Exorcise the Demons! Overcome Mental and Physical Struggles of Injury.
- Paul Bevan
- May 25
- 2 min read
Injury has a funny way of humbling you.
One minute you’re moving well, training hard, helping others become stronger… and the next, you’re struggling to put your socks on without pain shooting through your back.
Recently I sprained my SI joint in my lower back through a work-related injury, and honestly, it’s been frustrating in ways I didn’t fully expect.
Not just physically.
Mentally too.
When you’re used to being active, strong, independent and constantly moving forward, being told to rest feels like punishment.
You suddenly realise how much you take simple movement for granted.
Bending down.
Getting in and out of the car.
Rolling over in bed.
Walking without bracing yourself first.
Even just sitting comfortably.
And the hardest part?
There isn’t always some magical fix.
No heroic workout.
No “push through it.”
No intense rehab montage.
Sometimes recovery is just patience.
Boring, frustrating, humbling patience.
You go back to basics.
You strip everything right back.
You listen to your body instead of fighting against it.
As someone who promotes exercise and movement every day, this experience reminded me of something important:
Exercise isn’t just about building muscle....
It’s about building resilience.
Physical resilience.
Mental resilience.
Emotional resilience.
Because when injury hits, your mindset gets tested more than your strength does.
You become quieter socially.
You stop wanting to go out as much.
You watch people doing the things you should be doing.
You get frustrated because you know what your body is capable of - but right now it simply can’t do it.
That’s difficult to accept.
Especially when deep down you replay the moment over and over thinking:
“Maybe if I’d stopped earlier…”
“Maybe if I’d listened sooner…”
“Maybe this could’ve been avoided…”
But injuries don’t care about hindsight.
They happen.
And then the challenge becomes how you respond.
This is where movement matters beyond aesthetics.
The gym isn’t just there to change your body.Training isn’t just about abs, kettlebells, calories or PBs.
Exercise helps you fight the things people don’t always see.
Stress.
Frustration.
Anxiety.
Self-doubt.
Mental fatigue....
Exorcise the Demons.
And when you temporarily lose the ability to move the way you want to move, you realise how important exercise was for your mind all along.
So for now, I’m rebuilding.
Slowly.
Patiently.
One day at a time.
No ego.
No rushing.
No pretending I’m fine when I’m not.
Just focusing on recovery, movement, rest and respecting the process.
Because strength isn’t always lifting heavy.
Sometimes strength is staying patient when your body forces you to slow down.
And sometimes the biggest battle isn’t in the gym at all....
It’s in your own head.
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