Exercise: Radical Acceptance and Small Wins Tracker

Exercise: Radical Acceptance and Small Wins Tracker


Purpose

This exercise helps athletes apply Radical Acceptance and the Kaizen Philosophy by identifying what they can and cannot control, reframing their perspective on pain, and setting small, actionable goals to celebrate progress.


Part 1: Radical Acceptance Reflection

Instructions:

  1. Provide athletes with a worksheet or journal prompt:
    • What is one thing about your recovery that feels hard to accept?
    • How does resisting this reality affect your emotions or progress?
    • What would change if you fully accepted this situation?
  2. Example:
    • Hard to accept: “I can’t train like I used to.”
    • Impact of resistance: “It makes me frustrated and unmotivated.”
    • Shift through acceptance: “I can focus on what I can do now, like improving flexibility or mindfulness.”

Part 2: What You Can and Cannot Control

Instructions:

  1. Create two columns on a worksheet labeled:
    • Things I Can Control: Daily recovery habits, mindset, effort in therapy.
    • Things I Cannot Control: Timing of recovery, pain levels, external judgments.
  2. Athletes list items in each column and reflect on how to focus their energy on controllable factors.

Part 3: Small Wins Goal Setting

Instructions:

  1. Athletes identify one small goal they can achieve in the next 24 hours, 1 week, and 1 month.
    • Examples:
      • Today: “Do my stretching routine for 10 minutes.”
      • This Week: “Practice box breathing daily.”
      • This Month: “Improve my range of motion by 5 degrees.”
  2. Encourage athletes to track progress using a Small Wins Tracker:
    • Include checkboxes or spaces to log daily wins.

Part 4: Pain Reframing Exercise

Instructions:

  1. Athletes write down one current challenge or thought about their pain:
    • Negative Thought: “This pain is holding me back.”
  2. Guide them to reframe it:
    • Reframed Thought: “This pain is a sign that my body is healing and working hard.”

Wrap-Up and Sharing

  • After the exercise, facilitate a group discussion or reflection:
    • “What small win did you achieve this week?”
    • “How did focusing on what you can control shift your mindset?”