You’ve been told that you need heart surgery – there’s a million things running through your head right now – Why me? What can I expect? Is it going to be painful? How long will it take to recover? What about my family? Am I going to die? Heart surgery is a big deal and these thoughts are all normal. I’ve had them all through my two heart surgeries.
There’s a good chance that you are feeling some fear right now. Again, perfectly normal. There are so many unknowns that I think it’s hard NOT to feel fear. So, here are three things to keep in mind as you address your fear 1) Recognize it 2) Tell someone about it and 3) Write it down.
Recognize It
Let’s look at the first one – we have all felt fearful at one time or another in our lives – many types of fear can be very debilitating and prevent us from accomplishing things in our lives. It’s one thing to feel fear and just live with that feeling and it’s another to say “Wow, I’m afraid right now!” I’m scared! Just recognizing your feelings does so much for beginning to lessen your fear.
Tell Someone
Next, tell someone how you’re feeling – it’s important once you’ve acknowledged that you’re feeling fear to not just hold on to it, but tell someone how you’re feeling. Maybe it’s a spouse, significant other, family member, caregiver, friend. Whoever it is, tell them that you’re scared and what you’re afraid of. Ask them just to listen, because right now, chances are, there’s very little that they can say that will help you feel better. So why do this? Because by verbalizing how you’re feeling, you make it real, you bring it out into the open and you bring others into your world so they CAN help you through it.
Write It Down
The third thing you can do to help with your fear is write it down. If you don’t have a journal….get one, or just sit down at the computer and write! Don’t think about how it sounds or that the wording is correct, just write about your fears and how you’re feeling. When you’re done, read it once and then put it away. Give those three things a try and my guess is that you will feel less stressed!