How Emotions Can Hijack Your Diet Choices

Do you ever ask yourself why food is known to damage you, but not to heal you, to make you feel better? Why do the media and doctors say that you should eat less of this and less of that? Why food x caused y condition and nothing is said about what you should eat for a healthy system? I do to. Even more after being diagnosed with an autoimmune chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. I not only choose to quit sugar, but gluten and dairy too. Let me tell you why.

Last time I wrote about this issue (find it HERE) I was on a positive wave, or more well said, going through a constant good and calm state of my life. What I failed to remember was that life is a roller coaster. I didn't pay enough attention to the fact that the Black Knights (more about them HERE) are bound to come back and trash my efforts of leading a healthy life.

I'm talking about those moments when you feel so upset or tired, that you just need an ice cream or some chocolate. Eating sweet or tasty foods helps you feel better almost instantly (or at the bottom of the can, in some cases).

But that's the real problem. Our brains have been wired from an early age to know that we can find comfort in eating. What nobody told us was how to better manage what and how we feel. How to identify and balance the emotional roller coaster life has prepared for us, and do that without food.

For me, choosing not to eat gluten, dairy and sugar came as a no brainer once I did my research. And when I say research, I mean spending hours upon hours finding out how casein and gluten can mimic other proteins in the body and how sudden insulin spikes put the body into deep stress (and get you fat in the process). I have the notes to prove it! :))

I still have the same principles and ideas, only that now I am more aware of how moments of angst, fear or anger can make my hormones and neurotransmitters fluctuate, and thus somehow make me crave the foods that I know very well can make me feel bad.

On a rational level, it's all good, and I stick to the plan about 80% of the time. The other 20% is dependent on how I'm feeling. That's why I now focus mostly on balancing my emotional state, as it is the root of all evil. Kidding, just the root of cravings (which are equally as bad :)) ).

All this "I'm changing my diet!" is in fact a process, with its ups and downs. But nobody really talks about failure. About cravings, about how it's all connected to the way we feel, not only by logic and willpower. The stricter the diet, the most prone to failure it is. Especially if you go through hard moments in life. 

Here's where self-compassion comes in. I used to get upset with myself for eating some gluten or having some dairy, or for eating chocolate at certain times of the month. The trick is to allow yourself to indulge for a bit (if you're feeling really crappy there's no use in making things even worse) and then return to your usual eating habits. The problem begins when you continue on a downward spiral and eat mindlessly, going over your own decisions.

At the end of the day, we are all free to make our own choices, but just make sure they align with the rest of our lifestyle.

The following months we'll go deeper into what it takes to become stronger: body, mind and spirit. To become the architect of your wished lifestyle. To become #strongerthanMS.

Until then, I thank you for being here. Liked this post? Share it with friends. Want to receive more articles like this right into your inbox? Add your email to the SMart Choosers list HERE. You’ll receive every new article and a monthly Newsletter of wonderful resources and insight, to help you make the smart choices that best fit your lifestyle.

Sincerely yours,

Denisa

#MSminds TweetChat by Shift.ms - My Review about Mental Health and Multiple Sclerosis

For the past few months, tweet chats have become an important source or information and socialization for me. The things I mostly enjoy about taking part in them is that storm of brains, that sinergy of ideas which often times gives birth to wonderful perspectives and plans.

We are social beings. Communication is our way of transmitting information, knowledge and express how we feel. Although spoken and written language is responsible for only 10-20% of the meanning of our message, and is lacking the rest of 80-90% which is nonverbal, sharing ideas with likeminded people proves to be indeed beneficial.

Last night I was part of the #MSminds tweet chat, organized by Shift.ms (@shiftms) and hosted by the wonderful Sarah Elwell (‏@SarahElwell1) and Anindita Ghosh (@DitaGhosh). The topic was one that is well-known amongst anyone diagnosed with multiple sclerosis: the mental health issues that may arrise as an effect of either having the disease or of going through emotional hardship without any or major support / understanding. There were five main topics discussed.

1. EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

We first dug into what emotional effects did (or does) MS have on our mental health. Most of the answers were converged to feeling anxious, fearful and emotionally unstable, sad and even borderline depressive. 

Stress was also a major issue, as MSers have to handle a lot of pressure, both internally (the body, symptoms, hormonal fluctuations) and socially (peer pressure, stigma, etc). 

