The only thing worse than experiencing a severe injury is the recovery phase after.
Understandably, healing takes time and a lot of work to get back to where you were before you were hurt. This is true for sports injuries, automobile collisions, or any other type of accident that may have occurred.
However, there are ways you can heal comfortably and effectively. Follow these six tips to make the process a little easier for you. 
1. Get Plenty of Sleep
When you sleep, you heal, so make sure to get as much as you can while you’re recovering. This is sometimes much easier said than done, unfortunately.
It’s common to have discomfort when lying down, especially with rib or shoulder injuries, so don’t be frustrated. So do a little research to learn how to sleep with bruised ribs and injured shoulders so that you sleep more and better, allowing your body to recover.
2. Using Ice To Reduce Swelling
After an injury, the body’s natural response is to swell in the affected area to prevent further damage and reinforce that joint or bone.
Sometimes swelling can be too effective and can reduce mobility in the joints around the affected area over time if not treated. Losing mobility in your joints means losing the ability to bend and flex muscles.
Swelling can also slow down the natural healing process by reducing the blood flow to the area.
Ice is a great option to use in this situation because it helps prevent and reduce this potentially harmful swelling. You can use it to both reduce and prevent swelling whenever needed.
3. Use Physical Therapy or a Chiropractor
Physical therapy is valuable for individuals to strengthen their bodies after an injury, before surgery, or even to prevent reinjury. It uses non-invasive techniques to identify and strengthen specific ligaments and muscles.
You can even pair it with chiropractic techniques as well. Chiropractors usually focus on realigning joints and using manual massage to release stress and tension in your body.
These two practices together will help you recover faster and reduce the chances of repeated injury.
4. Talk to a Psychologist
The mind and body aren’t as isolated as we like to believe. With a severe injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms or other mental health concerns can appear.
Other symptoms you might see are anxiety, difficulty resting, or even flashbacks. You should talk to a psychologist about it to receive mental health help and treatment if you notice these. When you begin to heal the mind, you’ll find that your body can rest and recover.
5. Be Patient
No injury heals in a day. Always be patient with yourself as you heal.
Healing is not a linear process. You might see significant improvements one day and some setbacks the next day. Remember that this is normal and part of the recovery process.
Sometimes, getting ahead of yourself and attempting to go back to your sport or physical activity too soon can cause even more damage. Just continue resting and following your doctor’s instructions; be patient with yourself and don’t rush it.
6. Set Short-Term Achievable Goals
Sometimes we can get frustrated if we are not reaching the goals we set for ourselves, and for this reason, it is really important that the goals set are achievable. For example, if you were to set a goal of walking without assistance after serious knee surgery or injury, that might not be achievable for several months.
While this is a very good long-term goal, it is even better to set a few short-term goals so you don’t become frustrated.
Continuing with the knee surgery example from before, you will see more results if you resolve to just stand for thirty seconds a day and increase your abilities from there. By meeting these little goals each day, you will feel more encouraged to keep going and you will eventually reach your long-term goals with less frustration during the process!
Getting Back to Your Normal
Recovering from an injury is not an easy process. Your frustrations are understandable, but you should do your best to be forgiving and patient with yourself.
Get enough sleep each night and use ice when you need to to help heal. Consulting professionals to help you physically and mentally will work wonders too. Give your body and mind what it needs.
Keep all these tips in mind to effectively recover and get back to your typical daily routines sooner.
