Christina Applegate, 53, Insists ‘You Don’t Have To Be Perfect At MS’ — Coping With The ‘Stress’ That Comes Along With Fighting Serious Illness

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“You don’t have to be perfect at MS … There are things we should be doing. I hear it all the time, what I should be doing, and I do,” Applegate said on the Tuesday, April 8th podcast episode, titled, “You Don’t Have To Be Perfect.”

“But you don’t have to be perfect at MS, because you’ve already tried being the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect teacher, the perfect everything.”

She continued, “You don’t have to be perfect at this. You’re allowed to go, ‘You know what? I don’t feel like it today … and that’s OK.'”

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Fellow actress and podcast host, Sigler, chimed in, “It’s very true … and I think the stress of trying to be perfect actually does more harm than the things that you would be doing. A day of rest can do more than a day of exercise sometimes, for MS, and it’s about finding that balance.

“It’s about finding the moments that you do feel strong. I think we can sometimes get overwhelmed with the shoulds and in general, the health and wellness,” Sigler added. “While it’s so wonderful, all of the information beneath our fingertips of how we can better ourselves and our health, it can also be very incredibly overwhelming and feel like a lot of pressure, that you’re never never living up to doing all of the things.”

Sigler also admitted that, she too, has “succumbed to that pressure,” leading her to feel overwhelmed to the point where she “crashed and burned.”

She advised her co-host and anyone listening that may be in the same situation, “You have a lot on your plate, so give yourself some grace.”

Fans responded with gratitude toward Applegate and Sigler’s helpful words, with one writing, “The pressure from my past self is so heavy. Much love to everyone.”

RELATED: Dealing With Grief Related to Health Problems

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Another fan commented, “Oooh yes! The stress of just trying to do all of the things you “should do” to take care of yourself. Over the last 2 years since my diagnosis, I’ve been learning to manage this.”

A third wrote, “Thank you ladies thank you thank you thank you. There are not enough words to tell you how much you mean to all of us. And the fact that you have shared a many of our stories, I was one of them. I still am like what I haven’t saved, and I listen to it when I need a reminder of how amazing I am.”

RELATED: Responding to Stress: How to Cope With Complex & Changing Emotions

Applegate’s Multiple Sclerosis Journey

Christina Applegate has been living with multiple sclerosis since August 2021. The diagnosis came more than a decade after she dealt with breast cancer in 2008.

“With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day,” Applegate previously wrote on her Instagram. “Having MS f—ing sucks…You just have little s— days,” she said.

She explained how her symptoms are impacting her daily life, including everyday activities like taking showers, using stairs, and carrying things.

Applegate began experiencing symptoms of the condition long before she had answers. She actually said she felt off balance during a dance sequence that occurred way back in season one of her dark comedy “Dead to Me.” She later noticed her aptitude for tennis started to fail.

“I wish I had paid attention,” she previously told The New York Times. “But who was I to know?”

It took several years of worsening tingling and numbness in her extremities before her diagnosis arrived while on set. This life-altering realization wouldn’t stop Applegate from finishing her portrayal of Jen Harding, but she did need a break. Production of the final season ceased for about five months as she began treatment.

“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’” Applegate said. “And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”

Applegate admits she’ll never fully “accept” her condition, but she did learn how to work with it. And she’s previously talked about how the show was a cathartic outlet and safe space.

“I had an obligation to Liz [Feldman] and to Linda [Cardellini], to our story,” she said of the show’s writer and her co-star respectively. “The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together.’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.’”

Applegate wasn’t able to work as hard, as long, or in the heat without her body giving out, but she found pride in her self-sufficiency. With the help of some adjustments to the schedule, she powered through. Nicole Vassell, a writer for The Independent, says other programs should learn from the way Applegate’s “physical changes [were] seamlessly incorporated into the show.”

“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” Applegate said at the time. “I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.

On an earlier “MeSsy” podcast episode, Applegate revealed she has since lost those 40 pounds naturally, without any anti-obesity drugs. She said, somewhat jokingly, that she lost that weight by dealing with stomach issues associated with the medicine she takes amid her MS battle.

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.

Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to send messages to the arms, legs, and other parts of the body to function normally.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society outlines the different types of multiple sclerosis:

• Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS): This is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what MS is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
• Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common MS among the million people battling the disease in the US, RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
• Primary progressive MS (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
• Secondary progressive MS (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of MS that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.

In addition to balance issues, numbness, and tingling in the limbs as Applegate experienced, other common MS symptoms include vision and bladder control problems. Mood changes and mental and physical fatigue are other symptoms people living with MS may experience according to the National Institute of Health.

How To Manage Anxiety In High-Stress Times

Many people battling a serious health issue like MS or cancer struggle to care for their mental health as they deal with major changes to their lives. So, how can you manage your anxiety while dealing with so many other things?

RELATED: What You Need to Know About Stress

Dr. Marianna Strongin, a clinical psychologist and founder of Strong In Therapy, spoke to SurvivorNet about helpful coping mechanisms that have made a big difference for her patients.

Learning To Cope With Anxiety

“The way that I define anxiety is that it’s an internal question that we simply can’t find the answers to,” Dr. Strongin explains.

One of the main causes of anxiety is uncertainty about life, she explains, and a cancer battle can fuel anxiety for individuals because of the lack of uncertainty about the future.

The first step for coping during stressful circumstances is understanding one’s anxiety. To do this, Dr. Strongin suggests checking in with yourself everyday to see where the anxiety is manifesting and what questions are causing the anxiety. From there, try to answer those questions, while remaining positive.

“The answers are our coping skills,” Dr. Strongin says. “Some people are really good at always giving themselves answers…other people don’t have the coping skills to answer their anxiety and as a result the anxiety increases. … We are all facing the same questions.”

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She continues, “What’s really important is to pay attention to is what those questions are, what the frequency of those questions are, and how you’re answering them.”

Managing Your Mental Health

A diagnosis of cancer or another serious illness can offset your mental health in ways you least expect.

The National Institute of Mental Health says you should seek professional help if you are experiencing severe or distressing symptoms that have lasted two weeks or more, such as:

• Trouble sleeping
• Changes in appetite
• Struggling to leave bed in the morning because of your mood
• Trouble concentrating
• Loss of interest in things you usually enjoy
• Inability to perform normal daily functions and responsibilities

Equally as important is recognizing the value of self-care.

The National Institute of Mental Health offers practical guidance on how to boost your weekly self-care routine.

Some simple suggestions include:

• Regularly exercising
• Eating healthy, regular meals
• Staying hydrated
• Prioritizing sleep
• Exploring relaxation programs or techniques
• Setting goals/priorities
• Connecting with others

Genetic testing can also help people wrestling with their mental health. It has been shown to match people with the best medication for mental health treatment. While genetic testing has helped make treatment plans for other diseases, such as certain types of cancer, the ability to use it to help people suffering from anxiety and depression is relatively new.

“Doing the genetic testing has absolutely transformed the landscape of psycho-pharmacology,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik tells SurvivorNet.

“It’s something that I highly recommend for anybody that is taking medication, whether they are being treated for cancer or not … I recommend it for children who are taking medication. I recommend it for elderly people. Anybody who is taking medication, I think, can greatly benefit from genetic testing,” Dr. Plutchik added.

Mental Health: Understanding the Three Wellsprings of Vitality

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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