Handouts

Creating safe environmental challenges—Experiencing challenges builds mental toughness, but when recovering from an injury, the availability for that is not as abundant. By using other resources, returning to sport will feel more natural.

This activity could be used when building up to return to play and with more complex sport specific drills, so return to competition is more comfortable.
 

Challenge versus threat—Increasing self-awareness of what feelings of challenge versus threat are can help for when an athletes is in a threat reaction situation to find other emotions to try and emulate.

This handout should be given to athletes early on in rehab so they can build the skill to improve their cognitive appraisals.

Worksheets

Growing through rehab—help to recognize how a person grows through rehab and overcame challenges they faced.

This worksheet should be done towards the end of rehab so that athletes can reflect on the work and progress they made through rehab, and how that will benefit their return to sport.

If, then—This worksheet can help to be prepared for obstacles that may arise when returning to sport.

Contingency plans are by design preparing for challenging situations, so whenever an athlete is preparing for a new challenge, this worksheet can be introduced. This may include new and more complex rehab exercises or returning to sport.

Two Positives Schedule—Using a schedule to write down two things that go everyday and one thing to grow from, increases positive appraisal skills because even on “bad” days, the athlete still has to think of two things that went well.

This practice can be used throughout the rehab process to improve the use of reflection to build mental toughness.