Did you know that your mind plays a huge part in recovering from surgery, illness, or injury? The funny thing about tolerating pain is it’s equal parts physical and mental. This concept is hard to believe, especially while you’re enduring extreme physical pain. But, shifting your mindset will allow you to overcome physical pain, so that you can heal and recover.

I realized this concept recently in my own recovery journey… On Wednesday, July 20th, I had a major surgery to repair a deformity that was causing a lot of pain, both mentally and physically. I had bilateral metatarsal surgery, and my left bunion was removed. The bunion removal was by far the easiest part. The metatarsal repair on the other hand, is a lot more complex. To put it in perspective, I have 6 pins on each foot and an external fixator device, working to lengthen and repair the impacted metatarsals on my feet. It was determined that the pins and fixators will not be removed until November at the earliest.

This is by far the most challenging and painful procedure I’ve had in my life. Even though I’ve experienced many hospitalizations and procedures with Crohn’s Disease, I have to say that this type of pain is something I’ve never imagined. I realized post-op that this is going to be a long road to recovery.

Learning how to walk with pins in your feet is no joke. I’ll spare the details on how it feels, but let’s just say that it’s no walk in the park. During my recovery journey I feel completely helpless due to being immobile, especially since I was pretty active prior to surgery. Not being able to walk my dogs, take a spin class, kickboxing class, or other exercises has taken a huge toll on me. Aside from experiencing physical pain, I’m really starting to feel the impact on my mental health, and how feeling down and depressed can heighten and extend my physical pain. 

The road to recovery is truly a mental game, so I had to think of ways to consume my time and prevent me from feeling alone, depressed, and anxious. I remind myself that in order to heal, I need to keep my mindset in check for my body to physically recover. So, I started to incorporate healing methods that will guide me through this journey; and hopefully they can help someone else, too:

Plan and prepare for your recovery ahead of time. It’s essential to clean and prepare your recovery space if you have an upcoming surgery or procedure. Cleaning the house and arranging my recovery space ahead of time with my husband really helped me take my mind off of the fear leading up to surgery. Plus, it was so nice to come home to a comfy, clean and organized space for me to heal – it actually reduced my stress and anxiety, even though I was experiencing intense pain at the time. 

Try to put your phone aside – unless you need it for emergency or medical purposes: We’ve all been here before…mindlessly scrolling through social media, absentmindedly opening and closing apps on our phone, googling health concerns and thinking of the worst possible outcome, or feeling depressed looking at pictures and videos of people doing things we can’t do in the moment. I know it’s tough- especially for those who work from their phones, or have a codependency with their phone. Try to only use your phone for emergency or medical purposes to prevent yourself from experiencing FOMO or having an emotional breakdown. You can use your phone for positive distractions including FaceTiming family and friends, watching cute videos of dogs or something to make you laugh; but set a timer as a reminder to put your phone down before you inadvertently begin to scroll mindlessly. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with pain, calm your mind. There are a lot of options to consider that will help calm you down to reduce pain. And these methods don’t require medication! (Although, you should take medication as prescribed by your doctor). 

• Changing your mindset from negative thoughts to positive will help you relieve overwhelming emotional distress and reduce physical pain. If your mind is impacted by stress, then your body (muscles, joints, bones) will experience more physical pain and discomfort. The mind truly helps your body heal, so it’s important to try to keep a positive mindset during the recovery phase. One way to do this is through journaling and positive affirmations. Here are some positive reminders I wrote for myself that can be relatable- I had to create a graphic because my handwriting is barely legible. 😂

• Listening to soothing, meditation music will help your muscles and mind relax while you’re taking a nap. Just ask your Alexa device to play mediation music!
• Essential oils and aromas can help provide peace and comfort while healing (they also help with the next option below)! 
• Rhythmic breathing, meditating, and practicing mindfulness will help keep your mind in the present instead of worrying about the future and any uncertainties. If you start to feel overwhelmed, pause and take deep, slow breaths- inhaling through your nose, and exhaling through your mouth. Recognize your thoughts and remind yourself that you’re safe, and that you’re doing okay.

Keep yourself busy – without overdoing it. Since it’s likely that you’ll have more free time during recovery, it’s best to keep yourself busy with activities that can be done while sitting or laying down. Reading, watching TV/movies, playing board games or cards, video games, knitting/crocheting, coloring/drawing/painting, crafting, puzzles – or if you’re like me, working on creating new blog posts and podcast episodes. 😄 Whatever the choices may be, choose what brings you joy and discard what feels like a chore. Engaging activities are positive distractions that help to pass the time. And depending on your recovery journey, time may be passing by slower than when you were healthy. It’s also important to note that rest and relaxation is necessary to heal and recover. Never make yourself feel guilty for resting – and don’t mistake resting for “doing nothing” – because that’s just a BS stigma that makes us feel guilty and ashamed for doing something that our bodies need in order to refresh and recharge. 

Lean into your support system. I’m not the type of person who likes to ask for help- it makes me feel like I’m a burden. But during recovery, it’s imperative to have a support system of people who can help you when you’re unable to do daily activities on your own. You’d be surprised how many things you can’t physically do on your own. Don’t push yourself away from those who want to help you. Allow yourself to accept the help, care and love that you deserve. You can always pay it forward after you’re healed. 

Our minds are more powerful than we realize. So powerful in fact that our minds have the ability to help relieve physical pain. It’s important to be in the present with methods such as mindfulness to allow your mind to reduce pain, anxiety and stress during the recovery phase. Please utilize the suggestions shared in this blog post and keep them handy for if/when you may need healing. Remember, you’re not alone in your recovery journey, even if it seems lonely. A positive mindset will give you the courage and strength to overcome any battle you’re facing. There is an end to the recovery journey, and soon you’ll look back and be proud of your strength, resilience, and how far you’ve come.