Fear is our natural survival mechanism. We react to danger by getting afraid and alert. We get into what’s called the fight-or-flight response, an automated reaction that makes us to either stand up and fight or run and hide. Both reactions are meant to help us survive. There is also a third element: freezing, inaction.
MS turns on all these three at different stages and with different intensities. Depending on your personality, after the diagnosis, you might either get angry and want to fight it (my case), enter denial and go on with your normal life or simply get into shock and think you’re life is over. These initial reactions change, they take turns and make us go through a continuum of emotions, ranging from angst, anger, frustration, up until sadness, grief and depression.
The key here is acceptance. I know it’s not easy to come to terms with MS and some may never will 100%. The moment you accept that this is reality and you can’t hide from it, courage comes back again. We still have fear, and depending on how our MS is, we might be struggling with relapses or their aftereffects. We then need to once more accept, adapt to our current situation and see what good can we take out of it. There’s always a good side to things.
Find ways to manage your MS. Once more, I insist on on having systems in place: what to do in case of a relapse, what to do with “x” symptom, and so on. Have “exit plans” from every difficult situation you can think of. Most of all, have patience and faith that it will pass.
Fear is always going to be there. It tries to protect you. Acknowledge it and move on. Breathe deeply, cry, get angry if you need to, and then get back to living your best lifestyle. Having courage enables you to face difficulty, danger and pain with less to no fear. Be strong.
MS doesn’t stop me... from standing facing difficulty with a brave heart #strongerthanMS
The rest of May is enough time to go deeper into what it takes to become independent: body, mind and spirit. To become the architect of your wished lifestyle. To become #strongerthanMS.
Until then, I thank you for being here. Liked this post? Share it with friends. Want to receive more articles like this right into your inbox? Add your email to the SMart Choosers list HERE. You’ll receive every new article and a monthly Newsletter of wonderful resources and insight, to help you make the smart choices that best fit your lifestyle.
Sincerely yours,
Alex
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