Brain fog happened to some of us, mostly when tired, when our batteries seem to die down. We agreed on the fact that emotions can affect symptoms through the chemical reactions that stress the nervous system even more than it already might be.

2.  SUPPORT FROM PROFESSIONALS

When asked about our experience with mental health support from pros, the majority thought that it was inssuficient to non-existent. Medical professionals seem to focus more on clinical aspects of MS, leaving all the mental issues aside. Help that offered both physical and mental care are hard to find. 

Most of the chatters said that they were decided to change neurologists, if they didn’t feel understood in both aspects. Many of them said that as we are all different people and the only thing in common being MS, we all have different needs, thus the approach must be suited to each individual. Some of us even mentioned the need for professional support groups, as talking with someone who is knowledgeable in these areas has proven to be very helpful. Online or offline MSer communities like shift.ms are of great help.

3. METHODS USED TO BOOST MOOD

We also spoke about what do each of us do in order to boost our moods when needed. The answers were many, but most of them focused on being your own advocate, taking care of yourself, get to know who you are, find purpose in life, create routines and find things that make you feel good. 

Journaling, yoga / exercise, meditation, music, colouring, knitting, video games, basically doing normal things that bring you joy. Relatonships were an important point also, as loving yourself, your family and friends and receiving affection in return proves to be not only beneficial but essential to MSers. Mentions of having someone to confide in, to talk about all the things that we go through, living in the present and focusing on your life now were other points on which we agreed upon. 

The main issue here: do everything that helps you not focus on the disease. It is only a bio-chemical reaction between two systems of our bodies. Choose what makes you feel good, calm and in control of your emotions and thoughts.

4. DIGITAL TOOLS / APPS TO HELP EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

As MSers living in the 21st century, technology was also a topic in our chat. More exactly, wht digital tools or apps do we use in order to help us look after our emotional wellbeing? 

This was the fun part, as most of us said to use brain game apps, meditation apps and visual social media. Setting alarms proves to be useful in helping with not feeling anxious about forgetting something and for keeping you on schedule. Websites like shift.ms were again mentioned.

5. WHAT TO DO TO EDUCATE MSers ON TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

The last question was about what can be done to educate MSers on looking after their mental health? The main ideas revolved around being able to openly talk about emotions and negative thoughts with someone who will truly understand, journaling, blogging, being able to tell the neuros what we go through and receive actual information about these things, in the form of a “starter-kit” or some similar package. Also, doctors need to be aware and have more focus on things like fatigue, cognition and mental health in newly diagnosed or “experienced” MSers. A personalized approach would be key.

*****

Some of the highlights of our discussion were things like:

• The connection between emotions and the body (connected);
• The urge to stop asking permission for being yourself (feel/be/live) and to start designing your own life and peace of mind;
• Letting go of your old self image, of your future one (possibly damaged by MS) and enjoying what today has to offer;
• The importance of adressing any mental and cognitive problems as they appear, in order to prevent complications or even worsen the disease;
• The fact that you can’t properly treat the body if you don’t care for the mind first;
• Doing something to change the approach doctors have in relation to all these aspects;

*****

Well, enough said! This was my (@SMartChoiceMS) review of the #MSminds chat last night. Feel free to add more insights / info in the comments below.

Looking forward to the next tweet chat.

Thank you for being here! As always, transformation starts from within.

Yours truly,

Alex

Embrace Yourself as a Whole: Body, Mind and Feelings

To embrace usually means to circle around with the arms, to give a hug, to show affection. It also means to include as an integral part, to unite, to see as a whole. 

When do we usually give affection? We tend to protect and look after the things we care about. 

Keeping them safe and well becomes a goal in itself. We do this with our relationships, our social image, our phones, cars, houses and even our clothes. 

But the things that tend to be the first ones we neglect and / or take for granted are our bodies, minds and feelings.

The body is a complex, delicate yet powerful mechanism we have to face life with. It gets to do all the heavy duty tasks. We ask it to perform smoothly, with rushed meals and often inadequate sleep, in a continuous search for goals, targets and life experiences. When it makes a mistake, we backlash at it. You know, we have that negative self-talk inside our heads.

Speaking of heads. Inside of them is another amazing piece of equipment that we aren’t even aware of most of the time: our brains. All that we are, all that we know, do, like, feel etc, exists because of all the billion neural connections and constant electro-chemical exchanges between the synapses, in response to our bodies’s contact with the outside world through hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell.

