How Mindfulness Can Help You During an Injury

  • Apr 28, 2023
An injury can be a difficult and stressful experience, both physically and mentally. The process of healing and recovery can be challenging, and it's important to take care of your whole self—including your mind and body. Practicing mindfulness can help you stay focused on the present moment, reducing stress and anxiety while recovering from an injury. Here are some mindfulness tips to help you not only cope with your injury, but also help you stay present during your recovery.
 
1. Focus on your breath. Diaphragmatic breathing is a great tool for centering oneself, especially during stressful moments.
  • Close your eyes and place one hand on your belly.
  • Breathe deeply, feeling your hand rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.
  • Continue to breathe, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
2. Use visualization techniques. Using your imagination to visualize and focus on something that makes you feel happy can trigger the release of chemicals in your body that can block the feeling of pain or symptoms of stress. Here are some tips to begin a visualization exercise:
  • Make yourself comfortable in a quiet space; this can be seated on a yoga mat, reclining on a bed, or however feels comfortable and relaxing to you.
  • Center yourself by taking a few slow and deep breaths.
  • Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a location that brings you peace: sitting on the beach, enjoying a mountain view, holding a puppy in your lap, etc.
  • Imagine yourself becoming calm and relaxed and pay attention to how your senses can make the scene more present:
    • Do you feel the warmth of the sun on your skin or smell the ocean?
    • Do you feel a refreshing breeze on your face or hear the wind moving through the trees?
  • Remain in this scene until you feel yourself completely relaxed, and know that you can return to this scene in moments of pain or stress.
3. Try a body scan for healing. Body scanning—focusing on each part of your body, slowly—is a common meditation tool, and can be used in a targeted way following injury or during recovery. 
  • Sit or recline in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
  • Begin the body scan by focusing on your breath, and feeling your breath move throughout your body. 
  • Beginning with your toes, visualize a soothing, healing light at each part of your body (progress from feet to calves, thighs, hips, lower back, abdomen, upper back, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, head and face).
  • You may find it helpful to give added focus to the area that is injured, visualizing the healing of that part of the body. 
4. Consider using a relaxation response. A relaxation response—a word, phrase, prayer, mantra—is a helpful mindfulness tool. This practice can be as simple as recalling the response in a moment of pain or stress. The relaxation response should be personal and resonate with you, but her are some suggested responses to get you started:
  • “This pain is temporary and I will get through it.”
  • “I am strong and capable of healing.”
  • “I am grateful for my body and all that it does for me.”
  • “I am taking the necessary steps to heal.”
  • “Every day, I am getting stronger and closer to healing.”
  • “Healing is a journey I am on.”
5. Explore aromatherapy. Researchers have investigated the benefit from the use of aromatherapy and shared that there are positive physiological effects when used. Essential oils can be applied in bath water, diffused in the air or applied to the skin in a roller ball. If you’d like to apply the oil to your skin, perform a patch test to make sure your skin will tolerate the oil. Here are some recommended oils to consider in your healing journey:
Experiencing an injury and recovering from treatment can not only affect our bodies, but can also impact our mental wellbeing. Applying mindfulness is a useful practice to manage stress and pain, and can help remain present during injury and recovery.