In our last blog I talked about what to do during an injury. How to pass time and maybe find some joy in other things. Now we’re going to talk about our mentality and coping with fear.

Attitude We all know that exercising makes us happy. It releases serotonin, our happy-hormone. Does that mean we’re missing out on all the serotonin when injured? It’s been proven that when positive thoughts are generated, our brain will produce serotonin. It’s so interesting how our minds have an influence on our body! Happy, thoughts, happy body. It sounds so simple, but maybe you struggle with this? Start small. What food makes you happy? Invite some friends and share your happy food. Envision your body in a healthy shape and literally think about how it feels to be healthy. Ever heard of the placebo effect? Your body will believe your brain, and will be more in sync, a.k.a. heal faster! So work that attitude. Find little happy moments throughout the day. Write them down if you need to! Still struggling? Surround yourself with people that are supportive. Ask a friend to tell you their positive thoughts, maybe they’ll affect you too. No harm in trying :)

“It was so dumb”  That’s often what someone tells you, when they talk about their injury. It’s that one moment of losing focus that causes injuries. Now we’re almost healed up it’s time to get back on the bike. Scared? Ask yourself: “was it a lack of competence that I crashed?”. Usually not. That’s encouraging! It should give you the confidence to get back on the bike. You were more than capable, so believe in yourself and start of with things well within your comfort zone. Try to achieve that “yeah I nailed that”-feeling on your first rides. And you know what? Just take it easy. Who gives a F… Biking is FUN! And that’s all it should be. Don’t try to compare yourself with ….anyone. Why do you love mountain biking? It’s all about feeling good, right? It’s not about winning, or being better than someone else. It’s about the lifestyle we live in our little mountain town. Sendy or less sendy than before, Life is still here to live. So live it! And, if you ask me, we’re doing it the right way.

Photo by Laura Szanto