We need to become aware about the fact that the body and the brain are connected. That the things we experience and the things we think and feel are influencing each other more than we think.

Multiple sclerosis forces us to pay attention to this connection, it signals that our entire system has gone haywire and that we need to rebalance it through affection towards ourselves.

We are not robots in this postmodern world. We think, we feel and we react. Get out of autopilot and start paying attention to your sensations, to each movement your body makes, learn about how it all binds together.

This week, I invite you to embrace your body as a whole. To start healing it with food, exercise, rest and mindfulness. 

I’m taking the same path as you. Let me know if I can help.

We are what we do, think and feel. Focus on the blessings you had in life so far. Pay attention to what your heart really wants you to achieve. It must feel real and strongly motivational.

And if you don’t find the so-called purpose in life, don’t despair. Not all people do. Or not immediately anyway. Just focus on doing good work and deeds wherever you go. Focus in giving it your all, be it in work, relationships or inner thought. Embrace your inner self.

As always, transformation comes from within.

Thank you for taking time to read this post. The following months we'll go deeper into what it takes to become stronger: body, mind and spirit. To become the architect of your wished lifestyle. To become #strongerthanMS.

Until then, I thank you for being here. Liked this post? Share it with friends. Want to receive more articles like this right into your inbox? Add your email to the SMart Choosers list HERE. You’ll receive every new article and a monthly Newsletter of wonderful resources and insight, to help you make the smart choices that best fit your lifestyle.

Sincerely yours,

Denisa

Happy Women's Day, Ladies! How and Why to Choose Yourselves over Multiple Sclerosis

Many people treat and speak about multiple sclerosis like it’s an enemy, something that you need to always be on guard for, always waiting, always defending yourself. The amount of pressure this approach puts on you is incredible.

It’s good to be prepared to face a chronic and often debilitating disease, I totally agree. MS is something that you need to be strong to handle both physically and mentally. But as it happens with all things that we see as being the enemy, we become defensive and live in a permanent fight-of-flight situation that makes stress permanent.

Chronic stress leads to angst, then to fear and then to anger… and back again. Being stuck in this kind of loop brings nothing good into your life, thus almost fulfilling your negative thoughts.

Stop treating MS like it was a person! You know those encouraging quotes “take that MS!” and all of the same type. Of course, they are metaphors and more than once have served as slogans for MS awareness campaigns, but still! We learn through repetition and if you say and think those kind of things for a longer period of time, you’ll end up living in a constant state of “ready-to-fight”.

We indulge in thinking of MS like that because it gives us comfort to have a tangible thing or mental image that we can “kick”, “punch” and “destroy” every time the disease makes us feel bad. And it’s all normal. We need to let steam out, to get rid of negative emotions like angst, fear and anger. But trust me, too long in this situation and you’ll achieve the opposite effect. I’ve just realized this about my own way of perceiving MS, and it’s nor pretty nor helping.

MS is not a person, not even a metaphorical one. MS is only two parts of our bodies reacting one against each other. It’s only a bio-chemical reaction that goes on at a cellular level, was passed our reach. This shouldn’t be scary, it must in turn make us accept it as it is and go on with life through the best of our abilities. Go on an continue to raise awareness at the same time. 

Be open about what you’re going through. Tell your story, but don’t focus on MS.

I invite you ladies (and guys, of course!) to let go of this mental image and shift our focus more on balancing ourselves inside and outside, to have a better strategy in coping with the troubles our MS brings us and to feel better while we are sick.

Our thoughts are not facts. Neither are our emotions. What we feel is greatly influenced by what we think and focus our minds on. And given some disabilities, our pains become our thoughts. Accept what you're going through and move on, in your own time. But do move on.

Choose to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. Choose to focus on your relationships: you’re a daughter, a mother, a sister, a friend, a grandma, a cousin. Choose your passions, adapt them, change what’s needed, have new ones, get new habits.

Choose life with MS. Life within your body and mind. Take care of them, minimize the impact MS has on you. Choose to make the best of it with whatever healthy things and actions suit your present condition and lifestyle.

Choose the things that make you feel good and that bring a smile on your face. Choose life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LADIES! HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY! 

YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK! 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE SO THAT ALL WOMEN CAN BENEFIT EVEN SO SLIGHTLY FROM IT.

