It’s been a while since I’ve shared a joke, so here’s one for you.
An Irishman was sitting in the pub enjoying a few of his favorite ales. After downing a few too many, he decides he better go home. As he slides off his stool, he falls to the floor flat on his face. He tries to get up, but it’s no use, so he crawls out the door and all the way home.
When he gets home, he opens the door, crawls through and makes his way to the bedroom. He crawls up next to the bed and tries one more time to get up, but falls flat on his face again, so he just sleeps on the floor.
The next morning his wife says to him, “Billy, ya ben drinken again, have ya?”
Billy replies, “Why, no ma’am. Wha makes ya think so?”
His wife responds, “Magee called from the pub. Ya left your wheelchair there again.”
While there’s a wee bit o’ sadness in that joke, it’s still kind of funny. It also carries a lesson. Distraction can be a powerful tool to help us forget our woes.
Let me start by saying I don’t recommend using alcohol as a means of distraction. Falling into that trap will only make your situation worse. There are too many other healthy distraction choices from which you can choose. The next time you find yourself feeling down or dwelling on the aches and pains that often accompany Myasthenia Gravis, try getting involved in something to take your mind off of it. Read a book. Watch tv. Pursue a hobby. Do something constructive that will occupy your mind so that it doesn’t have time to think about your troubles.
With Myasthenia Gravis, it’s so easy to get down. You have good days and bad days and we often get stuck in the rut of ruminating on the bad days, but letting the good days slip by without accomplishing anything or doing anything productive. What if there was a way to make time on the bad days go a little faster while setting yourself up for enjoying the good days even more? There is and it’s called distraction.
I’m not saying to ignore your symptoms completely. We need to acknowledge they’re there and monitor to make sure they aren’t getting worse. The key is we can’t allow ourselves to dwell on them. That’s where distractions come in.
When I’m feeling extra achy, reading a good book, writing a blog or working on a hobby often help me refocus my mind. When my mind refocuses, I no longer dwell on my aches and pains. An added benefit is the time I spend enjoying something is less time spent complaining; even if that complaining is only to myself. Complaining accomplishes nothing. Doing something productive with your time accomplishes much.
You don’t need to fall off your stool and crawl home. You just need to use distraction as a means to help you forget about your MG symptoms. When you can refocus on positive things, you’ll find the strength to accomplish them.
Ole’ Billy crawled all the way home forgetting he was wheelchair bound. How much can you accomplish if you forget about MG and refocus on your goals?