Power of Positivity

Indira Ananthakrishnan was hospitalised for hip surgery in January 2019 after she accidentally tripped and fell in the compound of her house. This is a short account of her personal experience in the hospital. The article is mainly to emphasize the power of positive thinking which is bound to stand us in good stead in our sunset years.

- Indira Ananthakrishnan

My eyelids weighed down on me. A tap on my underfoot and a pat on my cheek made me open them, though not fully. Mumbling of hazy figures and other rumbling noises went on for many a moment before I realised that I was lying on a hospital bed, hopelessly helpless, in the ICU. “How are you?” An irrelevant question in my present condition, but that was what I was asked by a resonating male voice. To my relief, the reply came from the same voice: “You are doing fine, madam. Another 72 hours here under good care and then you will be moved to a private ward. Another fortnight and then you will be discharged.”

Another light pat on my cheek, and the doctor was gone, followed by a lady in white, the ward-in-charge. I sighed heavily. Soon came pricks and tests that went on for a few long minutes, and then, all was quiet. “You can go to sleep now,” said the nurse. The lights were dimmed. I could not sleep. Instead, an animated self-discussion popped up in my mind. “Why did I have to break my hip bone?” “No use pining over what has already happened.” “That is no consolation.” “True. However, you have a couple of options now – either think negative, feel depressed and delay the process of post-surgery healing or think positive and speed up the healing process.”