Reflective Essay: Fracturing My Lower Back

According to a Safe Kids Worldwide study based on hospital emergency room reports from 2012; there are an estimated 1.35 million students in the United States that seriously injure themselves each year. For two out of my three years of high school, I have been piece of this grim statistic. My sophomore year I fractured the left side of my fifth lumbar vertebra located in my lower back. This was caused by running too hard. Then the next year, the right side of the fifth lumbar vertebra was fractured too. Both of these injuries brought an abrupt halt to my cross country season. Fracturing my lower back was an extremely difficult experience that has taught me how to deal with adversity. When dealing with adversity one, must have the correct mindset. Developing the right mindset is the most foundational step in traversing adversity. When I first learned that I was not able to finish my cross country season, I was devastated. That is because my
During my recovery process I was advised to set small manageable goals along with major goals. Cross training, preforming core workouts, and wearing my back brace were all small goals that I could accomplish on a daily basis. Celebrating these small, but crucial goals was pivotal to keeping up my moral during the long months of recovery. The major goal that I was working toward was healing my back completely. This major goal gave me the drive to work tirelessly and accomplish the small goals each day. Achieving goals on a daily basis helped me to never lose hope while working toward recovery.
When my lower back was injured I embarked on an epic journey that would teach me how to deal with adversity. To overcome adversity one must first come with the base of a strong mindset so they stay focused. They must have faith in those who are aiding them and they must celebrate feasible goals every day. We should all try to avoid adversity, but strive to conquer it when it