Everything went black for a few seconds. I heard voices fading in the distance. I opened my eyes and saw everyone staring at me. I was confused. The referee was asking me if I was okay and if I needed a minute to rest. I quickly refused and insisted we continue the game. In that moment, I didn't think anything was wrong, ignoring the fact that I was still in shock, and resumed playing. In my soccer games, we are taught to play aggressively and make physical contact with opposing players, which is what I normally do. Every game I have very minor injuries, which I thought was the case. I continued my day. After my game, I went to brunch with family. I had developed a headache during my brunch but didn’t think it was a big deal. Later on, as I was driving home, I knew something was not quite right. I had to turn down the radio! It was insane, I NEVER SIT IN A CAR WITHOUT THE RADIO ON! I didn’t even have the energy to sing. I just wanted to sleep. As soon as my mom and I pulled into the driveway, I ran up the stairs, went to my bedroom, slammed the door shut, and just slept for a few hours. When I woke up, my head was in extreme pain and I was very uncomfortable. I tried to remember everything that happened that day, and I was able to. I went downstairs and turned the lights on and started doing my homework. I noticed it was taking me a long time to read and just go over the actual assignment criteria. I started getting very frustrated and just decided to clear my head. The next day was worse. I was unable to concentrate. I forgot everything that happened the previous day. My responses were delayed when I was asked questions. I was irritable. Most of all, there was an uncomfortable feeling of pressure in my head. The thought of me having a brain injury was not even in the picture until then. All I wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately, I was overwhelmed by the amount of homework I did not complete due to my ‘setback.’ After sitting in the ER for a couple of hours, I was told I had a mild concussion and needed to just rest. School. My biology assignment. My math test. The stress just kept building. I was told I needed to take a leave of absence from school in order to get better. I felt I was missing so much school and already falling behind. That Monday morning, while everyone was at school, I was sitting at home ’resting.’ I was off of school, soccer, work, and volunteering. I thought to myself this is absolutely ridiculous. Then, after a moment of realization, I learned that throughout this terrible experience, I have a lot of friends and family who really care about me. The teachers were very understanding, more than I expected them to be. This experience has taught me that people have setbacks in life, and there is nothing we can do. Most importantly, I gained an understanding of not always being in control of situations. Things happen, but all we can do is reset and think positive. Maya S
11 Comments
Kaelen
1/13/2020 10:46:46 am
First of all, thank you for sharing your experience. In high-intensity competitions, you can continue to race with injuries. Your admiration has made me admirable. I had similar experiences before. It was a basketball game. I sprained my ankle but I still insisted on finishing the game because I know basketball is something I love. I am willing to give every effort to victory. Although I know my decision is stupid, I No regrets. I believe you, like me, are willing to win for the team, despite injuries. Thanks for sharing
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Janeva
1/13/2020 10:52:35 am
Love the depth of your blog! Your anecdotal take on the introduction - it built suspense as does a story - which highlighted your overall message of stress building up due to setbacks. When you're stressed, your body goes into a fight or flight mode in which all blood is pumped to the most essential organs. This compromises our ability to think critically and analytically about our thoughts and actions, so resetting ourselves is crucial for our wellbeing.
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Lukas
1/13/2020 10:54:26 am
I think many of us can relate to what you wrote about Maya (not the concusssion but the setback). Ive had my fair share of different setbacks in life and it is really important to move on and to think positively. I find we all learn from these setbacks and they help us develop as a person and truly shape the way we are as individuals.
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Brianna
1/13/2020 10:54:46 am
This was a very insightful blog that I can relate to. I have also had a very similar incident in soccer and taking time off from school, sports, and other activities can make you feel like you are falling behind but as you said, there's nothing we can do about setbacks in life but what we can do is reset and think positive!
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albuna
1/13/2020 10:55:33 am
i really enjoyed reading through this blog because you are able to compare and learn from their past, and learn new ways to deal with different situiations. you really can see what works and what dsoent.
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matthew
1/13/2020 11:07:20 am
Nice post! I appreciate the point of view. Having had a concussion myself from a contact sport totally understand how uncomfortable and stressful having stay at home and do nothing is when you are falling farther and farther behind with assignments. It was defiantly an interesting experience and one that I believe we should all take something away from.
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Rookie
1/13/2020 11:18:11 am
Great blog, thanks for sharing your experience. Everyone will encounter different problems at each stage, so when we encounter problems, don't underestimate them, don't ignore them, and don't think you can control everything. Just go with the flow, see a doctor when you are sick, don't put too much pressure on yourself, and remember that people around you will treat you well and don't worry.
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Nevada
1/13/2020 11:33:43 am
This was really inspiring and something I can relate to as an athlete. I liked how you tied in a personal connection to the topic of the blog too! I agree that when you experience a set back and there's nothing more to do, a positive mindset is crucial to overcoming it.
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Amelie Giusta
10/6/2020 02:17:04 pm
i can relate to this big time. last year i wasn't able to do the thing i loved most, because my injury was always getting in the way. i've learnt that when your behind or setback, teaches you that you need time for yourself, especially when your body is telling you to slow down and take a step back. and thinking positive can help you big time!
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emily
10/6/2020 02:25:20 pm
this was a amazing blog and I know many athletes like myself can relate. It was very insightful how you tied in ur personal experience as well how discouraged, stressed and the feeling you get when you are injured. You definitely feel as if you are hopeless. Amazing how positive you turned it into and spoke about it
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Alexa Kusel
10/6/2020 02:29:24 pm
Im sorry that you had to go through this. In sports their can be many setbacks with injuries but if you really love the sport you won't give up. Ive had many injuries like this as well and having a positive mindset like you said is very important!
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