Is Anxiety a big problem with ms?? I can not understand why I chew my finger nails is this part of my ms? Or is this just another problem…? Helpp
Hi Martin
It’s not uncommon for us with MS to feel anxiety. It’s not surprising I guess. We can be much more vulnerable now and can’trely on our own bodies &abilities like we used to. And then there could be worries about the future, which is a great big unknown. Even if we’re not consciously thinking about the future, it wouldn’t surprise me that our subconscious is thinking about it.
Things like mindfulness meditation or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy are known to help (if you google mindfulness, you’ll find out plenty of information about it, but in a nutshell it’s simply about noticing what’s going on in the present moment - things what you can feel/see/hear etc, or what you’re thinking - as a lot of the time we’re distracted from what we’re doing and are busy thinking about the past or future instead. It helps you to simply notice your thoughts instead of getting caught up in them, which is why it can help with anxiety. And your GP will be able to refer you for CBT, which is about spotting your thought patterns that cause you to believe things that aren’t true, and you can then challenge those thoughts). And also just talking about it with others will be good too, so post on here as much as you need to as many of us will understand.
Dan
Thanks for the usefull info Dan, that kinda makes me see sense, I’ve always had trouble biting my nails (to the point of chewwing my whole nail off to the nail bed) but I’m still learning about my beloved condition(ms), the past 2 weeks I’ve experienced the M.S hug, I never heard it before and thought I was having a heart attack or real bad indigestion/heart burn. I’ve been diagnosed since 2007 but never really taken it seriously as I was just a teen growing up and didn’t wanna play on it, its just recently since I’ve had another relapse and unfortunately lost use of my legs and right arm due to lacking strength I’ve started to take this seriously and want to learn more about it especially now I’m going from copaxone to tysabri. Any info is new good news for me as I will know exactly what it is if I ever experience it but the nail biting has never really made me think its just me thinking its just me and its what I’m addicted to but now I’ve thought abit deeper it raised a question is my ms a big part of this, apart from the fact my future wife says she it will be embarrassing to put a wedding ring on my finger with finger nails as poor as mine haha, thanks for the useful info Dan
Hi Martin i have very high anxeity but i also have PTSD & MS so i cant answer which 1 is responsible for it but i have a PTSD Therapist and with her help i am making progress and most of this is through controlled breathing and talking , i do worry if when the therapy comes to an end in 8 weeks that i will struggle , i dont know where you are but our local Ms Centre offers reduce cost therapists for ms sufferers , perhaps a centre near you may offer the same , my advice is to go get help if you feel it is ruling you or your life my friend
respect sheep