Ladies Gaelic Football

INJURY & SETBACK MANAGEMENT Getting injured or facing a setback can be one of the toughest parts of sport, especially when it feels like everything is moving on without you. But this part of your journey matters just as much as anything else. It's a chance to reset, reflect, and grow in different ways. Keeping structure in your day, staying connected with your team, and looking after your mental well- being during recovery can help you stay grounded. It's ok to feel frustrated but try to shift your focus to what you can control, like your rehab routine, mindset, and small daily wins. Keep showing up in ways that make a difference, whether that's supporting teammates, learning from the sidelines, or focusing on your own progress. Setbacks don't define you, how you respond to them does. W ith school, sport and other commitments, it can be easy to get distracted which leads to our attention being focused on something that is not relevant to the task at hand. When it comes to sport or school, there are certain things that we can control and other things that we can't. For example, when it comes to Gaelic Football or Camogie, we can't change or control the weather, the other team, supporters or the playing surface, however, we can change how we react emotionally to these things. Additionally, with our emotions, feelings and thoughts, these can be internal distractions that we can both control and change these. If you can't control something or influence something, let it go and don't worry about it. If you can control or influence something, be active and take action. The table contains both controllable and uncontrollable examples that may have previously impacted our emotions. Dealing with Setbacks & Emotions CONTROLLABLE UNCONTROLLABLE Focus Weather Work rate Referee Energy Opinions Mindset Past decisions Preparation Past mistakes Nutrition Management or selectors Mood Supports Attitude The opposition Actions Team selection Challenges, failure and setbacks can actually be good for us as both players and people. Whilst they may be difficult to deal with in the moment, setbacks can teach us valuable lessons and skills that can support our long-term development both on and off the field. If we experience a setback, this can provide an opportunity to reflect on ourselves and focus ourselves on future action (our resources on Performance Profiling and Goal Setting can support this). If you experience a setback or failure, some tips to deal with this are below: • Talk to your coach or parent/guardian to gain support and perspective on the situation. • Talk to your teammates to understand whether they have experienced something similar and how they have dealt with this. • Practice self-reflection • Understand that just because you suffer a setback e.g. lose a match, this does not mean you can not bounce back. Even if you do suffer something that may be perceived as a setback e.g. not getting as much game time as you would like, there are generally lots of other positives to focus on such as spending time with friends. The ability to experience and deal with setbacks and manage our emotions can build resilience both on and off the field. For Players at F3, T1-T4 & E1 Stages of the Gaelic Games Player Pathway For further information on how to manage key transitions and lifestyle changes whilst playing sport, visit the relevant stage of the Gaelic Games Player Pathway: https:// ladiesgaelic.ie/lgfa-hub/players/player-pathway/ or https://camogie.ie/player- information/player-welfare/.

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