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

How Neurons Influence our Choices. Accept, Adapt and Overcome as a Process for Neuroplasticity in Everyday Life

All we are is made out of neural connections. The sensations we experience, the thoughts we have, the emotions we feel and the moves we make are all electrochemical impulses. Our brains fire at amazing speed rates, helping us function seamlessly, without even noticing it.

We are born with a limited number of brain cells. The body doesn’t replace them as it does with the other types of cells. The neurons, as they are called, are some amazing piece of human anatomy. 

Although their number is limited, they are capable of rewiring, of establishing new connections. If a circuit is destroyed or isn’t used, we are able to reconnect them differently through learning and doing things another way. This process is called neuroplasticity. It’s not at easy as it sounds. It needs constant repetition and practice.

We all have infinite potential in the range of our inherited DNA code. Even from when we’re only a day old, the choices people make for us and the ones we later make ourselves, influence the kind of person we will be.

As we repeat certain actions, emotions, situations, etc, the brain connections that make them possible get stronger and stronger. Meanwhile, the ones that we don’t use as much or that we don’t get to use at all fade away and even disappear. Thus making it harder or even impossible to get back certain aptitudes or thoughts. We only keep what we need and what helps us.

As with vocations, when we specialize in one area, we don’t work so much on others. Our brain learns to do some things very well and others average or even not at all. We accumulate more and more information through sensations, and more and more neural connections are made while others slowly fade away.

We might be born with a certain potential to do, let’s say… ballet. A person who practices daily and has the whole life focused on artistic dancing, will be more skilled at it than the person who prefers to have an office job. The second one might have the abilities, or could practice to develop them, but if it doesn’t involve repetition from an early age, it can never get to the level of artistry that the first person has.

Nature is wise. We only create neural connections that help us survive and live in the environment and context we are born in. We are adaptable. We might not be as good at fishing as a person who lives in a coastal area and that has done this all his life, as a means to survive.

Nature and chance create the background. Our parents make the first decisions for us. It’s up to each and every one of us to further make the choices that best fit our lifestyle, needs or health. Make the best with whatever you have. Every connection is stacked over the other like the bricks in a wall. It’s up to us to make the informed choices that will hopefully become habits and in return will rewire our brain to do regular things smarter.

The first step is to accept where we are now. Analyze the situation and see what needs to adapt to be able to continue living. Then decide to overcome hardship through each and every choice we make daily. Optimize our health, thoughts and emotions by choosing what makes us  feel good.

Sincerely, 

Alexandra

How to Ease Future Multiple Sclerosis Flares with 7 Healthy Habits - #SMartWednesday

Hi there and welcome to a new episode of the #SMartWednesday weekly series here on SMart Choice Lifestyle! Today I want to talk to you about the importance of creating new healthy habits and action-plans in order to lessen the impact of a possible multiple sclerosis flare.

PREVENTION IS KEY

I think we all agree on the fact that the better the management of this illness, the better the outcome or at least our coping mechanism, be it physical or emotional. You need to have a healthy lifestyle, as healthy as your own condition will alow you. I encourage you to personalize the way you do this, as it needs to come naturally and feel comfortable to you in your daily life. Less stress, less trouble.

You and I both know that is better to prevent than treat. And if we were not able to prevent multiple sclerosis, we might as well prevent or ease its effects on our lives. You wouldn’t like a relapse to catch you unprepared, would you? It generates enough trouble by itself. Thinking that “it’s never gonna happen to me!” and “I will never get through this!” are both unproductive and damaging ways of thinking.

Start by having an action plan. Think what needs to be done in case a relapse might happen. Take into consideration all the details that might need attention into your life. For example, if you are employed, have a colleague you can call and ask to help by taking over some of your tasks untill you get better. Or maybe you are a mom and you have a support system in place, like asking a friend or a member of your family to help you with all that needs to be done.

Either way, planning beats the go-with-the-flow attitude. It gets rid of the fear or the angst you might have, it clearly states what, when, how and by whom needs to be done. I will have a more in depth article about this topic in a future #SMartWednesday episode.

MY EXPERIENCE & WHAT I'VE DONE

My personal experience with the fear of relapses is sometimes still an issue, but it’s gotten less and less scary because I simply faced it, looked it into the eye and wrote down an action-plan.

One evening I was writing in my MS Journal about the fears and anxieties I had that day. As I had some tingling and numbness down my left arm and some eye blurriness, the first thing I thought about was “fear of relapse”. I looked at what I have been writing for the past month or so, and the same fear kept repeating at different intervals, depending on my symptoms.

