Living with myasthenia gravis (MG), as with any chronic autoimmune condition, can be stressful. The myasthenia gravis symptoms themselves can lead to anxiety, as can managing your health. You may experience depression, a loss of control, and financial difficulties. All of these can cause stress.

For people living with myasthenia gravis, getting treatment can be taxing, too. This is especially true if you need an infusion but you don’t like needles or if your treatment has difficult side effects.

Stress can be even more difficult among people with myasthenia gravis because it may trigger or worsen symptoms, like muscle weakness. Therefore, reducing total stress levels can be key to feeling better with myasthenia gravis.

Mindfulness and meditation practices can help lower those stress levels. Moreover, meditation and mindfulness techniques, including guided meditation, have been shown to help people with chronic illnesses feel better. They can help improve some symptoms, as well as quality of life, mental health, and overall sense of wellness. They can help reduce pain, lessen depression and anxiety, improve sleep, lower blood pressure, and more.

If you find getting infusion treatments stressful, painful, or difficult in any way, mindfulness and meditation may help. Here are some techniques you can use before, during, and after treatment. In fact, you can use them anytime that life with myasthenia gravis becomes difficult.

If you’re struggling with stress due to your autoimmune condition, be sure to talk to a health care professional, too. They can connect you to resources, providers, or support groups that help you learn some of these techniques.

Practice Meditative Breathing

Meditative breathing exercises can be especially helpful if you’re dealing with a moderate amount of stress or anxiety or if it’s worsening. Practicing this technique is straightforward. You simply focus on your breath without trying to change it. It can help you slow down your thoughts so you don’t feel like you’re always at their mercy. Conquer Myasthenia Gravis offers a video introduction to this technique so you can follow along.

There are a couple of additional breathing techniques that you can try. Practicing these may make it easier to focus on your breath. They also help you keep your brain and your nervous system calm. Most practitioners recommend doing these for a minute or two every day to start. Work your way up to at least 10 minutes a day to see more effects. These techniques and their effects can be helpful for transfusions or anytime life with MG gets difficult.

If you’re struggling to breathe because of myasthenia gravis symptoms, these techniques are not what you need. Instead, call your neurologist or someone on your neurology team right away to get medical advice about your shortness of breath.

Box Breathing

Box breathing is as simple as counting to four. All you need to do is follow these steps:

1. Inhale for a count of four.
2. Hold for a count of four.
3. Release the breath for a count of four.
4. Wait for a count of four.
5. Repeat the process.

You can do this for as many cycles as you want or need to.

There’s nothing magical about the number four. Some people choose to expand their count after they practice this for a while. You can slow down your four-count or choose to count to a different number instead.

Belly Breathing

To practice belly breathing:

1. Get as comfortable as you can.
2. Place one hand on the top of your belly and the other one on your chest.
3. Begin inhaling, and feel how your belly expands when you do that. Let your belly rise and feel the tension growing there.
4. Release the air and feel your belly fall.
5. Repeat as many times as you want and need to.

Note that this may not work in some infusion situations. If you aren’t supposed to move one of your arms, for instance, it’s going to be hard to place your hands properly. You may choose to visualize your belly expanding when you breathe in or use a different technique and go back to this one later.

Scan Your Body

Scanning your body offers another way to bring your mind back to the present moment. When you use this technique, you’ll bring your attention to one body part at a time. Many people choose to work from the top down or from the bottom up. You’ll focus on each part of the body and note how it’s feeling. You may find that different parts feel hot, cold, energized, or tired.

If you have the energy and it’s helpful for you, you can mix this up with breathing techniques. You may try to breathe warmth into cold body parts or relaxation into tense ones. You don’t have to use these techniques together, though. They can be useful all on their own.

If you find that focusing on some parts of your body raises your anxiety, you can skip them. This may include parts of your body currently involved in your infusion treatment option. It can also include parts of your body that are particularly painful or difficult at the moment. You might be able to come back to them later when they feel better.

Repeat a Mantra

Repeating a mantra over and over can also give you something to focus on. You can make up your own mantra or use one that comes from a religious or spiritual tradition you’re comfortable with. Simply say the mantra over and over again, either aloud or in your head, and do your best to give it your full attention. If you find your attention wandering, bring it back to the mantra. Don’t get upset with yourself if this happens, even if it happens a lot. You’re training your brain to be able to focus.

This might be a particularly useful technique while getting infusions or when you’re experiencing significant pain. It allows you to focus on something other than your body. It also allows you to do this work silently, without needing to say anything or even shift in your seat.

Ground Yourself

Some people who live with myasthenia gravis find that grounding themselves helps lower their stress, anxiety, and other uncomfortable feelings. Grounding yourself means bringing your attention back to the world around you. It brings you back into contact with the outside world so you aren’t stuck inside your head.

In grounding, you’ll use all five senses to take note of the world around you. Most people follow these steps:

1. Notice five things that you can see.
2. Notice four things that you can touch.
3. Notice three things that you can hear.
4. Notice two things that you can smell.
5. Notice one thing that you can taste.

You may want to repeat this if you’re feeling anxious during a long infusion. It can also be useful anytime life with MG gets overwhelming or confusing.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MGteam is the social network for people with myasthenia gravis and their loved ones. There, more than 1,700 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with myasthenia gravis.

Do you have a mindfulness or meditation technique that works for you? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.