It's the day after my least favorite day of the year, and this time of year always hits hard. So I've decided to be a bit more vulnerable with this post. It's something that I've accepted recently, and that I can't manage everything internally anymore. It's something I've dealt with most of my life without knowing or even realizing it, but I think I've always known.

I'm relating this post to injuries, but just letting you know, that you aren't alone. Even though there are days where I feel alone in my own fight.

Injuries suck. They take you out of training, slow down your progress, and mess with your head. But here’s the part most athletes—and even some healthcare providers—don’t talk about: the mental side of injury. We touched a little bit on this last week with mindset, but this is a bit more specific to depression itself. Depression isn’t just something “separate” from recovery. It can directly affect how fast you heal, how motivated you are to stick with your plan, and whether that pain lingers way longer than it should.

For hybrid athletes, the challenge is even more real. You’ve got races on the calendar, expectations you’ve set for yourself, and maybe a community that’s used to seeing you crush workouts. When you can’t perform, it feels like part of your identity has been stripped away. That’s the breeding ground for depressive symptoms—and if you don’t address them, they can quietly sabotage your recovery.

Let’s break this down.

How Depression Impacts Recovery From Injury

Depression isn’t just a mood thing—it’s a full-body experience. When you’re dealing with symptoms of depression (low energy, disrupted sleep, lack of motivation, poor concentration), every part of the rehab process gets harder.

• Slowed healing: Research shows depression is linked to elevated inflammation and altered stress hormone levels (like cortisol), both of which can interfere with tissue repair (Miller et al., 2009). Translation: your body literally heals slower when your brain is in distress.

• Reduced motivation: Rehab isn’t glamorous. It’s often repetitive, sometimes boring, and progress feels painfully slow. Add depression into the mix, and it’s easy to skip sessions, half-ass the work, or give up entirely.

• Increased pain perception: Studies show depression can amplify how the brain processes pain (Bair et al., 2003). That means the same tendon or joint issue can feel worse when you’re struggling mentally.

• Isolation: Injury already takes you out of your training crew. Depression adds another layer of disconnection, making it even harder to find support.

So when people say, “It’s just in your head,” they’re not wrong—it is in your head. But that doesn’t make it imaginary. It makes it powerful and real, and manifests in ways that you wouldn't think.

How Common Is Depression After an Injury?

You’re not imagining it—it’s shockingly common for depression to show up after an injury. A 2016 study in The American Journal of Sports Medicine found that up to 51% of athletes reported depressive symptoms following an injury. Even after they were physically cleared, many still struggled mentally.

For endurance athletes, it can be even more pronounced. Running, lifting, competing—they’re not just workouts. They’re stress relievers, identity markers, and social outlets. Take that away, and it’s no surprise that depression sneaks in.

Another study in Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine found that athletes with depressive symptoms had a much higher risk of delayed return to play. In other words, depression doesn’t just show up after injury—it can prolong it.

Why Recovery Gets Stuck

Here’s the vicious cycle:

1. You get injured.

2. You stop training (or scale way back).

3. You feel restless, frustrated, and disconnected.

4. Depressive symptoms creep in.

5. Depression lowers motivation and increases pain sensitivity.

6. You avoid or delay rehab.

7. Your injury lingers.

8. You feel even worse.

And the cycle continues.

This is why two people can have the same injury—say, Achilles tendonitis—and one is back to racing in 12 weeks while the other is still limping around a year later. The difference isn’t just the tendon—it’s the mindset and mental health side of recovery.

Strategies for Managing Depression During Injury

Okay, enough doom and gloom. The good news is there are real, actionable ways to manage depression while you recover. And just like strength training supplements running, mental health strategies supplement physical recovery.

1. Stay Physically Active (Within Limits)

Total rest is the enemy—both for your body and your brain. Studies show even light physical activity reduces depressive symptoms (Schuch et al., 2016). If you can’t run, lift. If you can’t lift heavy, walk. Movement is medicine.

2. Set Process Goals, Not Just Outcome Goals

Instead of obsessing over when you’ll race again, set daily or weekly process goals:

• “I complete my rehab exercises 5x this week.”

• “I hit my protein target daily.”

• “I track my sleep for the next 7 nights.”

Process goals keep you moving forward without the crushing pressure of outcome timelines. Something else to notice with those goals is that they are in the present tense. They bring you to the moment, so you aren't meant to worry about the future. Notice these goals are in the present tense, not built out in a place in the future that "you might get to." It's in the now.

3. Lean Into Community

Injury makes you want to withdraw, but that’s when connection matters most. If you can’t train with your crew, go cheer them on, volunteer at a race, or join them for the post-run coffee. Staying plugged in can protect against isolation-driven depression.

4. Get Professional Help if Needed

If symptoms stick around more than a couple weeks—or if you feel hopeless, stuck, or like nothing matters—reach out for help. Mental health professionals are just as essential to your recovery team as your PT or coach.

5. Use Mental Skills Training

Visualization, mindfulness, and journaling aren’t just fluff. They’ve been shown to improve both mood and physical recovery. Even five minutes of mindful breathing can reset your stress system and dial down pain perception.

6. Respect the Holistic Nature of Recovery

Recovery isn’t just “fixing the injured part.” It’s nutrition, sleep, stress management, and mental health. Think of it like hybrid training—you don’t just do one thing well, you do multiple things in harmony. It's not just one magical thing that will fix all your problems. It's giving the tools your body needs to improve the capacity to heal.

Final Thoughts

Injury is one of the toughest challenges an athlete can face—not just physically, but mentally. Depression can sneak in, slow you down, and prolong your recovery if you ignore it. But if you acknowledge it, address it, and use the strategies above, you give yourself the best shot at coming back not just healed, but stronger.

So the next time you’re sidelined, don’t just ask, “How’s my tendon, my back, my knee?” Ask, “How’s my head?” Because if you take care of both, you’re not just coming back to training—you’re coming back to life.

If you're struggling with your injury, and need that extra guidance, click the link here to set up a free call.