Angel Reese has been sidelined since the Chicago Sky’s last game in July, and during her absence, she shared a self-affirming message about personal growth and tuning out criticism.Reese has been dealing with a persistent back injury and has not played in August. Her absence is notable, as she leads the Sky with 14.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.In an Instagram post, she emphasized prioritizing her happiness and self-care, sharing a photo dump topped by a monochrome image of her sitting alone in training gear. She wrote:“Aesthetically doing things that make ME happy. Put yourself first & always trust your work. Only fear the creator, not the created. Love yourz.” View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Sky have not provided a timeline for the All-Star’s return, which has fueled speculation among fans, some even questioning the legitimacy of the injury and suggesting she wanted out of Chicago. The WNBA trade deadline passed last Thursday.Chicago holds one of the league’s worst records at 8-24, sitting second from the bottom. They fell to the last-place Connecticut Sun on Wednesday.Sky coach gives update on Angel Reese's mindset during injuryAngel Reese missed her seventh consecutive game on Wednesday, and her absence was felt as the Sky dropped another contest to the WNBA’s worst team.Before the game, Sky coach Tyler Marsh said Reese is eager to play, making her absence difficult for her and the team, but stressed the importance of full recovery to prevent reinjury."She wants to be out there,” Marsh said (per Chicago State of Mind). “She's a competitor, she's a fighter, she's a winner. So it's part for her to not be out there for her teammates, but we want her to be as healthy as possible when she's ready to come back.”In her rookie year, when she finished runner-up to Caitlin Clark for Rookie of the Year honors, Angel Reese also missed the tail end of the season due to a wrist injury.She later competed in the offseason Unrivaled league but re-injured the wrist, forcing her to miss the final games of the tournament.Her Unrivaled team, Rose BC, still went on to win the championship.