You have been training hard and you are rocking every move! And then BAM, an injury takes you out. Unfortunately in life there are unpredictable injuries. There are countless exercises and precautions that can be taken to avoid getting hurt, but that doesn’t always stop fate from intervening. The injury might not even happen at the studio, but it can still affect or prevent you from participating in classes. The discouragement from the set back of an injury is often times the reason why many quit their choice of exercise.
There are hardships, setbacks, and just plain bad luck in everyone’s lives. It is incredibly discouraging when your training is going well and then it is interrupted by an injury. Whether it is an injury that takes you away for a week or a year, it can take a toll on your mental health. The injury is preventing you from doing what you love and what identifies you. I am an aerialist, but with an injury that keeps me from the studio, what am I?
Some aerialists find it easier to quit due to an injury to protect themselves from the pain of trying to get back to the level they were performing at. Some view it as “I wasted all of that time training just to get injured.” The successful people view it as “I spent all of that time training and I learned what to do and what not to do. I can come back even stronger this time.”
Some aerialists may encounter serious injuries that prevent them from doing everything they once were able to do, but that doesn’t mean they have to give up forever. If you are no longer able to do certain moves on one side, your other side will become damn strong instead, opportunity side or not. If you can’t climb a pole anymore, you can still dance. Dance your heart out! Find things you can do and perfect them. The possibilities in the pole/aerial world are endless. Just because you have an injury doesn’t mean the road is closed. You may just need to take a detour or create a new path to follow.
Every injury is just a bump in the road that is a learning experience. An injury is not a reason to quit; it is an excuse. Try not to let the injury be a failure, but instead make it your reason to be stronger. You shouldn’t want someone or something to tell you when to quit something you are passionate about. You are the only one who should decide if you are ready to stop training. It may not be easy recovering from an injury, but if you love the pole/aerial there is always a way to have it in your life