How To Look After Your Mental Health After Surgery
Contributing Writer: Daisy Moss
Many people talk about how to recover physically following surgery, however it is rare that there are discussions about how to look after yourself mentally. Having surgery is a significant thing for anyone, whether it is pre-planned or an emergency. Recovery time can be long, so you need to know how to protect your mental health and reduce anxiety during the process.
Here we will discuss a few of the common struggles following surgery, as well as a few simple ways to come to terms with your experience and to look after your mental health.
Feeling Lonely
One of the most significant issues relating to mental health after surgery is loneliness. Prolonged hospitalisation can be extremely difficult for people and for many, this continues when they return home. Even though you are in your home environment, you may not feel up to many visits and loved ones may have work commitments.
In order to ease these feelings, you should firstly contact your doctor if you feel as if they ever get out of hand. On a day to day level get yourself into a routine and try to keep yourself occupied however you can. This might include reading books by your favourite author, doing some gentle walking if you have been cleared to do so by your doctor or trying to learn a new hobby.
Also, when you can, organise calls with family and friends. Keeping in touch with your loved ones will help massively.
Feeling Dependent
Another common issue people face mentally following surgery is feeling over dependent. For people who are usually very independent, adjusting to following orders and not overdoing things can be difficult. You might not be able to do anything for a while, so have to rely on those around you or medical staff. Whether you have had a breast implant replacement or emergency bowel surgery, you are going to have to accept you need to take a step back and allow others to help you.
The best thing to do is remind yourself that this is temporary. Focus on the things you are grateful for in life, such as being able to have this surgery to help your long term health. For longer term recoveries, again remind yourself how lucky you are to be here and put all your energy into focusing on your recovery.
When you are struggling with this feeling, talk to your loved ones or doctors. Help can be arranged so you shouldn’t have to suffer in silence.
Having Low-Energy
Many people experience very low energy levels after surgery. This is completely normal, as you have undergone an extremely testing experience and your body needs time to properly recover. However, for people who are very active, this can be difficult to process.
Remind yourself that your body is using all that energy in order to recover. The longer you allow yourself to properly rest and follow doctors orders, the sooner you will recover. If you jump too far ahead, you could end up reversing the progress you have made. Be patient and it will be worth it in the future.
Final Thoughts
The impact on people’s mental health following surgery is often an after-thought. It can be very difficult to adjust to life immediately after surgery, as well as processing that this might be a long road to recovery.
When you are feeling lonely, overly dependent or lacking energy, remember that these feelings are temporary, and better times are ahead. Keep yourself occupied, talk to people around you and give your body the time it needs to properly recover.
