March Favorites 2016 | Health, Lessons & Inspiration

As every month, I wrap up the one that just ended and draw the line to see what it has left me with. Let’s get into what this March had to offer.

HEALTH REVIEW

SMart Choice is a lifestyle blog. Health is an essential part of it so is usually the thing I start these articles with. Living with an unpredictable illness like multiple sclerosis leaves space for all kinds of happenings and changes.

This March was good to me. The major issue was around feeling emotionally tense and suffering consequences like muscle tension, numbness and headaches. All this lead in turn to feeling fatigued and at times mentally exhausted, as I was also brainstorming new content ideas and plans for the blog. But I went on with all that and did my thing. I strained. And so I had to suffer.

Imagine a roller coaster curve: going up, higher and higher, pausing a bit at the top and then letting go and calming the ride. This is what happened with my symptoms, as my hormones were doing their monthly fluctuation, I experienced pressure, fatigue and sensory issues.

Let me tell you what I’ve learned. There are two things that worked for me and did their job perfectly:

• Take time to relax during the day and sleep at least 8 hours per night. For a person with MS this should be like prescription medicine. Sleep has proven to be anti inflammatory, it promotes cellular repair and recharges our energy supplies (plus is sooo comfortable and cozy! :)) ).
• Exercise helps the body to be strong and well. It has anti inflammatory effects and encourages cell growth. This month I focused on my core strength, while getting the extremities (arms & legs) more flexible. I got my whole body to be balanced inside and out.

LESSONS LEARNED

The word that defines this March is “balance”: balance hormones, effort & rest, sleep & wake, exercise & sitting. All leading to a more harmonious lifestyle based on smart, healthy and creative choices that improve your mental and physical health. That help keep them in balance.

Work on having less stress in your life. You need to heal. Make space for that. I’ll say it once more, tend to the body, tend to the mind.

Focus on relationships. Go on living life as it is. Have empathy for people. Be compassionate. Simplify. Take breaks. Stand up for what you believe in. Keep moving everyday. Train for life. Have faith in yourself; believe you can do it and you will suceed. Have self-compassion. Be aware of your thoughts. What you think is what you become.

FAVORITES & INSPIRATION

As always, the list is full of motivational and creative things and people. I love learning from like-minded people who have more experience than me. This March also brought some very interesting Tweetchats: #MSworkability,  #MSminds and #ChatMS (on cognition). Read all about them here, here and here.

Marie Forleo brought encouragement and many more insights with her videos on YouTube (here). This month's biggest outtake from them, is about starting before you’re ready. We plan so much, we fear that we are not prepared well enough and so forth. But the fact is we are never 100% ready for doing anything. There will always be something that takes us off-guard and that makes us to adapt as we go along. Striving to be perfect gets you nowhere. Do an excellent job at the best of your abilities and modify as needed. Life isn’t waiting for you to be on your best day. Live now.

Amy Shmittauer (SavvySextSocial) has a penetrating and insightful YouTube channel, podcast and business, all built around social media and helping people do and be their best through digital storytelling. She also motivates and points out where one should make improvements in their online self-expression in order to succeed at business and human relationships that come from it. I've been watching Amy's channel for almost a year now, and I formed a habit of comming back for more. Take a peek at her videos and see what you can learn from them. Way helpful.

On the same topic, Gary Vaynerchuk has once again proved of real value in providing insights on how to best convey messages through social media. I resonate with his idea of storytelling natively to each platform, adapting the content so that it expresses your message in the best way possible at a given time. Go check out Gary here.

The EMSP (European Multiple Sclerosis Platform) provided ongoing motivation to continue having a voice in the multiple sclerosis community. I draw so much inspiration from people with or without MS who advocate and stand up for the wellbeing and a higher quality of life for the ones living with multiple sclerosis. Their stories are helping me raise back up when I think I can’t do it no more. If a person who went through so many things is able to stand up and go on living, I can do that too.

Shift.MS launched a new tool for managing mental health in dealing with multiple sclerosis. Thought Sort is the kind of online, interactive way to literally sort out your thoughts and see where they came from and what can be done to shift your mindset to a more positive one that suits your lifestyle. Go check it out here and while you’re at it, make sure you subscribe to the Shift.MS community. Lots of feedback, support and encouragement from the network's members.

