasted battle, then how can you fight? If you lack endurance, how can you persevere? The sooner we seek to get in line with God's training regimen, the sooner we will overcome our present situation and be able to take on the next challenge.
· Yield to God's blessings and resources. Paul said it many times, even though he suffered tremendously, he was content and even joyful in any situation. How? Honestly, it is hard to explain and you won't understand it totally unless you've experienced it personally, but when we are suffering or facing difficulty, God pours huge amounts of grace, peace, strength, and joy
into our hearts so we will glorify Him and know Him better. The trick is allowing God to bestow these gifts upon you. Many times, we are so caught up in feeling sorry for ourselves or avoiding the pain, we miss God's incredible gifts and resources. God has you here for a reason and has what it takes for you to overcome and thrive. It is up to us to accept His promises and make
them real in our lives.
Basically, it's all about yielding to God's will and being able to and willing
to receive His promises and resources, and being flexible in looking for and
allowing God to work in our lives no matter what my situation. God has us out
of action for a reason. The time he has us side-lined is often a time to re-
focus, gain a new perspective, gather strength, and prepare for something in
the future.
