The Road Less Spoken: A Cyclist’s Guide to Emotional Recovery
Recovery from a cycling injury traditionally includes physical rehabilitation, such as mending bones, healing skin, and regaining strength.
However, the journey doesn’t end with physical recovery.
For many cyclists, the psychological impact of an accident can impair physical recovery and linger long after the wounds have healed.
This post delves into the often-overlooked cognitive and emotional aspects of recovery.
It will offer insights and strategies to help injured cyclists reclaim their strength, joy, and confidence on the bike.
Understanding the Psychological Impact
In the beginning, injury and the need for physical mending kept us off our bikes.
In the long term, stuck emotions stored in our body create tension and avoidance.
Our head does its best to make sense of the event but makes false stories and narratives with little or no supporting evidence.
Cycling accidents can leave more than just physical scars; they can also lead to chronic psychological distress.
These include symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
These conditions are characterized by intrusive thoughts, becoming easily startled, mood and sleep disturbances, and avoidance behaviors.
These can significantly impair our ability to function, perform at work, impact our quality of life and hinder a return to the bike.
Did you know:
We can experience trauma directly or through hearing others relive it. This is called vicarious trauma.
Trauma impacts not only the cyclist who experienced the crash but also their family, teammates, the cycling community, and their neighbors and coworkers.
Also, understand that the first trauma is the crash. The second trauma is the surgery/surgeries.
After a crash, we need to recover from both.
Acknowledging Traumas Impact
The first step towards cognitive and emotional healing is fully acknowledging over time the trauma and its impact on your life and on your loved ones.
It’s essential to recognize that feelings of fear, sadness, anger, anxiety, and reluctance to get back on the bike are normal responses to trauma.
Holding space for these emotions rather than avoiding them is crucial to your recovery.
Starting the Road to Healing
1. CREATING A BASE OF SAFETY
Your nervous system is continuing to experience the trauma after the accident. This is held as tension in your body.
In order to help your nervous system regulate and begin releasing that tension, the peace of your environment and self-care practices are key.
Focus on relationships. Safe and authentic connection to your people (family, friends, and fellow cyclists) matters greatly.
This communicates to your nervous system that the traumatic event is over and that you are safe in the here and now.
This will give your body and mind the chance to eventually process and grieve the trauma.
2. RIDE THE WAVES OF EMOTION
It is key that you redirect your body and mind to the safety of your environment, letting each know everything here and now is safe.
Be gentle with yourself, extending yourself patience, compassion, and grace. As we Therapists say, “No shame or blame.”
There are times when we, as endurance athletes, benefit from engaging in intensity. This is not one of those times.
3, ACCEPTING THE VISITORS AND OUR PROCESS
We view emotional experiences as “Visitors,” acknowledging the emotion's presence and allowing them to transit through.
This is done without interpretation or judgment.
Take the stand that all emotions and thoughts are visitors passing through.
No thoughts or feelings are “good” or “bad.”
We thank them for visiting.
We do not repress or avoid. This will only amplify the pain over time.
We do not choose when or where our mind and body need to process the event.
You can hand over control, centering the value of vulnerability, and not lose your agency or safety.
As we process/relive traumatic experiences, our mind can’t distinguish between the memories of trauma and our present experience.
They are one and the same in that moment.
But by using the following techniques, you can start to reduce that reactivity and remind yourself that you are safe.
4. GUIDE YOURSELF BACK
Grounding techniques can help bring the mind back to focusing its attention on the safety of the present.
As we feel safe in the now, our body can start to release.
When our body releases, it tells our heart that it is safe to feel the primary emotions of fear and sadness.
As we ground, we make progress in remembering the distressing experiences, responding rather than reacting.
This is called a corrective experience.
This is healing. This is our aim.
On the other side of these corrective experiences is the empowered version of us.
Let’s go over some examples…
A grounding technique you can use is called the Five Senses Grounding Technique:
Take 5 deep breaths (in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, out for 7 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, repeat).
Look around you and name 4 things that you can see right now
Name 3 things you can touch right now
Name 2 things you hear right now
Name 1 thing you can smell right now
Now hold up your hand, and for each of your five fingers, recall a memory of nostalgia:
Relive an experience that includes a smell, evoking nostalgia (the sea, a childhood meal, jet plane exhaust, evoking freedom of travel, etc.)
Relive an experience that includes sounds, evoking nostalgia (singing, music, laughter, a mountain creek, etc.)
Relive an experience that includes a taste, evoking nostalgia (a meal made by a loved one, trying a new food for the first time, etc.)
Relive an experience that includes touch, evoking nostalgia (textures of bedding, clothing, childhood toys, etc.)
Relive an experience that includes a view, evoking nostalgia (sunset, full moon rises, family at Christmas in post-meal conversations or games, etc.)
The best grounding will not only bring you back but also remind you that this temporary experience hasn’t taken over your life.
It is an invitation to accept the present without making judgments or hasty decisions.
5. IDENTIFYING AND CHALLENGING NEGATIVE BELIEFS
Traumatic experiences can alter your perceptions, leading to negative beliefs about yourself, your abilities, and the world around you.
