I’ve had people ask me how do I stay strong and positive with Myasthenia Gravis. The truth is, I don’t always stay strong and I don’t always remain positive. Sometimes that’s okay; I just can’t allow myself to stay weak or negative for too long.
It’s easy to get down when your MG symptoms are flaring up. I dread when I get a cold because I know what it’s going to do to my body. The cold always settles into my chest, I have difficulty breathing, I’m unable to cough forcefully enough to clear my airways, and I feel miserable. But I always get through it. That cold only has me down for a few days, but fighting through it, I always have been able to come out the other side.
You see, staying strong and positive isn’t just something we should do; it’s something we must do, for ourselves. MG already affects our bodies, but if we allow it to also affect our minds, we’re giving in to the disease. We’re letting it take total control.
When I’m choking and unable to clear my airways, MG is winning. When I don’t feel like getting out of bed, MG is winning. When I tell myself I can’t do something because I have MG, MG is winning. We can’t allow MG to win. We have too much to live for. That’s why we need to keep our head in the game and our focus on resilience.
I know, it’s hard to do. When your body feels weak, all your mind wants to do is acknowledge it and focus on how poorly you feel or what you’re unable to do. That’s why Myasthenia Gravis attempts to play with our minds. It wants total control, but we can’t allow that to happen. When you’re feeling yourself get down, when you’re feeling yourself give up, that’s when you need to bring out the big guns because this battle isn’t over until it’s over.
The big guns? That’s what I call the weapons I use to fight from getting down with MG. They are faith, family and fulfillment.
When I feel myself getting down, I first turn to my faith in God. I know He is always with me and will always be by my side. He has a plan for me and I just need to trust in Him and follow His plan. That gives me so much strength. It makes me realize I’m not in this alone and I’m battling MG with the strength of someone who is greater than all diseases combined. He will get me through.
Once my faith is restored, I focus on family. I think about how much I love them and would do anything for them. I think about how giving up would be letting them down. They want me to be strong, they want me to fight and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I think of my grandkids and how much I enjoy watching them grow up. I know I won’t be here forever, but I’m here now and I need to make the most of it.
Finally, I think about fulfillment. I think about all the things I have left to do. You know, the things of which God has planted a seed, that need to sprout and flourish. Maybe it’s sharing His word, or writing a book, or helping someone in need. Whatever that seed contains, I want to see it grow.
Those are the things that give me strength when I’m down. When I have strength, positivity comes easily. I remember my big guns and how important they are to me. I think about the strength I draw from them and I realize I can only make them happen if I’m focused on the right things. Negativity is a destructive force. It can so easily make its way into our lives, but negativity doesn’t pay rent, so we can’t allow it to live there. Thinking of and working on positive things pushes negativity out of our minds. There’s not enough room for both positivity and negativity at the same time. When we focus on positive things, negativity has no where to live.
So, those are the weapons I use. I can’t guarantee they’ll work for everyone, but they work for me. Take some time to think about the weapons you use to help you stay strong. Write them down and the next time you start feeling down, read them, apply them and see how much they’ll help.
Staying strong and positive is a choice. It’s the right choice for me. I’m praying it’s the right choice for you, as well.
Leave a Reply