Yours truly,

Alexandra

The Legend of the Martisor and What Can We Learn From It

THE LEGEND OF THE MARTISOR

On the edge of a village, in a shabby looking hut, there lived a woman and her daughter. To earn money for feeding themselves, the monther was spinning wool for the other people in the village. But whatever she made in a day, she had to spend on medicine for her very ill daughter.

One day, while she was spinning all that wool and crying about her misfortune, the woman saw a firy carriage racing from the forrest to the village. The Spring Princess was passing by and, as she heard her, stopped and asked why she was so upset.

Finding out about the child’s illness, the Princess said: “Hold this firy spindle and spin a thin thread out of it, then tie a small bow and pin it to the child’d chest. Her strenght will come back to life, as does the whole nature after I pass through it.”

The woman thanked her and started working on the new thread. But the spindle burned her fingers and she was unable to spin even the smallest of threads. She once more started crying and almost didn’t realise when another snowy carriage stopped right in front of her hut.

The Snow Queen was rushing from the village to the forest and couldn’t help hearing her cry. Coming near the woman, she said: “Here, take this icy spindle. Its coolness will calm the burning of the firy one you already have. Spin them together, at the same time, maybe that will serve you well.”

The woman thanked the Snow Queen and got back to her spinning. The red, firy thread was mixing with the icy, snow-white one and in no time, she finished spinning the two spindles.

Then, she tied a small bow and pinned it to her daughter’s chest. The little one instantly got better, her cheeckbones were all rosy. She jumped right out of bed and tighlty hugged her mother.

From that day onwards, every spring, the woman spinned little red-white bows and was gifting them to all the people in the village, with the hope of bringing them joy, health and happiness.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM IT

This was a time of legends, where everything was possible, even our wildest dreams. But the story has a hidden message, as all old tales do. No matter the hardships we face in life, if we manage to balance our blessings and our missfortunes, pain with comfort and hope with real actions, there’s no telling what we can fullfill.

There’s no trick here. Just hard work, sacrifice, humbleness and acceptance. With time, it will all get better, even spectacularly better, but we must keep going, no matter how long it takes or what hardship we may face throughout our journey.

This is a message of hope, of renewal, of starting again fresh. It’s a time to welcome spring into our lives. In Romania, this day is called Martisor. Custom says that every boy or man has to gift small red and white ribbons to the girls and women in their lives, as a symbol of renewal, affection and consideration.

Purely by coincidence, SMart Choice’s brand colors are red and white. So that made me think about gifting you this short story, seamed with red and white threads, as a means to bring a smile to your face and some warmth in your heart.

It’s all going to be OK in the end. All things are a wave. Let them go, open your heart to happiness and renewal.

Happy Martisor Day!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

Food, Exercise and Rest. Improve Your Brain Health and Get Stronger to Fight MS

Today’s article is centered on a topic that has been part of my MS management strategy since the month of being diagnosed. It’s the first thing that came to mind: how can I take care of my body in order to minimize the possible effects this condition might have on me at some point.

It might seem like common sense to eat well, get your body moving and having a good night’s sleep, but in dealing with MS, they become crucial, as your body is attacking itself and needs all the help that it can receive in order to have a chance to fight back.

MS is primarily or at its early stages an inflammatory disease. To me it makes a lot of sense to do your best to reduce that inflammatory state. All these three elements are potent inflammation fighters, if used right and on a regular basis.

FOOD

Our bodies constantly renew cells, giving us new tissues, organs and a whole new body in just a few years. This is why what we eat it crucial to our health. 

Imagine your body as a dirty glass, the dirt in it being all the junk and processed foods we have, all the toxins and damage done by intestinal inflammatory processes throughout our lives. And now imagine opening the faucet and letting fresh water pour over the glass. What happens? At first, nothing much, the water fills the cup and then overflows. But if you let it on, the dirt will finally clean away, it will melt and let the glass cleaner. Not entirely clean, there will be harder bits remaining (scars), but you’ll end up with a clearer vessel. 

Eating healthy foods and as little processed or cooked as possible will get you similar results. Stick to it, make it part of your identity. Train to battle MS.

