I’ve been there. I remember that final week countdown before my second knee replacement. I had done it before, and I knew I was going to be okay. But even with that knowledge, my body started reacting in ways I couldn’t ignore. I found myself deep cleaning, organizing random things, and staying busy just to avoid what I was really feeling.
What I realized later was this: my nervous system knew something big was about to happen. Even though I kept telling myself “I’m fine,” my body was processing what my mind hadn’t fully acknowledged yet.
Anxiety before surgery is normal. It doesn’t mean you’re weak or unprepared. It means you’re human. And honestly? It means your body is doing its job.
Here’s something that helped me shift how I moved through it:
The body reacts the same way to anxiety and excitement. Racing heart, jittery energy, restlessness—it’s all part of the same nervous system response. The difference is in what we name it.
The body reacts the same way to anxiety and excitement. Racing heart, jittery energy, restlessness—it’s all part of the same nervous system response. The difference is in what we name it.
When I said, “I’m anxious,” I felt fear.
But when I told myself, “I’m excited,” I started noticing what I could look forward to.
But when I told myself, “I’m excited,” I started noticing what I could look forward to.
I said it over and over again: I’m excited. Not because I was trying to fake it, but because I needed my brain to focus on possibility. That one sentence helped redirect my thoughts and gave me space to breathe.
But here’s the catch—if we don’t process the emotion first, we can’t fully shift it. You can’t just think your way past it. You have to walk through it. Sit with it. Acknowledge what you’re feeling. Only then can you move from fear to vision.
I go deeper into this in my latest podcast episode. It’s the story of what happened the weekend before my surgery—the moment I realized my body was speaking louder than my thoughts—and how I made a mindset shift that helped me feel more grounded, not just positive.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here:
And if this is the kind of support you’ve been needing—real talk, emotional honesty, and tools that meet you where you are—come check out the Knee Replacement Hub. There’s a whole section inside that walks you through the emotional side of surgery, one step at a time.
You’re not doing this wrong. You’re just doing something really big—and it’s okay to feel all of it.
0 Comments