Speaking as someone who has recovered from ME/CFS, stress and (lack of) goals seem to have been a big factor in causing me to develop the illness, and stress se

Speaking as someone who has recovered from ME/CFS, stress and (lack of) goals seem to have been a big factor in causing me to develop the illness, and stress seems to be a major factor for other patients as well (according to both the research, and the experiences of patients themselves). I don't see this as blaming myself, it's just how the brain works. Chronic stress has negative effects for all mammals. Take a look at forced swimming, visible burrow, or other stress experiments. It isn't the animal's fault that it has a negative reaction (in terms of cortisol, neurotransmitters, depression, anxiety, mental/physical fatigue, or whatever) to the stressful situation. The brain has evolved to generate these responses to stress, presumably as a survival tool to help prevent the even worse effects of chronic long-term stress. The one advantage we have as humans is that we have a certain amount of control in getting out of stressful situations.