Your brain sometimes gets a little bit mixed up on the difference between reality and imagination, but this can be surprisingly useful for surgery. Creating a mental image of yourself doing something, like acing a nerve-wracking interview, public speaking or conquering your fear of heights by bungee jumping, activates many of the same brain areas that actually experiencing these situations would.

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Regular repetition of affirming statements about yourself can encourage your brain to take these positive affirmations as fact. When you truly believe you can do something, your actions often follow. Repeating an affirmation can help boost your motivation and confidence, but you still have to take some of the action yourself.

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Try thinking of affirmations as a step towards change, not the change itself. Consider that nosy neighbour who always asks questions about your personal life. You don't want to say anything to offend them, but also you have no intention of answering their questions.

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An affirmation like "I can remain calm even when I feel annoyed" might guide you to a habit of deep breathing and grounding exercises when you start to feel yourself getting worked up. These tactics, combined with your affirmations, help you get through the stressful moments until you can politely make your escape. The affirmation didn't make the change, you did, but it did offer a starting point.

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So speaking of that starting point, from the day you discover your surgery date, let's wake up differently. "You've got this" is often the start to a difficult day for me and that's how I want you to feel about the surgery. It's safe, they have the best people for the job and you have got this.

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It's the repetition that starts to trick your brain into a permanent feeling of confidence about the surgery. You're removing the negative thought to one side, it's no longer accepted here. It will come back, especially at night, but our daily start of "you have got this" adds adds the extra stream of confidence to your day.