How to Keep Going When MS Makes You Want to Give Up

Introduction

Let’s be honest: life with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can bring you to your knees—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The pain, the unpredictability, the fatigue, the loss of identity, the frustration with your own body… It can feel relentless. And in those moments when it all piles up, you might whisper the words that feel too heavy to say out loud:

“I can’t do this anymore.”

If you’ve ever felt like giving up, know this: you’re not alone, and you are not weak for feeling that way. You're a human being living with an unpredictable, life-altering condition—and it's okay to feel exhausted. But this article exists for one reason:

To remind you that you can keep going, even when everything tells you that you can't.

Here’s how.

Looking for online therapy? Click here.

🧠 1. Understand That the Urge to Give Up Is a Symptom—Not a Truth

When MS symptoms flare—especially pain, fatigue, cognitive fog, or depression—they can distort your perception of what’s possible. Your nervous system is overwhelmed, and your emotional capacity is drained. The thought “I give up” isn’t a reflection of who you are—it’s a reflection of how much your body and brain are suffering right now.

💬 Say this to yourself:

“This isn’t the truth. It’s a signal. My nervous system needs care.”

Treat the feeling like you would a symptom. Don’t shame it—soothe it.

💬 2. Speak the Hard Truth—Out Loud

Silence makes suffering grow. If you’re feeling emotionally crushed by MS, tell someone. Say:

“I feel like I’m drowning.”
“I’m scared and tired and don’t know how to keep going.”
“I need someone to remind me I’m not alone in this.”

Whether it’s a friend, partner, therapist, support group, or crisis line—you deserve to be heard.

📞 In North America:

National MS Society Helpline: 1-800-344-4867
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

🧩 3. Break the Problem Into Smaller Pieces

When life feels too big to handle, zoom in. You don’t need to figure out the next year, or even the next week. Ask yourself:

What can I do for the next 10 minutes?
What’s one thing that will make me feel 1% better?
What is within my control right now?

Maybe it’s lying down with soft music. Taking a shower. Drinking water. Texting a friend. Just one small action can shift your trajectory.

🧘 Mantra: “This moment. Not forever.”

💌 4. Reconnect to Your “Why”—Even if It’s Tiny

When MS strips away your roles or routines, you can feel unmoored. Reconnecting to purpose—even in the smallest ways—can breathe life into you again.

Your “why” might be:

Being here for your children
Creating art, music, or writing
Advocating for others
Tending to your garden or pet
Simply witnessing a sunrise

It doesn’t have to be big. Purpose isn’t about productivity—it’s about meaning.

💡 Ask yourself: What gives me a reason to keep trying, even on my hardest days?

🧱 5. Build an Emotional Safety Plan

When things get dark, you need structure—a plan for how to respond when your mind says “quit.”

Create an emotional survival toolkit:

3 people you can call or message
3 grounding techniques that work for you (e.g., breathing, journaling, nature)
1 emergency action step (e.g., call therapist, crisis line, doctor)
1 self-compassion statement: “I’m doing the best I can. This moment will pass.”

📌 Tip: Write this down. Put it on your fridge, phone, or bathroom mirror.

🧘 6. Calm the Nervous System First—Then Problem Solve

When your system is in survival mode, rational thought goes offline. Before you try to “fix” your life, try calming your body.

Try:

4-7-8 breathing
Holding an ice cube
Taking a warm bath
Lying down with your feet up against a wall
Body scan meditation

When your body feels safer, your brain can begin to think clearly again. Want to try Breathwork? Click here.

🧠 Remember: regulation before resolution.

🌧️ 7. Grieve—Without Guilt

MS often brings layers of loss:

Loss of independence
Loss of career
Loss of mobility or cognition
Loss of a life you imagined

You are allowed to grieve these things. You do not need to pretend to be strong. Grief is not giving up—it’s making space for sorrow so that healing can begin.

💬 Say to yourself:

“I can love my life and still grieve what I’ve lost.”

🌅 8. Celebrate the Wins—Even the Microscopic Ones

If getting out of bed today was hard, and you did it anyway, that’s a win.

If you remembered to take your medication, sent a message, drank water—that’s resilience.

Chronic illness shrinks your world. So your victories must shrink too—and become sacred.

📝 Keep a “Done List” at the end of each day. Not what you should have done—but what you did do. Let it remind you: You are showing up.

🧩 9. Redefine Strength on Your Terms

Strength isn’t powering through symptoms or pretending everything’s fine. It’s saying:

“Today I need rest.”
“I’m scared, and I’m going to talk about it.”
“I’m asking for help.”

True strength is soft, not rigid. It bends with the storm instead of breaking.

You don’t have to be a superhero. You just have to be real.

🗺️ 10. Create an “Emergency Exit” for Despair

On your worst days, have a list of emotional lifelines:

Videos or podcasts that make you laugh or feel seen
Letters or notes from people who love you
A playlist that speaks to your soul
A mantra or quote that calms you
A visual reminder of what you’ve survived already

Keep these somewhere easy to reach. When your mind says, “Give up,” let your survival file say, “Hold on.”

🧠 11. Challenge the Thought, Not the Emotion

You’re allowed to feel defeated. But don’t let that emotion crystallize into belief.

🚫 Instead of: “I’ll never get better.”
✅ Try: “I don’t feel hopeful right now, but that doesn’t mean hope is gone.”

🚫 Instead of: “I’m worthless like this.”
✅ Try: “I feel unworthy because I can’t do what I used to—but I still have value.”

Let the feeling come. Just don’t let it become the author of your story.

🌱 12. Look at How Far You’ve Come

Think back to the moment you were diagnosed.

The fear, the confusion, the grief.

Now look at where you are:

You’re still trying.
You’ve learned new ways to cope.
You’ve endured flare-ups, side effects, uncertainty—and you're still here.

💬 Say it out loud:

“I’ve made it through 100% of my hardest days so far.”

That’s not luck. That’s strength.

🌈 13. Create Micro-Moments of Joy and Beauty

You don’t need a perfect life to experience joy.

Even when you’re struggling, you can:

Feel sunlight on your skin
Watch a funny video
Sip something warm
Hug your pet
Listen to music that makes your soul stir

Joy is a rebellion against despair. Claim it—even in 30-second doses.

🤝 14. Surround Yourself with People Who "Get It"

Not everyone understands life with MS. That’s okay.

But you deserve a space where you don’t have to explain or defend your experience.

Find your people:

MS support groups (local or online)
Chronic illness communities
A therapist with experience in chronic health

When you're seen and validated, the weight becomes lighter.

🌟 15. Imagine a Future That Still Holds Possibility

When MS shifts your path, it doesn’t mean your future is gone—it means it's different.

You can still:

Learn something new
Love and be loved
Create beauty
Inspire others
Laugh until you cry
Heal in ways you never expected

Life may look different, but it can still be deeply meaningful.

🔄 When You Want to Give Up Again…

Come back to this.

Print it. Save it. Bookmark it. Read it out loud. Let it be your reminder:

🧡 You are not alone.
🧡 Your life has value—even when it’s hard.
🧡 You don’t need to be perfect—just present.
🧡 This moment is not forever.
🧡 You can keep going—and it’s okay to ask for help doing it.

Looking for online therapy? Click here.