METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 9 - Embrace Your Changing World. #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

What do you embrace? What do you want to hug, comfort, nurture? Physically or mentally?

When confrunted with this choice, the first thing that popped into my mind was that I accept my body, just as it is. My emotions and change itself were the two next items.

I embraced my changing world. I choose to adapt. Everything is changing, all is transformed at some point. For the better or for the worse, it doesn’t matter really. Things, people… they just change. They evolve or involve.

Breathe. Let life flow.

I embrace my body, for it is God’s creation. I shower it with love, care and nurture. It is the seat of my soul and of my energy.

I learned that love heals. I sent love to my sore throat, to my brain and asked them to reax and heal. I know that’s not an instant cure, but it does shift my wordly perception for the better.

As I embrace, accept and love my body, I feel the need to bring it to the best shape possible, inside and out. Balance between food, sleep and movement.

Be mindful of each food choice I make. Everything that I put inside my body has the power to nourish or make me sick.

Be mindful of rest and relaxation, be fully present and let go of all concerns. Relax the tight spots of the body.

Be mindful of each move I make, synchronize it to the breath and enjoy the flow. Get out of my mind and into my heart. See how the world looks from that perspective.

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Alex

#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

Multiple Sclerosis in the 21st Century. Use Social Media to Raise Constant Awareness - Manifesto -

In recent years, with the rise of the new media and then getting more and more social, there have appeared new ways of contributing to the awareness effort. People’s attention is focused on these little screens we call smartphones and tablets. Their attention span became smaller, time has even become a commodity and all the awareness efforts should be made wherever people spend most of their time: on social media.

In today’s article, I’m going to focus on three creative ways (plus a hybrid one) in which you can use the new media. These can make such a big difference in letting the world know about multiple sclerosis.

SOCIAL CONTEXT

All over the world there are many societies, organizations, NGOs and medical institutions who dedicate their entire efforts and expertise to raising awareness and trying to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. There are also huge efforts being made in order to communicate MS to the general public, but mostly in advertising or social campaigns, in changing and creating policies inside the governments and so on.

Being a part of the online MS community myself and having closely observed it for the past two years or so, I can now say that we aren’t using social media to its true potential. Although we have quite an online presence, most of the MS-related communities, pages, etc. are targeted back to MSers, their families and friends, to medical research or political entities.

Given the fact that we are young people with ages between 20 and 40, we are tech-savvy, so we need to do the best we can in order to raise awareness. Constantly, not just on MS Awareness Month or International MS Day. These campaigns bring huge amounts of attention to our cause, but only on the short term.

People tend to forget the things they are not reminded of again and again. Think about advertising. It takes a large number of repetitions for a commercial to raise interest in a product or service, not even mentioning that the market is already supersaturated with ads, promotional emails, promos and intros that interrupt daily lives, only to annoy and lose attention of people completely.

The globalisation of online communication changed our societies. This is where the public opinion is formed today. Social media are the new agora of our civilisation. From ancient papyruses to the written word and television, the world we live in has been built on stories, on legends and on tales of conquest and bravery. We are all looking for role-models, for real-life heroes, we want to hear success stories.

By gaining more and more attention from the ones around us, public opinion will begin to create more buzz about multiple sclerosis constantly. The more people that know about it, the better. They can eventually help in influencing political and social decision-makers to focus more efforts on research and finding a cure, onto creating rehabilitation centres and facilitate access to treatment.

WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL MEDIA YOU CAN USE?

There are three main categories of social media that I would like to tell you about. These categories involve three creative ways in which we can share things and an extra one focuses on mixed media. You can use the ones that best suit the way you express yourself, or a mix of the four. Your choice. 

I personally use a mix of blogging, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to share my stories, because I feel more confident writing and taking pictures.

WRITING - Mostly used in blogging. Platforms like: Blogger, Wordpress, Medium, Twitter.

PHOTOGRAPHY - Displaying bits and pieces of your daily life, experiences and favorites. Platforms like: Instagram and Snapchat.

VIDEO - For those of you who wish to record themselves vlogging or telling your story. Platforms like: YouTube, Vimeo, Periscope (live chat using video).

MIXED MEDIA - Can’t decide on one type or want to have more tools in your storytelling belt? Platforms like: Tumblr (text, images, gifs), Snapchat (video and images), Facebook / Twitter / Instagram for their native video capabilities or for their microblogging (text) ones.

WHY IT'S EASY TO TELL YOUR STORY

We like to be given attention, to be able to talk about ourselves and to be listened to. What better way to do this than to use social media? Be constant. Be present. Show your life events with and without multiple sclerosis. Celebrate your wins and share your loses. Let the world know that multiple sclerosis is real, chronic and that it must be cured.

You might not want to disclose your identity. Social can help with that. Create a public persona that will make you feel safe, whilst still be able to be present online. There are countless others who have already put a face on MS. In raising awareness, your story counts. The more voices tell the world about multiple sclerosis, the better.

We all have a story to tell. Some unbelievable ones, I assure you. Stories that the world can learn from. Stories about hardship, human resilience, about helping each other, stories of strength, of needs, dreams, anger, sadness and happiness. All human, all about survival. It’s all about ourselves, but it’s also about sharing it with our communities.

In the 21st century, the power of this new media can serve a higher purpose. That of raising awareness to help our fellow humans and by that helping ourselves as a society.

LET'S MAKE IT A REALITY

Share this short manifesto using the #MS21stManifesto hashtag. The power is always in the community. I invite you to tell your story.

