Five mindset shifts that helped me move out of fear and into controlHow can we not have fear of the unknown through our knee replacements, right?
It’s so crazy, because I caught myself constantly telling myself how scared I was of my knee replacement. And it wasn’t until I stopped saying I’m scared and started identifying what it was that scared me so much that I could get curious about why it was bothering me.
This was a process. It took me a while to slow down enough to really identify what I was most afraid of. What I noticed was that if I just kept telling myself, I’m scared, I’m scared, the fear kept coming back. Over and over.
But the minute I identified what was scaring me the most, in order of priority because it wasn’t just one concern, I could finally get curious about it. About what it was and why it was bothering me so much.
One of my fears was the fear of what is to come. The future. And when it comes to knee replacement, who actually knows what happens in the future? You only know what you read on the internet or hear from someone else’s experience. Someone else’s body. Someone else’s recovery.
Once I accepted that the future wasn’t something I could control, I had to look at what I could control. And what I could control is where my focus went. Instead of focusing on something bad happening during my knee replacement recovery, I focused on the possibilities. What actually could happen. It could happen that I make a full recovery. That shift alone was powerful. Because if something bad could happen so could something good.
Focusing on the possibilities is the first of five perspective shifts we can use to debunk fear of the unknown before a knee replacement. Fear of the unknown is really fear of the future. And the future is not within our control. So, we always have to bring it back to something we can control. The first thing we can do is focus on the possibility of the procedure and recovery.
The next shift, instead of fighting the fact that things are going to be different after knee replacement surgery, is to accept that change is coming. Change doesn’t automatically mean bad. It just means something different. We can choose to embrace that instead of resisting it.
The third perspective shift is knowing that knowledge is power. If knowledge is power, and all knowledge is just information, then we get to choose how much information we take in. We don’t have to research everything. We don’t have to learn every detail. But it is helpful to understand what’s coming and hear from people who have already been through knee replacement recovery. That allows you to decide how you want to respond. Just remember to separate their story from yours.
The fourth perspective shift to debunk fear of the unknown during knee replacement is to trust the experts. You spent time finding your surgeon and your medical team. Your surgeon and your physical therapist are your guides through this process. Trust that they know what they’re doing.
The final perspective shift I can offer you is to stay present. When we focus too far into the future, we’re no longer in the present moment. We’re in a place we have no control over. When we stay present, we have control over what’s happening right now.
These perspectives were paramount for me through my own knee replacements. If you’re struggling to see these shifts or identify where you fall, please book a call with me. I offer a free 20-minute consultation.
Together, you and I can work through the same fears almost everyone experiences around knee replacement surgery. Our bodies do this to keep us safe. And considering how long you’ve been alive, I’d say your body has done a pretty good job.
Be encouraged today, friend. Debunking fear of the unknown doesn’t mean the fear disappears. It just means things feel lighter. And more doable.
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