Trying to find the positive

Most people who know me know that I don't handle stress well. I tend to get really negative and anxious, and I find myself feeling annoyed about anything and everything. I've been having a hard time lately not falling into that old pattern. I feel like I'm in such a negative headspace right now, and I don't know how to snap out of it. I'm probably more sensitive to it than anyone else.... At least I hope....

I know I have a ton of things to be grateful for. I'm so fortunate to have health insurance, and to have a job with a built-in three-week vacation so I can go home for surgery without taking any time off (hopefully). I'm also really lucky to have supportive, understanding people around me who have been incredibly helpful and encouraging throughout this process. I know all that. But the anxiety comes from uncertainty: I don't know what my rehab process will be like, and I don't know how long I'm going to struggle to perform at a basic level after surgery.

I want to be ready for the kids when school starts up again in the fall--that's four weeks after my surgery. It took me about four weeks to feel mostly normal after the initial tear, and I'd be very comfortable to be at this point four weeks after surgery. But I'm assuming that it will be a slower recovery process since there will be two sites that need to heal. I just don't know if it's realistic to think I'll be able to walk around much by mid-September. On the other hand, this time around I'll have nearly three weeks to devote entirely to rehab--not just one week like I had after the initial tear. So I really don't know what to expect, but I'm trying to be optimistic. Trying, but failing.

It doesn't help that I'm stressed about the surgery itself and the end of the school year right now as well. Everyone's always stressed all the time though, right? Clearly I need to develop some better coping mechanisms. What do other people do to handle stress?