EXERCISE

Exercise is another must-do when your body faces getting weaker. Long story short: MS aims to get us totally paralized. There! I’ve said it! It gives me chills everytime I think or say it, but it is a fear I understood I must face from this year onwards. It has been at the back of my mind for a while now. But you know what they say about your “enemies”: keep them closer than your “friends”. And this year I will do just that: face my fears, say them out loud.

It’s the same thing as when my mother and I took our first airplane flight together. It was a first for the both of us, but she was more scared than I was. I don’t know exactly why, but heights don’t scare me. Not being in control does. So, she was so anxious about turbulences and getting safe to our destination and although I tried to calm her down, she had her fears. So I decided to say her (our) fear out loud: “What is the worst thing that could happen? The airplane falls down and we die. That’s it! Can we prevent it? Can we do something about it? Then why bother? Worrying is of no help. Just enjoy the ride!”. She looked surprised and a bit shocked, but in the end she agreed with me.

Likewise, what is the worse that can happen with MS? You can become paralyzed, have major pain or die. Can you prevent it? Can you control it? Can you do something about it? No, but you can make the ride the best it can possibly be. The ride is your life and you can help yourself by moving your body. Do whatever you can do. 

We all have different capabilities and MS affects us in different ways. There are MSers who do thriathlons and others who are bed bound. There are people who are afraid to get heated up or to get out of the house. There are people who have pain and decide that they can’t push through.

But YES, YOU CAN! YES, YOU CAN! “Use it or lose it” one expression used to say. I’m not mean, I’m not forcing you do do anything that you can’t or don’t feel comfortable doing. It’s just that I saw it to be possible. I see examples of people that do it. Of course that at the same time there are people who can’t. There are all kinds of situations. There are all kinds of snowflakes. #NoTwoTheSame, as Shift.ms says.

Our bodies are made for movement. As long as you can crawl, do that. Get better ar crawling. There is no shame in wanting to survive. There is no shame in wanting to live and get better. People make it so hard by having big egos, by being so influenced by what other people say about them, about being judged.

It might sound unbelievable to you, it might seem like I’m B.S.ing you, but little by little, I come to understand that there is no ego, there is nothing to be ashamed about. It is all in our minds. We humans are independent beings, and when we face losing that, we get scared, we refuse to accept it. But at the end of the day, who are you to feel that way? There are thousands of people going through the same battle everyday. Some push through. Be one of those people. Constantly. Make it a life quest: "Be on top of all my struggles!"

Be dignified enough to push through the struggle. It’s the hardest thing you might need to do, but it’s why God allows you to live. To make a difference, to be humble and to be more open to what others are going through. We are so selfish and think that our lives are the most impacted ever.

Open your eyes and see how many are in the same or even worse situations. Stop complaining and start acting and doing something to fight back. Get on that eliptical and peddal for as long as your body alows you, stretch your upper body half while sitting in the wheelchair, smile if you are bedbound.

You are a wonderful human being. Don’t feel sorrow. We all face the same end. There’s no need to make the road there even harder than it is. Cry, hit something, yell, journal, confess to a priest, pray, get it out of your system.

And then smile. It calms your soul.

REST

Sleep is the key element that binds the first two together. We eat, we move, but the body needs to rest and recuperate after all this effort. It needs to regenerate the organs, to recharge your energy supplies and to tend to the body. 

We sleep in 1 and a half stages. It has been recommended to sleep at least 5 stages like this, meaning a minimum of 8 hours a night in order for sleep to be efficient.

Of course, when you have MS and fatigue as a symptom, no amount of sleep can make you feel rested, I agree. But you must go with the flow. Do your best in managing your daily activities and hacking the life out of your tasks, as to help the body recharge. I’ve writter about this here. I will also come back with even more details about sleep and how well it correlates to what you eat and how you move.

INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION

Nobody said that you can cure MS by doing these three things. That would be just junk talk, delusional and counterproductive. When MS hits you, cause it will, it’s best to be prepared and a little more stronger than you were yesterday. You’ll get through it with possible less damage, you’ll raise up the chances of recovering faster after a relapse. 

These three are not miracle cures, are not whishful thinking, but ways through which you can take care of yourself, in which you can help your body cope with life with MS.

It’s like healing the wounded. It’s fighting back. It’s not giving up, accept your faith and drown yourself in anger and frustration. Be assertive! Take control of your life as well as you can.

Why give in? Why be a victim? Choose to live!

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Until next time, make the SMart Choices for your lifestyle.

Love,

Alexandra