As always, transformation comes from within.

Sincerely,

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

Why Do You Need to Embrace Change? A Letter to Young MSers

I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again: our entire life is made out of choices. The fact that you’re reading this post is a choice you’ve made. Everyday, we make dozens of decisions, selections. We choose, choose, choose.

With each one, our life changes. For most of the times, we decide to do or not to do something because of the impact it might have on our future. Outcome matters the most in choice. Change is the only certainty we have. The smartest choice in this case is to adapt to our present life. Accept it and embrace change with all that it has to offer.

In MS, our bodies can go through rapid transformations. We are OK now and can be unwell tomorrow. The degree of uncertainty is high and we all had to deal with it at certain points. Wanting to keep things a certain shape is too rigid to be useful on the long run.

We tend to hold on tight to the things and situations that are familiar. We are afraid of the unknown. But here’s the thing. If change was bad for us and we could not adapt to new conditions, we wouldn’t have left the crib when we were babies.

Because we got out and explored the world, adapted and learned after each tumble and scar, day after day, year after year, we got this far. We embraced our lives as they were and we made changes when needed. Keep the same child-like wonder towards life, even if it all seems to go downhill and we feel like we’re losing control.

Stop. Breathe. Be calm. Relax every piece of our body. The best and as much as we can, we’re all different. Take a few minutes, days and even months to analyze the situation and figure out what we can and need to do next. Nothing is more important than our health and wellbeing.

"Stop. Breathe. Be calm."

STOP and analyze your current situation. How are you feeling? What can you still do well? What you need help with? What can you improve? What will make you feel better?

BREATHE. Close your eyes and take as many deep breaths as you need to feel your body relax. The tension, the stress and even fear only make the situation worse. Think about what your fears are. Then find at least 2-3 ways to make those situations better. What will you do to cope? To get better? To heal? Keep those in mind and then breathe deeply once more What will happen in the future is of no use now, you’ll get there at some point. The present situation needs more of your attention.

DO some of the actions that you thought will make you feel better for the time being. These might be some stretches, tea in bed, a nap, a movie / podcast, music, anything that makes you feel good in your own skin. Sleep is often times the best choice, plus it’s antiinflammatory. Use it as medicine.

ACCEPT where you’re at. EMBRACE your body. It is not a tool of the mind. It’s not here to only mechanically fulfill your demands. The brain and body are connected. Our minds will tell us that we can’t do certain things, they will try to convince us to stay away from other things. In the end, we can choose to try.

Train your mind to become flexible, to adapt to what the body needs at a certain moment. Of course, it will not be easy, but that’s not the point. We aim to learn, to transform our lives for the better. We can’t get it right from the first try. Growing takes time, takes sweat and powerful emotions. Choose to keep at it, continue and focus on getting better.

"We are not at war with ourselves."

It’s better to embrace change. It takes less energy than fighting it. We are not at war with ourselves. Be gentle, you’re already going through a lot, more stress will surely not make you feel any better. The harder you push, the more tired you’ll get. Why put on more weights to your body? It’s already trying to cope. Help it get better.

Our bodies are smart. Our brains are smart, although we might have lesions. We constantly learn from the experiences we have. You go through a rough time and focus only on the negatives? Your neurons will make more neuronal connections to support those negative experiences.

Reframe the bad ones for the good and soon, your brain will be able to see the bright side. I’m not talking about a flower-power kind of positivity, that makes you feel like you’re on LSD. Just a subtle process that allows you to focus on the blessings you still have, to be grateful for what you still can do. We are all different, so for some it might take longer, for others it will work quicker.

Stick to it. Make it a habit. Choose to do it everyday.

Teach yourself to get better by accepting the state you’re in at the moment. Use this as the rock-bottom that you begin to rebuild your body and your life from scratch. Help yourself heal.

What our reality looks like depends on what we focus our mids on. The brain sees it as a priority and works on fulfilling that plan. Accept your situation and move on. Make the choices that lead you to feeling better in your own skin.

As always, thank you for dropping by. Remember, transformation comes from within. Subscribe to receive SMart articles each weekday.

Sincerely,

Alex

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 8 - Create Your Reality. #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

Creation is a sensitive word for many reasons. Be it in an artistic or a religious way, the area of creativity and of making things with your own resources has encountered numerous views.

To create means to make something, to bring an idea into reality, through a certain shape. It means to give birth, to establish. We, ourselves are created by God via our parents.

When we are little, we create constantly. Our imagination and creativity are sparkling and abundant in new ideas, scenarios or things we want to manifest. What happens when we don’t have a certain item to make the game more real? We invent it, we create it out of mud, a stick or leaves.

The power to create is in our minds and hearts. And as we become adults, it is still there. We only just need to tap into that resource and we’ll be surprised at how our emotions, thoughts and even our daily lives eventually change.

Rediscover that sense of wonder. There’s a difference between hopeless daydreaming and making dreams a reality through actions and choices that help you get where you want.

Make use of what you have around in your life, of what ideas you have in your mind and of the emotions that you feel and want to feel. Channel negative emotions and use that energy to create something positive, something useful. An object, a meal, an entire lifestyle. You choose.

The mind is a powerful tool, as the heart is a sensitive one. It takes time to understand or change the way we feel. It takes intentional choices and actions.

The first step is to think at what you want to create for yourself: your own reality, your own state of mind, harmony, love, abundance?

Give thanks to God for whatever you already have and focus on creating a better life for yourself, in spite of all the hardships you may face. There’s always a bright side to life.

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

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Alex