We Must Always Remember to Practice Self-care

In friendly relationships, I always try to remain compassionate and remember that people’s past encounters and experiences shape who they are.

In order to grow, people need to be open-minded and teachable. In certain uncomfortable situations, I let unintentional offenses slide, I attempt to teach, and I move on if I believe it’s beneficial to everyone involved.

Sometimes conversations can lead to unsolicited opinions about our illness, accommodations, or lifestyle, which may be different than those of the person commenting.

If we want support from those we care about, sometimes it requires effort and persistence. Rather than criticize other people’s opinions, we should try to explain our illness so that they have an opportunity to learn and understand.

Nevertheless, sometimes we grow disheartened about having to repeat details of a significant part of our lives more frequently than we think we should. We open up about myasthenia gravis (MG), the safety risks we face, and the daily struggles we endure. But some people might erroneously conclude that we are letting our disease prevent us from living our lives. These types of interactions only add to the exhaustion associated with MG.

I agree that we mustn’t let MG have complete control of our lives. But what it means to live varies dramatically for someone with MG compared with a healthy person.

When thinking about relationships, we should choose what makes us happy. Above all, we must practice self-care and never sacrifice our health to satisfy others who perhaps are more comfortable with a past version of us.

We shouldn’t mold our lives to gratify others. Rather, we should experience life and focus on whatever sparks a fire in our inner being.

We are the authors of the book of our lives, but we have a co-writer in the form of MG that likes to throw in plot twists. How we respond is up to us — and only us.

Undoing the growth we’ve experienced isn’t worth it to maintain certain relationships. Instead of grieving this, we should use it as an incentive to take advantage of life as much as MG will allow.

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Myasthenia Gravis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.