April is Stress Awareness Month, so this seems like a good time to talk about the stress that people can experience in the lead up to cosmetic surgery.
If you’re feeling anxious about a forthcoming cosmetic surgery procedure, don’t worry! That doesn’t mean you’ve made the wrong decision, it’s a perfectly normal feeling – in fact, most cosmetic surgery patients experience a degree of anxiety before their surgery. That anxiety can be about many things, but often it can be to do with worries about the results, the possibility of surgical complications, or uncertainty about the recovery process.
Here at Karidis Clinic, our staff are highly experienced at helping you to manage these feelings. In fact, we are so committed to this issue that we have set up a patient coaching service, giving you access to one-to-one coaching sessions with experienced life coaches, who are specially trained in the anxiety arising around cosmetic surgery.
There are some things you can try at home to manage your anxiety levels too:
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Come prepared
Often, surgery-related anxiety centres around the ‘unknown’, so doing your research can really help! While we wouldn’t necessarily recommend relying too heavily on Google, it can be very helpful to ask your surgeon for as much information as possible about what you can expect from the procedure itself, the results and the recovery period.
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Choose your plastic surgeon wisely
On that note, it is essential that you choose a plastic surgeon who not only has the qualifications and experience necessary for you to be confident in their ability, but who you feel you have a genuine rapport with – don’t underestimate the value of feeling comfortable enough to ask questions, however silly you feel they might be.
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Practise relaxation techniques
If you are struggling with overwhelming feelings, relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga or breathing exercises can be very helpful to bring you back to a more comfortable state of mind.
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Watch what you eat (and drink)
Eating healthily and avoiding stimulants like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol can really help to balance your mood and keep you on an even keel. Incidentally, alcohol and smoking can also have a detrimental effect on your recovery time after surgery, so avoiding those can not only quell your anxiety but also remove some of the reasons to be anxious!
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Stay active
Getting regular exercise has many benefits that can really help in the lead up to surgery – being fit and active gives you the best possible chance of a speedy recovery with no complications, but exercise also releases endorphins that help us to regulate our moods. And it helps you to sleep better, and getting a good night’s sleep is essential to keeping anxiety at bay.
We are constantly evolving and enhancing the support we provide for patients and now offer access to a patient coach.
Once you have booked your surgery, you will have access to two coaching sessions with our coach both pre- and post-operatively.
The purpose of these sessions is to provide you with the opportunity to discuss what may be coming up for you around your surgery in a safe and confidential space and to enable you to feel prepared for your procedure.
Listen to Kimberley as she explains why our Patient Coaching Service is so invaluable for our patients. “What we’ve seen is coupling coaching with surgery really gives people the whole package. That they can have the surgery and really experience long-lasting contentment and happiness in who they are.”
For more information about the Karidis Clinic patient coaching service, or to speak to one of our trained members of staff about any anxiety you may be feeling in the lead up to surgery, please contact us.
