When to Worry About Worry

I oftentimes find myself worrying about things over which I have no control. I can ruin an otherwise perfect day fretting over something that isn’t going to change no matter how much I worry about it. But letting go is hard.

Worry isn’t exclusive to people with Myasthenia Gravis. It happens all the time by almost everyone, but worry can be especially detrimental for people with MG. Let me show you why.

Stress causes muscles to tense up, much like what happens to your muscles during strenuous exercise or overexertion. With MG, already compromised muscles fatigue more quickly under this extra load. This can lead to increased weakness.

Not only that, but stress, anxiety, worry, sudden fear, or extreme anger can actually be triggers that can intensify MG symptoms. In severe cases, this can even lead to a myasthenic crises (life-threatening respiratory weakness).

A Myasthenia Gravis patient can often find themselves in a vicious cycle. MG symptoms naturally cause anxiety and worry about daily activities, work, or health. This added stress then worsens the physical symptoms, which can lead to more worry, which can worsen symptoms even more, which can cause even more worry…. See where this is leading?

In fact, it’s well known that stress is one of the most common and impactful triggers of MG symptoms, alongside infection, heat, and overexertion.

If stress and worry are so bad for us, why do we do it? To some extent, I think some degree of stress and worry is hard-wired and actually good for us. It helps keep us on our toes and aware that danger may be lurking or is eminent. It can sometimes even help us make decisions. Fight or flight is actually a means of self-preservation. I call this “acute stress”.

The not-so-good kind of stress is “chronic stress”. That’s the stress that seems to be with you most of the time and from which you have difficulty breaking away. Chronic stress or worry wears on you, can cause a host of health problems, and definitely makes MG symptoms worse.

So, how do you know when to worry about worry? When you can’t seem to let it go is one sign. When stress or worry starts to affect your everyday life, it’s time to learn how to better manage your stress or seek professional help.

Stress management is a key part of living with MG because, let’s face it, we can’t get away from it. That’s why it’s important to learn techniques with which to deal with it. Techniques like acceptance of limitations, pacing out activities so as not to become over-extended, relaxation methods (e.g., deep breathing, meditation), therapy, and support groups are often recommended.

I’d suggest starting with discussing your worry with your neurologist. He/she may have some very helpful tips on how to effectively deal with stress and worry. Your doctor can help you tailor strategies while ensuring any anxiety treatments are safe for people with MG.

How do I prevent myself from becoming overwhelmed with stress and worry? I’m not yet great at it, but for me the best thing that works is shifting my thoughts from the negative to the positive. When I have something that’s worrying me, unless I absolutely have to deal with it immediately, I try to shift my focus to appreciation. God has blessed me in so many ways, and I have so much to be thankful for. When I begin appreciating, I don’t have time for lamenting. When I see all the positive around me, the negative always seems to fade.

The reality is most of the things that cause me worry, I have no control over. I can’t control that I have MG, but I can definitely do things to help prevent my symptoms from worsening. I can’t control the weather, so why worry about whether or not it will rain on an upcoming event? I can’t control food prices, so I just need to be a little more thrifty in my purchases. I can’t control the fact that there are germs all around me, so why not take what precautions I can and leave the rest in God’s hands. I can’t control that the world seems like it’s crazy, so why not just focus on my world and making sure my house is in order.

Worry can be one of the biggest stressors for someone with Myasthenia Gravis. Try focusing on what you can control, leave the rest in God’s hands, and just enjoy living.

As Erma Bombeck once said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.”