1. Feeling Like A Burden
It is difficult to not only deal with lupus, but also with the stress that comes with having lupus. With all of the challenges lupus brings you can feel like a burden to those that help you daily. It can place undue stress on you causing anxiety on a daily basis.
2. Scared All The Time
Anxiety can present itself in many different ways on your lupus journey. One way is being scared that something will happen all the time. Scared flares will never end. Fearful that the next pain will be worse than the last. Stressed out about your own mortality when you find a butterfly has gained her wings.
3. Doubting Your Pain
Lupus can cause you some anxiety over your pain. You can often doubt if your pain is real and if it is all in your head. With pains constantly coming from every direction it can often feel unreal and unbelievable. In between feeling doubt and feeling guilty for having a chronic illness, it can cause heavy stress and anxiety.
4. Insomnia
The anxiety of not sleeping well or not sleeping at all can really take a toll on our body. Insomnia can cause flares and pain and create a cranky warrior in you. Insomnia coupled with exhaustion and fatigue can also be caused by some of the medications used to treat lupus.
5. Panic Attacks
Living with lupus can have an effect on your mental health and well-being. You can experience depression, fear, sadness and other difficult emotions. These emotions can lead to some panic attacks. These bouts of sudden intense anxiety can be crippling and have an effect on your quality of life.
Learn how to understand your anxiety and cope.
Anxiety and stress are inevitable as you walk on this lupus journey. Both can feed into flare-ups. Coping with it all can be difficult but is necessary. It can be challenging so you need a strategy to deal with it.
Coping Strategies
- Understand & Know Your Triggers – This can be achieved through therapy and will help you cope.
- Increase Physical Activity – Physical Activity improves your immune system and creates endorphins and burns aways stress hormones.
- Change Your Diet – A long term strategy that allows nutrition and supplements to help with anxiety reduction.
- Meditate Daily -It may sound cliche’, but meditation can rewire your brain to dismiss anxious thoughts.
- Keep a Journal – This will help your release your thoughts and identify when anxious thoughts enter.
- Ask About Medications – If your anxiety is severe don’t be afraid to ask for help with medication. Discuss what will help with your doctor.
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