You know that panicky, can’t-think-straight feeling that creeps in before surgery?Or when you’re in recovery and your brain just won’t quit spinning?
That’s not weakness. That’s your body trying to protect you.
Before my first knee replacement, I don’t think I slept more than a couple hours at a time. My brain was in overdrive running through the same questions on repeat: Do I have everything ready? Am I missing something? Did I plan the meals? Will the house still run without me?
I was the Jill-of-all-trades in our home—planning, cooking, cleaning, remembering every little detail—so handing over control for a while was brutal. And all that “what if” energy pushed me straight into survival mode. I could feel it in my chest, in my stomach, even in my throat. I didn’t know then that anxiety was just my body’s way of trying to keep me safe.
But here’s what I’ve learned—your body doesn’t need you to fight those feelings. It needs you to walk through them.
These four mindset shifts (thanks to Dr. Clint Steele, a brain and nervous system specialist I heard on Instagram) gave great insight into the move from survival mode to something calmer, clearer… and a whole lot more peaceful.
1. Limit your time exposed to “all the things.”
Before surgery, Google became my late-night hobby. Every search opened a new rabbit hole—“risk of infection for life,” “how long will I limp,” “can the implant fail”—and suddenly I was buried in worst-case scenarios.
The truth? Too much information doesn’t prepare you. It drains you.
So now I treat information like caffeine: just enough to stay alert, not so much that my nerves fry. Get what you need, then close the tab.
2. Step away from your phone and back into real life.
When I finally put my phone down and started talking to my husband—usually about something random from years ago—he’d get me laughing so hard I’d forget what I was even stressed about.
And that’s when I noticed it. My shoulders dropped. My breathing slowed. My brain softened.
That’s the power of stepping out of the scroll and into connection. Whether it’s nature, a friend, or your dog snoring beside you—anything that reminds you you’re alive and okay is worth more than one more Facebook post about knee replacement pain.
3. Ask yourself: do I live in a friendly or hostile environment?
One day, I caught myself crying for no reason and finally asked, What am I even thinking right now?
My thoughts were flat-out hostile: What if I never walk right again? What if I fail rehab?
So I flipped it: If I’m considering everything that could go wrong, why not also consider what could go right?
That one question changed everything.
It reminded me that God didn’t bring me this far just to leave me here.
When you start to see your recovery as a friendly environment—something happening for you, not to you—you open up space for healing.
4. Find purpose in the pain.
The best thing to come out of my knee replacements? This right here.
The ability to help others walk through it, to normalize the emotions, and to be the “patient with perspective.” Nobody was talking about what it really feels like. Only doctors and physical therapists had the mic. So I decided to start talking.
That’s how the Knee Replacement Hub was born—a space for faith, recovery, and real talk from someone who’s lived it.
And if you’re craving more encouragement like this, subscribe to my weekly newsletter —it’s where I share mindset shifts, faith reminders, and practical recovery tips every week.
Anxiety before (and even after) knee replacement doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means your body cares enough to protect you.
So breathe, friend.
Limit the noise. Laugh a little. Flip the script.
And if you need a deeper reset, listen to the full conversation on my recent podcast episode:
From Overwhelmed to Grounded: How to Calm Your Mind Through Knee Replacement
I’m Suzie Andrade—your Knee Replacement BFF—and remember, the Yetter Getter mindset is already planted inside you.
Keep watering it with faith, patience and movement… and you’ll rise stronger than ever.
Because healing isn’t about going back. It’s about becoming.
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