I was scared sh****s of a possible relapse. Mind you that I have changed my lifestyle to a healthy way of living, but the fear of the unknown was still there and reactivated with each and every little symptom I might have experienced. Stressing multiple sclerosis!

And so I took charge. I got up, went to the bathroom, looked into the mirror and asked myself what made me so afraid. Was it the relapse itself? No, because I had no power over it. Was it a certain type of relapse? No, because I can’t decide that. What kept me anxious was not knowing what to do next and not having control. Although I basically knew what it needed to do, I did not have an action plan. I did not have a strategy in place for my war with multiple sclerosis.

In today's article I will give you guys the essential insights I had that evening. I will make a separate article on the topic, as it needs more attention than I can give it here.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND DO

Note down all the people you need to call in case a relapse might happen. That includes your neurologist, your MS nurse or GP. Be informed on who you can call, when and what for. Be prepared to ask the right questions and be prepared for streroids and/or taking days off for rest.

Know that the relapse WILL end. Your life will get back to normal or to your new normals if that’s the case. You may be left with new symptoms or issues, but you will overcome each challenge as it occurs. No need in stressing about that now.

Allow your body to heal. Have patience and take care of yourself. Drink plenty of fluids, rest and basically take it easy for some time, untill you stabilize and begin recovery. Once you start that, focus on getting your strength, balance, flexibility and coordination back, as much as you can. Focus on healing and getting stronger.

7 HEALTHY HABITS TO EASE FUTURE RELAPSES

Further on, let’s get into the 7 points I constructed this article around. Their common ground is improving the quality of life and making you stronger in order to cope better with… whatever!

1. EXERCISE - it keeps you flexible, balanced and strong, plus it helps the nervous system rewire faster after a flare. The body overall has a better shape and tonus.
2. EAT HEALTHY - clean up your diet of any food allergens (check what you are allergic to, but mostly, avoid gluten, dairy and processed sugar as much as possible, as they increase the imflammatory state in your body). As a general rule: eat lots of fiber (more vegetables than fruit) and less fat (focus on healthy fats: avocado, olive oil, flax seeds, coconut oil). All food must be eaten in moderation and only until you begin to feel full.
3. REDUCE STRESS - as a major MS antagonist, it has to go, and it has to go fast. Of course, in our modern lifestyles getting rid of it is pretty tricky, but not impossible. Relaxation techniques (ex: meditation) and deep breathing can have a positive effect on your wellbeing. Also, declutter your mind by starting a journal and venting all issues.
4. TAKE VITAMIN D3 - it helps your immune system stay healthy and on the right track. The best form is the natural one, as it’s easily processed for the body, but as MSers have notably low levels, a supplement would be advisable. You can find it in salmon, eggs and sardines. Have your levels checked and see how much you need to supplement, as to not overdrive the body uselessly and get to the healthy amount needed.
5. STAY MENTALLY ACTIVE - keep your mind occupied. Take notice that I said occupied not busy. Putting strain on it is like adding stress uselessly. Make puzzles, read, write, watch an interesting documentary, download a brain training app. Whatever is comfortable and that you enjoy doing.
6. GET QUALITY SLEEP - get to bed at the same hour each night. Have a bedtime routine where you unwind, relax and leave all the day behind. Include whatever makes you feel at ease and comfortable. Keep it simple, light and stress free. Take time in preparing for sleep. It has to relax you, not aggitate you.
7. TAKE MEDICATION AS DIRECTED - whether you are on DMDs, symptomatic treatments or on no treatment at all, take good care of your health and adress any issue immediately. Resolve any infection, cold or other problem as quickly and as better as you can, in order to avoid further damage or a nasty relapse.

Last, but not least, here’s an extra tip that you can easily add to your day: be gentle with yourself. Take it easy and gradually let go of worries. Focus on what you enjoy doing and what your abilities still help you with. Grow on those and find ease in whatever you do all day.

Make small choices, decide on what’s best for you at your own pace. Don’t procrastirnate but instead have an action plan ready, have a schedule and goals you want to achieve. Stick to that plan and make modifications as needed. Only you can make yourself better. If you don’t help yourself be, feel, act better, no one will. Take responsability for your life and plan wisely.

To sum it up, you need to take charge of your wellbeing and make the right choices that best fit your lifestyle. You want to get healthy, strong and relax your mind in order to better cope with an eventual relapse. Have an action plan devised especially for this matter and most of all: TAKE IT EASY, SMILE and LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITIES.

This was all for this week’s #SMartWednesday! Thanks for being here!

What’s your action-plan going to be like? I am here to help you craft it. Tell me all about it by writing a comment in the box below. I would love to hear your story and help you in any way.

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With love,

Alexandra