Relaxing before surgery and how to calm down before surgery
Surgery is intimidating stuff. That’s why it’s great to find a relaxation routine that you can use before you go under the knife. Here is explained how to calm down or relaxing before surgery.
Yoga and meditation are great for creating harmony in your daily life, but you can also use it to target specific things that cause you anxiety or distress.
If you’re nervous about getting surgery and want to prepare for that inevitable time in the waiting room, then you should get some basic yoga and meditation techniques under your belt.
The sooner you start your meditation routines, the better. Try to make time every day for about a week before your surgery. This will give you time to familiarize yourself with it and not feel tempted to check your meditation cheat sheet!
After all, breaking the meditation to look something up defeats the purpose of getting into that meditative state in the first place. It’s very important for relaxing before surgery.
Taking even 5 minutes every day for a week can make a world of difference. The best thing about meditation is that it quiets the mind so meditation is very relaxing before surgery.
It can be difficult for some people at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to slip back in to that mode. Any time you feel a distracting thought come up, acknowledge it and dismiss it.
Trying to act like the distraction isn’t there only makes you more focused on getting rid of it, which detracts from relaxation. If you have to, say this to yourself each time: “I need to get back to meditating now.” Whatever it takes to get those annoyances out of your head, do what works for you.
Once you’re in the waiting room, you can find out how long you’ll be sitting for, and then you can take a few minutes to meditate.
If you feel uncomfortable doing that, then you can meditate in the car before you walk into the building for your surgery. (By the way, you shouldn’t drive yourself to surgery, so make sure you pick someone to take you who won’t mind you taking a few minutes to mentally prepare.)
If you feel yourself tensing up anyway, take the time to intentionally clench each of your muscles. Start with your toes: curl up your toes and clench them into place for a few seconds, then release. Then, do that with your calves, then your thighs, and so on.
Just work your way up your body as many times as you need to. Actively thinking about tensing those muscles will take your mind off whatever particular thing is stressing you out.
Taking a relaxing bath, listening to calming music, and/or getting a massage may help you feel calm before you get your surgery.
Adding yoga to your de-stress routines can greatly benefit you as well. Yoga is great for stress relief, pain relief, better breathing, and developing inner peace, among many other effects.
Because yoga is a form of exercise, it can be particularly strenuous and thus allows you to focus on something other than whatever is on your mind.
Take a deep breath and feel your body stretching as you uplift yourself into a Tree Pose or ground yourself with Downward Dog. Your worries just fall away when you focus on the movement of your muscles and the pace of your breath.
Certain poses, like the Eagle Pose and Side Plank Pose, require more focus and balance than others, so you may want to try them out if you’re having a hard time de-cluttering your mind.
There are people who have used the Tree Pose as the beginning of a journey to self-reflection and balance, and I must say it’s a great place to start if you’re interested in using yoga as a relaxation technique before you get surgery (relaxing before surgery).
When you as a person are unbalanced in heart, mind, career, finances, relationships, or whatever else, the body knows. Anyone can benefit from trying to focus more on self-harmony. Thoughts are seeds that grow into many branches that affect your entire being.
A thought of beginning to practice yoga can lead to actually practicing yoga. But that’s only one part of you and of your life.
In that same vein, thinking about doing something bad can lead to doing something bad. And that can lead to any number of problems in your life.
If any given thought can lead to action, then it only makes sense to pick and choose which thoughts you want to nourish into the branches of yourself.
The Tree Pose draws your thoughts upward while grounding you with one of your feet. This must be done with both sides in order to achieve proper balance. When you find yourself feeling unbalanced or stressed, try stretching into the Tree Pose for some perspective.
There are microscopic deviations that can affect your balance in this pose, so you have to be prepared to be flexible and focused. Each of those deviations can represent anything your life.
If you think about skipping yoga for the day because you have too much other stuff to do, then how will that affect the rest of your day or even the rest of your week?
Will you skip yoga the next day since you already missed a session the day before? It’s easy to slide downhill when you bow to every single distraction that comes your way.
The goal is to find ways to balance yourself and calm your mind. If you’re content to spend 5 minutes or 1 hour on yoga every day, then do what works for you. There are plenty of breathing exercises associated with yoga, so you can use those as you sit in that waiting room.
Take the time to attend to your mental health. It’s worth it so you can have an easy recovery after your surgery.
Author Bio
Dr. Stephanie Power is a plastic surgeon based in Toronto, Canada. She maintains a busy private practice in the Yorkville neighborhood.