It’s important to identify these beliefs and challenge them.
Ask yourself whether these thoughts are based on facts or if they are distorted by traumatic events.
Ask if this recent event is “tagging in” other experiences where safety was lost, making the reactions even more intense.
Acknowledging these experiences and adjusting your mindset can help you develop a more balanced and positive outlook.
Redirecting to affirming personal statements based on good evidence can provide a counterweight to the shame and blame narratives.
Here are some examples to get you started:
I am more than my cycling performance; my worth is intrinsic and unchanging."
"My resilience in the face of adversity shows my true strength, not the accidents I encounter."
"I am loved and valued for who I am, not for my achievements and experiences on the bike."
"Every challenge I face is an opportunity to be more compassionate towards myself."
"My journey is unique, and my pace towards recovery is perfect for me."
"I give myself permission to feel fear and to take all the time that I need to heal."
"My skills as a cyclist are not diminished by an accident; they are enhanced by my courage to overcome and return."
"I trust in my ability to rebuild my confidence at a patient pace."
"The understanding and support of my family, friends, and community are given unconditionally."
"I recognize that vulnerability is a strength, connecting me more deeply with others."
"I embrace each ride as a new beginning, a chance to enjoy the journey without fear or pre-judgment."
"My presence matters. I am deserving of inclusion, regardless of how fast I ride or how many miles I cover."
"The accident is a chapter in my story. It does not define the entirety of my cycling journey or my life."
"I am courageous for getting back on my bike, showing myself that fear does not have the final say."
In addition to self-affirming statements, corrective statements can help us redirect from stories that no longer serve us.
Some unhelpful thoughts and corrective statements include:
Thought: "If I avoid cycling, I'll avoid the anxiety."
Correction: Avoidance may temporarily reduce anxiety but can reinforce fear in the long term. Gradual exposure and confronting fears can lead to long-term healing.
Thought: "Feeling fear means I'm weak."
Correction: Feeling fear is a natural response to trauma. Acknowledging and working through fear is a sign of strength and the path toward recovery.
Thought: "I must get back to cycling immediately to prove I'm okay."
Correction: Recovery takes time, and it's important to progress at a pace that feels right for you, utilizing coping strategies and professional support as needed.
6. BUILDING RELAXATION INTO YOUR ROUTINE
Incorporate relaxation techniques such as the emotional freedom technique (EFT Tapping), progressive muscle relaxation, and trauma-informed yoga into your practice.
These practices can help alleviate physical tension and reduce anxiety, facilitating a smoother recovery process.
7. ENGAGING IN MENTAL REHEARSAL
Visualizing yourself cycling confidently and safely can reinforce positive outcomes.
Mental rehearsal helps prepare the mind for actual participation in cycling, reducing fear and building confidence.
See in your mind’s eye with the absence of thought in your head, your body's intuition processing without your awareness, the eagerness, confidence, and optimism in your heart as your hands softly hold the bars, and your breathing is flowing without hesitation, moving fully in and out.
8. Gradual Exposure
Returning to cycling should be a gradual, intentional process.
Get clear on your why. Identify your core values that would be jeopardized if you weren’t riding. E.g., Friendship, exploration, health, etc.
You are mitigating risks as best as possible while still releasing outcomes, acknowledging that you influence what you are able to do, and surrendering the rest.
Start your recovery with a trainer if possible.
Graduate to a quiet trail or road with little or no turns, bumps, or traffic. A first ride is a successful ride.
You are not out there to “build back”. You are there to let your body know it’s safe to relax.
Relaxing will come to ride after ride.
Praise your body for its release of tension.
Fill your head with narratives of praise, reinforcing the stories that honor you.
Allowing your heart to fully experience gratitude, joy, and peace.
Gradual exposure helps reduce fear and anticipation by allowing you to regain confidence in a controlled manner.
If anyone asks when you’re “coming back,” let them know, “Thank you for asking! My body’s in charge of that timeline, and I’m doing my best to honor that. If cycling still serves me, I’ll be excited to come back when appropriate and in my own way.”
9. Seeking Professional Support
Best outcomes can come from the support and good guidance of a Provider.
A change agent who’s spent many years and worked with hundreds of clients focused on helping others make this transition successfully.
If you find that mental and emotional barriers are preventing you from returning to the bike, consider seeking support from a professional familiar with athletes, high-achievers, and their specific needs.
Embracing the Journey
Recovery is a personal journey that takes time, patience, and self-compassion.
Remember, it’s not just about getting back on the bike; it’s about experiencing this transition with confidence in spite of all the variables.
By addressing both the physical and psychological aspects of recovery, you can emerge stronger, more resilient, and more connected to the joy of cycling than ever before.
Want to learn more about how I can help you on your journey? Let’s jump on a free consultation call and see how I can help you navigate this recovery!
Email me at ryan@cyclesoflifecounseling.com
Or click on the “request appointment” link via the homepage
With gratitude,
Ryan
AKA the.cycling.therapist