A Guest Post by Steffi Stephenson…a thrower from Toronto attending the University of Windsor.
Throughout life we form countless relationships amongst the individuals we encounter. Many are amicable and temporary but one bond that we form is eternal; it is developed and strengthened from birth. This is the bond between body and mind. Every day we are tested rigorously; events occur which challenge our strength, trying to separate our emotional and physical connection…
I will admit that the day I tore my quadratus lomborum in my lower back was the event that sent my mind and body running off in different directions. With my mind astray, thoughts of doubt began to fill the void in my head. I felt like the one time I was truly putting in work and pushing myself to the max, I had the biggest setback in my athletic career. At first, I tried to suck it up, tried to stick it out, but I can remember walking out of practice crying not only from the physical pain but more from the sense of failure, the emotional frustration, the psychological defeat, and the inability to complete my goals and aspirations. At night, I was forced to sleep sitting up in a chair because laying down put too much pressure on my spine. You can only imagine what I was thinking. All the cliché questions of defeat flooded my core and maxed out my cerebral capacity.
Why now?! Is this a sign? Is this really for me? Should I quit now and just focus on my academics?
I was out for a whole three weeks, checked into rehab like Amy Whinehouse. As I began to strengthen my physical domain, I began to search within myself in order to bring my mind back home. Just like Newton’s Third Law of Motion, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Well I believe for every event that breaks you down, there is an equal event of inspiration to build you back up. I found that these events came in different forms: my friends and family, my significant other, music, and those who have undergone the same hardships before me. I began to push through; my mind and body were finally on the same page. People say relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than hurt yourself by trying to put it back together. Well, this is not one of those relationships: if you walk away, you’re only giving up on yourself.
At the present time, I am still picking up the pieces. My back is 90% healed; it took a total of 10 months to get to where I’m at and I couldn’t be any happier. I believe the goals I failed to achieve this time will be surpassed next season. It’s all about bouncing back, and each and every time you acquire new knowledge and strength to fight the next battle. The mountain to success may seem steep, but no matter what you’re going through, despite the gravity, just keep climbing. Yes, the breakup between body and mind is painful, but the strength gained from the making up is definitely worth the heartache =).
