We’ve all been injured. It’s always a burden. But have you noticed that some people seem to handle being injured better than others? What special power do they possess?

Most injuries are short lived, a bruise, a mild flare-up or low grade tweak. After 2 or 3 days the worst is behind you. You usually don’t need any special strategy to beat these.

But when injuries are more severe, your true resilience is tested. No matter what the injury is, start with these 3 things and you will be well on the road to recovery.

1. A Positive Outlook

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters. This is not quackery. Positive affect on health is a ‘burgeoning’ area of research. From traumatic brain injuries to cancer treatment to orthopedic injuries research is clear, patients with a positive outlook have more favourable outcomes. For example, optimism correlates to a more likely return to pre-injury levels in patients after ACL reconstruction. Positive emotions such as greater sense of control and confidence have also been shown to lead to higher rates of return to sport after ACL reconstruction.

Don’t get me wrong, being positive is not as easy as it sounds. Consider doing something physical you can feel good about. For example get your heart rate up without straining your injured area or do some strength training or stretching for a different part of your body. Whatever this physical routine is for you, it should feel good to do. Repeat these enough and your mood will follow.

2. A Plan

Negative thoughts about the past and future can lead to depression and anxiety related to your injury. These can consume you and disable you from taking action in the present. This is why you need a plan. A plan of action will help you stay focused on your process towards recovery. Your plan could include many different therapeutic options including but not limited to exercises and manual therapy.

A good plan will be clearly structured, simple to execute and progress over time. It will also be flexible to change if the plan gets sidetracked or runs into a barrier.

In some cases you may be confident in your own plan. But if you are stuck ruminating in negative thoughts about the past or the future and unsure what to do now, then you need a guide. Find a good therapist to partner in your plan.

3. A Goal

Set a goal with a clear timeline and visualize yourself in that moment. Be confident, aim high. Assume everything in your recovery will go right. What would be a satisfying payoff as a symbol of triumph?

Some of the best rehab results come from patients who have set lofty goals. A couple recent examples from our clinic:

-climbing a mountain 19 months after bilateral knee replacements

-a six stage (6 days) 1000km bike race 4 months after an ankle fracture

-hiking Machu Pichuu after battling with years of knee arthritis

These weren’t people who put themselves at risk. These are people who put in a tonne of work and used their end goal as daily motivation. Establishing the goal will help you persevere through your setbacks.

And the goal can change over time. Consider Tiger Wood’s back struggles, 4 surgeries between 2014 and 2017, ultimately resulting in a fusion surgery. Immediately after his surgery in 2017 he went on record with his primary goal just to return to competitive golf without his body breaking down. A year and a half later, coming off his recent win at the Master’s, he is a big step closer to his next goal, being the best in the world again.

Professional athletes generally don’t have trouble with setting a goal. But you don’t need to be a professional athlete to harness the healing power of the law of attraction.

In addition, make sure all the important people in your life know about your goal. They will be routing for you and you won’t want to disappoint.

Notice the interplay here. You can’t succeed in your plan unless you feel it is possible. You can’t achieve a goal without a plan to get there. And it’s tough to be positive about anything if you don’t have something you are working towards.

Next time you get injured remember: Be positive. Have a plan. Set a goal.