Stress is the real enemy when living with myasthenia gravis

I haven’t had a disease flare-up recently or a full physical and mental breakdown. Still, this year has been a roller coaster for me. Each month seems to follow a rhythm: For one week I’ll feel almost healthy, for two weeks I’ll feel extremely disabled, and then for another week I’ll simply coexist with myasthenia gravis (MG).

This pattern made me realize how hard it is to adapt psychologically to life with a chronic illness.

Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed. Work has been intense. Life hasn’t left me room to pause. I haven’t had time to nurture that fragile, ever-shifting peace I try to maintain with this condition.

We often say that stress triggers MG — but what we don’t talk about enough is how MG creates stress, too. It’s a two-way street. What are we supposed to do when the thing that affects our health the most is our health?

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I wish I could hand you a guidebook or 10 foolproof tips. But the truth is that since I was diagnosed, I’ve been stressed about the future. About how MG affects the people around me. About everyday fears like, “What if my legs stop working in the middle of the road?” Or, “What if I stop breathing completely?” These fears don’t go away. They morph, they shrink, they come back. And they sit quietly beneath everything I do.

Ironically, I don’t often get sick after a period of stress. But stress is considered a major trigger for MG flare-ups, and that adds another layer of stress.

I’m done fighting MG

So here’s my solution: I refuse to stress about MG unless it’s actively flaring up. I’ve learned to stop fighting it and instead let it sit next to me on the bench where my friends are. Let it exist. Not as a villain, but as a companion.

This whole idea of “fighting” illness doesn’t speak to me. I’ve always resonated more with Eastern and holistic approaches that treat the body as a messenger. If my body is too tired to walk, then that’s its way of telling me it needs care. So I cancel my plans, I rest, I cry if I need to, and I allow the flare-up to move through me instead of trying to outrun it.

Sometimes I feel protective of MG. It’s strange, but I relate to it the way we relate to siblings. I can talk badly about it, but no one else can. Maybe it’s because MG has been with me through it all. I didn’t choose it, it didn’t choose me, but we’re walking this path together. There’s a kind of intimacy in that.

So I’ll keep doing yoga. I’ll meditate. I’ll keep searching for any little thing that can make this weight feel lighter — not to get rid of MG, but to live with it. Because MG is not my enemy. Stress is.

This mindset doesn’t solve everything, but it helps me shift from fighting to adapting. It transforms stress into strategy. And even when I’m not OK, even when I’m too tired to be positive, this way of thinking lets me breathe a little easier.

No, this “situationship” isn’t smooth. It’s messy, unpredictable, and full of contradictions.

But so is life. And MG is part of mine.

Note: 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. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Myasthenia Gravis News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to myasthenia gravis.