Anxiety Answers
Consider the following anxiety-busters specifically built for MS:
Start Therapy
If you were a typical person beginning to experience symptoms of anxiety, therapy might not be the first line of defense, but MS makes you atypical. Since the rates of anxiety are higher in people with MS, therapy is an obvious choice.
Not only can therapy give you the needed skills and techniques to address your anxiety, it can help address the other direct and indirect symptoms of MS. Therapists may offer helpful tips for addressing energy and memory concerns while honing communication skills to improve relationships.
Unfortunately, anxiety is not the only mental health issues effecting people with MS — depression is an additional concern. What to improve both? Try therapy.
Try Medication
After meeting with your therapist, you can receive a recommendation for anxiety medication. Your therapist might feel like you can improve without or that medication is necessary.
Seeking a consultation from a psychiatrist, or another medical professional that specializes in mental health, will give you information about helpful medications, as well as the cost and benefit of each. Be open and clear about all of your symptoms, especially the impact of MS on your life.
It may take several trials to find a good medication for you, but once stabilized, medications can make therapy more helpful and life more enjoyable.
If you are waiting for your first therapy session or your psychiatric evaluation, there are several at-home stress-reducers worth trying. They include:
- Increasing the involvement of your supports. Start the process by surrounding yourself with people who love and support you, and listen to their perspective. Express your own thoughts, beliefs and frustrations — allow yourself plenty of time to vent, while setting the goal of ending each conversation with a positive statement. Focusing on hope will aid your mood and anxiety.
- Move away from stress. Being around people and situations that breed stress will only heighten your symptoms of anxiety, so put extra effort in reducing your negative experiences.
- Move towards a relaxed body. Depending on the impact of MS, exercise can be one your best allies in reducing anxiety and depression while boosting your energy. Exercise may actually be able to improve your attention and memory as well.
- Retrain your brain. It is a strikingly simple truth that the way you think about your yourself, your stressors, and your MS has a direct impact on your anxiety. To begin, analyze the ways you think and talk to yourself and rework your self-talk to be more positive, and it can lead to differences in your moods and symptoms of anxiety.
The evidence is clear: people with MS are at a greater risk of increased anxiety as a secondary factor. Luckily, there are many professional and at-home treatments to reduce or resolve the problematic symptoms. With MS-related anxiety, it is never too early to start.
Next page: MS warrior Libby shares her personal experiences with MS and anxiety.
