“Recovery—it’s rarely, rarely linear, and never, ever convenient. If you are someone who’s used to being in command of their body, it can feel almost like the universe just slammed on the brakes without any warning. That is the loss of autonomy, right? That’s one of the most common—and very, very disorienting—aspects of any physical injury. None of us want to hear that setbacks are not failures—they’re part of the process. The frustration is normal. Let it come out. Let it work itself through.” -Dotsie Bausch

“The mental side—the frustration, the inability to use my body the way I’m used to—with the fluidity, the power, the agency, the strength… yeah, it’s tough. When we’re in pain, we’ve got to remember everything we’ve survived. It’s so easy to beat ourselves up. It’s so easy to think, ‘My God, how am I going to get through this? How am I going to heal? How am I going to conquer this mountain?’” -Jason Wrobel