Written by Marcus Alston founder of Alston for Athletes
Reconnecting your mind and body after an injury is something that often seems to get overlooked. Student athletes, coaches, and administration need to understand that your mental is just as important as your physical. For many student athletes, the severity of an injury is something unlike what they’ve experienced in the past, so this can directly impact their mental health!
As a former Division 1 Tight End, I found myself dealing with injuries and mental health issues. I was put through 3 major foot construction surgeries when I was just 17 years old due to a Lisfranc fracture during my Senior Homecoming game. This directly impacted my mental health because I was no longer getting recruited by some of my dream schools. Football was my entire life, I had no identity when it was taken away from me!
It took me until my Junior year of college to see the playing field. I had a lot of rust to shake off given I had scar tissue and metal in my foot. This wasn’t a pleasant experience given that breaking down scar tissue feels like reinjury. This was a mental battle that I had to overcome, my mind and body were no longer aligned!
I had such a negative way of thinking that I was beginning to lose confidence in my playing capabilities. I would always be afraid of reinjury that I was putting myself at even more of a risk because I wasn’t playing to my full capabilities. The negative way of thinking made me believe that I wasn’t fully recovered from my injury, but in reality I did because I was well over a year post-operation.
Overcoming this mental challenge helped me push my limits! It’s taught me the power of positive affirmations. By switching my negative way of thinking to a more positive way, definitely helped me realign my mind and body after my injury…. If there is anyone out there dealing with a similar situation, remember, “all it takes is all you got!”
About Alston for Athletes
Marcus Alston founded Alston for Athletes in 2019 with one major goal: he didn’t want student athletes to go through what he endured without a support system. Alston for Athletes is a comprehensive sports mentoring program that offers student athletes a variety of services to help them succeed academically and athletically. They are fully committed to the success of student athletes on and off the field. The organization’s mission is to help student athletes improve self-esteem and social competence by emphasizing strong physical, emotional, and mental health awareness. For more information visit alstonforathletes.org.