Athletes and Self-Compassion: A Better Alternative to Beating Yourself Up

Athletes and self-compassion How many times in the past 48 hours have you beat yourself up over something? “I’m not motivated. I should be doing more.” “I haven’t done anything with this time in quarantine.” “I’m worthless.” “I’m letting people down.” (Read below for the full story

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Ultrarunning Injuries–Podcast Interview with Physician, Ultrarunner, and Coach Jay Friedman

Ultrarunning injuries I’m excited to share a podcast I recorded with ultrarunner and physician, Jason Friedman, on his podcast, The Pain Cave. In this episode we talk about overcoming the mental and emotional fallout of ultrarunning injuries. The Pain Cave is a free-flowing conversation with a wide

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Part 2–Struggling Versus Suffering: How to Suffer Less

NOTE: If you haven’t read part 1, please check it out before you read part 2. Otherwise, you won’t have the necessary background for part 2, where I talk about how to suffer less. Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, co-hosts of one of my favorite

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Part 1–Struggling Versus Suffering: Perspectives

“If you want to make someone unhappy, tell them they’ve never suffered,” said Dr. Bob Duke at the beginning of his weekly podcast, 2 Guys on Your Head. He and Dr. Art Markman conjure up the Car Talk guys, Click and Clack, only they discourse about psychology

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Every Injured Athlete’s Linchpin: A Guide to EMDR in Plain English

Introduction I’m sharing a personal vignette in this blog because so many of you share similar struggles. I want you to feel unashamed and know you’re not alone. I want you to know there’s an infinitely effective tool to help. It’s called EMDR, and we’ll talk all

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On Obsessions: The Man Who Swam 10,000 Days in a Row

Might you be an obsessive athlete? It’s the first Saturday in September, on a mercifully cool Texas summer morning. I’m sitting under a gnarled old pecan tree, plump with nuts, watching a remarkable event unfold before my eyes. A man I know through swimming is celebrating his

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How to Recover from an Injury: Hint…Don’t Try It Without a Movement Therapist (Part 3)

This is the third in a 4-part series where I’ll share why, after injury, working with a Movement Therapist is a must. You can read part 1 here and part 2 here. I’ll share what prompted me to see Jesse, what happens to your nervous system after

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Communication With Your Partner After Injury: A Time for Extraordinary Patience

Introduction Heads up…I wanted to entitle this blog “The $hit Nobody Tells You About Surgery and Chronic Injury That you Really Need to Know.” Nobody talks about this stuff because, frankly, it’s grim. You certainly aren’t going to openly talk about it with friends or family. Likewise,

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The Mental Side of Injury: What to Do When Your Recovery Isn’t Going So Swimmingly

Let’s talk about the oft-forgotten and ignored mental side of injury recovery. “How are you feeling after yesterday?” my friend Todd asked me as we walked down the steps toward the pool. “I feel good,” I replied. “Aren’t your shoulders sore?” he asked. “Not at all,” I

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