When at work we tend to spend our time worrying about deadlines, our boss and probably what we’ll have for lunch. We generally don’t think about the risk of injury in the workplace. Ideally, your employer will have lots of precautions and procedures in place to make your workplace as safe as possible, but this is not always the case. While some injuries are minor, others can have serious consequences and may mean that we need to take a long period of time off. In that scenario, how can we stay motivated?
Tips to Stay Motivated After an Injury
Here are some tips to help you stay motivated while recovering from a workplace injury.
1. Get Plenty of Rest
The key to recovery is plenty of sleep and rest. This gives your mind and body time and energy to repair what has been damaged. Stress can interfere with your immune system so try to find an activity that helps you to unwind. This could be reading a book, watching a TV series, listening to music or even breathing techniques, but the key is to minimize your stress hormones.
2. No Need to Peer Into the Past
Yes, I know. It is really very hard to wash out the whole incident of injury from your mind and turn over a new leaf. But, recalling it time again and again and remembering the pre-injury days too often will only aggravate the situation. It will only make you tense and you will have to fight with yourself for nothing productive.
“All the efforts of your doctors and caretakers may go wasted if you stay in the past.”
You can never change your past whether or not you like it. You will also never like that your future should be determined from the perspective of your injury. Of course, you will prefer new goals of health and progress to sticking to the thoughts and analysis of a past injury.
3. Keep a Good Track Record of Your Improvement
After a severe injury, the rate of mental and physical recovery is usually slow. This sometimes may demoralize you as well. There may mount up an acute pressure and worry on your mind that you are not improving at a good pace.
To avoid such a nuisance, you may develop a motivational chart to keep a good record of your gradual improvement. It may track:
- Your gain in power.
- The ability to perform the things you were not able to do last week.
- The cardiac strength you have acquired this week.
- The fluctuations regarding your blood pressure, etc.
This visual reminder will keep you motivated towards returning to your normal lifestyle and as soon as possible.
4. Handle the Root of Your Injury
If your injury is not by some sudden collapse or an accident, you must focus on its root cause very logically. Unless you remove the root cause, there are great chances of its recurrence. Discuss with your doctor in detail the track history of your root cause and its current status. Be patient and courageous while dealing with this aspect of your recovery.
“No issue can be solved if its roots are still there.”
Possibly, you may not be aware of the root which caused your injury. For example, muscular imbalance over the months or even years may lead to a sudden fall. By diagnosing the basic source with the help of your doctor, you can control it more efficiently and decrease the possibility of its recurrence.
5. Keep the Process of Recovery Slow
After a few days, you may feel much fitter and sense the urge to pick up things where you left them off. But, it never means that you should actually go for it the same day. Come back to your normal track cautiously and gradually. Also, be slow in evaluating the intensity and the time span of your workouts.
Remember, “Slow and steady always wins the race.”
The standard of your good recovery should not be how quickly you have recovered but should be how solidly and consistently you have regained your normal routine. Anyways, best of luck to all undergoing recovery.
6. Check if You Are Eligible for Compensation
Injuries sustained in the workplace may be eligible for compensation which could cover lost earnings and/or your medical costs. If you have suffered a serious injury such as a head injury. You could be entitled to a significant amount of money because of the high-risk nature of trauma to the skull. Why not use your sick leave to find out if you’re eligible for head injury workers’ compensation settlement and get the claim process started?
7. Stay in Touch With Your Employer
Being off work for a prolonged period of time can be stressful in itself. Particularly if you enjoy your career and have a high level of responsibility. It might be helpful to keep in touch with your manager and possibly some colleagues to keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening there. This could be on a weekly or monthly basis but should come from you as your employer may be worried about appearing to pressure you into working.
8. Plan a Trip to Look Forward to
Having a goal or a project to focus on can really boost your mood and help you to see past your present situation, so why not start planning a trip you can take when you’re fully recovered? Just thinking about what you’ll do and see can help to reduce your stress levels.
9. Keep Your Mind Busy
Feelings of boredom and frustration are very possible when we take a long time off from work. These feelings can often develop into a loss of purpose and we may even start to lose confidence in our abilities. Try to keep your mind busy by taking up a new hobby, writing a diary or some short stories. Some people even decide to take an online course in order to further their career or simply to learn more about a topic they are interested in personally.
10. Stay Connected to Be Motivated
Taking time off can not only affect us professionally, but it can also isolate us from regular human interaction. If you can organize meet-ups with friends and family it can help to boost your mood and keep you motivated. Social media can also enable you to stay connected with the world. If you’re not up to seeing people in person or find it difficult to leave the house.