The Briar Collective
Surgery Recovery Resources
Carefully Curated Resources We Love & Recommend
We care about what you bring into your space to assist in your healing. While recovering, what you put in and on your body matters as well as the quality of the item you need for support. Enjoy the ease of being directly taken to the resource by clicking on the resource name.
Heart Centered Wellness we use and believe in
Skincare
Operates with the understanding that solutions that come from nature often have better results and fewer side effects and this is why we love their products. While searching for an antibacterial soap without harsh drying ingredients we found, and loved, their plant-based gel body wash. It will awaken your senses, moisturize, and it contains lemongrass essential oil which is antiseptic and antifungal.
Essential Oils
100% Natural essential oils that support your physical and emotional well-being. The Stress Release and Sleep Well roll ons were extremely supportive on those hard to sleep nights which are common during the first two weeks after surgery.
Meditation
#1 free app for sleep, anxiety and stress and we couldn’t agree more. We have yet to find another app that has a vast, quality, and free content library like Insight Timer. The best way to start a meditation practice is to tailor it to your daily routine and start small. We have found some of our best meditation moments have come while listening in the shower, brushing our teeth, and starting with meditations under 15 minutes. Hymn of Healing from Beautiful Chorus, Transforming Fear, and Remembering Trust by Sarah Blondin are great starting points and all under 13 minutes.
Rituals to Connect with Earth, Spirit, and Self
Ashley River Brant's notes on ritual work is a perfect introduction to anyone seeking the power of healing through ritual. Ritual is healing and can be simple. We love the ability to read the book cover to cover or skip to the section that calls to you. If you are ready to dive into this form of healing this is a great place to start and covers the mind in our mind-body approach.
Supportive post-surgery items that feel like self care
Shower Chairs and Benches
One of the most helpful things post surgery is a shower chair, and if we could ship it in our box kit we would. It's challenging to stand on one leg, turn around, and just wash yourself. Your non-surgical leg gets easily strained from bearing the majority of your body weight. We love this waterproof bamboo shower bench for its updated look and self care feel. It can live in your bathroom long after surgery recovery. The arms and non-slip rubber pads allow you to safely sit on and stand up after showering.
Metal Handheld Extended Shower Head
Husband and wife duo with lofty ambitions to stir up the shower head industry with their solid metal showerheads at a competitive price. The all metal modern shower head in multiple finishes drew us in but the performance is why we recommend this showerhead to everyone. The 72” flexible metal hose allows you to reach your shower chair and is also great for cleaning the shower after recovery. We put it up and refuse to take it down.
Oversized Pajama Bottoms
Oversized pajama bottoms are a great way to account for overall swelling of the body after surgery and are gentle on your incision. What we liked most of all is the ease of getting them on and off without irritating the incision itself. When we say oversized we mean one to two sizes larger than your regular size so Target is a great place to get a good price for something you most likely won’t need later. However, with all of the cute styles we still wear ours, just oversized.
990 Sneakers
Made without compromise and with comfortable OrthoLite(R) inserts this shoe delivers all day comfort and support. We love this sneaker for its stability and firmer cushion. After lots of trial and error, a physical therapist recommended this shoe because it does not compromise your walk, like really soft cushioned sneakers can or come up too high on the back of your heel, potentially irritating your achilles tendon. These are our go to sneakers for post surgery or injury recovery.