The "Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis. An Evidence-Based Guide to Recovery” book by professor George Jelinek. I always say that education is key. Reading all you can about your disease and about ways to manage it is the best thing you can do with your spare time. Some of us have the need to be informed and some don’t. I accept that as well. So, do as you choose. Just remember this is a great resource to a better understanding of multiple sclerosis and how you can become an active part on your way to recovery. And mind you I’ve said recovery, not cure. The goal is to maintain the state you are in now for as long as possible. To improve and stabilize. To be healthy in spite of MS. Physically and mentally.

Lori Schneider made me cry with her TEDx talk about overcoming our limits and fears by having the courage to determination to become a better version of ourselves. Dare to confront our fears and we will be surprised at what we can really achieve if we put our bodies and minds up to it. 

An international speaker, author, Everest and "Seven Summits" mountaineer, advocate for those living with neurological disorders and disabilities, she is also one of this year's speakers at the EMSP 2016 Spring Conference taking place in Oslo, Norway. Find more about her here and here.

This was my month and all the things that got me a little forward than I was the one before. Little by little, we all evolve, we all change and grow. The more you resist it, the more you strain your mind and bring anxiety into your life. Straighten your back, close your eyes and breathe deeply.

I hope you enjoyed this month's favorites. Leave a comment down below and let's talk. 

Subscribe and share on social with all the people you know. To receive even more insights and exclusive content, subscribe to the weekly Newsletter (we're going LIVE this month!).

As always, transformation starts from within.

Sincerely,

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

#MSWorkability - Are You Ready for Work? Twittchat about Career andMultiple Sclerosis

Neurons were firing brightly on last evening’s twitt chat! Once more, the EMSP and Emma Rogan took the conversation about multiple sclerosis and work to the social media agora. Last year they invited us to twitt chat about work with MS management issues (read more about it here). This time, they partnered with The Work Foundation at Lancaster University to bring to life a new project called “Ready for Work”. Read on to find out more!

CONTEXT AND CONCEPT

Their collaboration is focused on supporting young people with MS into employment, and in time making it a purpose for clinical care. The project emphasizes the important relationship between doctors, patients and employers and the individuals’ abilities to work and continue their careers in today’s european socio-economic context.

As Lead Coordinator of “Ready for Work”, Emma Rogan introduces the concept of “workability”, which describes the situation of doctors clinically discussing the issue of work with their MS patients.

Multiple sclerosis is “usually diagnosed during the prime working years of a person’s life, between the ages 20-40” (@WorkFoundation) and the impact on the individual’s life of not being able to work is far greater than one can think. Not to mention the huge amount it costs the state to keep all MSers on welfare alone. Which usually is only a temporary thing anyway.

WHAT WAS DISCUSSED?

The common enemy here is the social stigma associated with illness. People who suffer from MS might end up with mild to severe disabilities, and that scares employers as much as it does the MSers themselves. Both are afraid of losing something: one risks losing profit, the other his or her’s whole life. It’s basically the same need: the one to survive in today’s world.

People are usually afraid of what they either don’t know or don’t understand. They tend to reject that thing by default. Prejudice is deeply engraved for most individuals. The key to better understanding and less fearing MS is more awareness. Hopefully, as people talk more and more about this illness, they will understand it more and fear it less. They will care.

In this context, employers (as well as the general public) need to be educated about what multiple sclerosis really means for the individual and what it also means in terms of costs and gains for their businesses and society at a larger scale.

For one, having a workplace and a peer community to go to everyday brings more social connection, thus avoiding social isolation that can deeply affect the quality of life of a person with MS. It also helps with gaining and sustaining financial independence and creativity into one’s life. Being involved in various projects and tasks gets one’s mind off the illness, whilst providing financial security.

Keeping MSers employed can actually cut costs and increase revenue for businesses, as they are still highly skilled, love their jobs and want to be of use and contribute to their workplace in spite of being diagnosed with a chronic and possibly debilitating disease. Their dedication and willingness to keep their jobs actually shows they are loyal, courageous and have lots of willpower to make it work. These are the kind of people every business should want working for them.

This is where the EMSP Toolkit for Employers can help a lot in understanding what needs to be done and managed when employing a person who has multiple sclerosis. At its very basic, this situation only needs minor adjustments like: flexible hours and the ability to work remotely / from home, cooling devices in the summer and a place to rest during lunch break.

Think of an MSer at work as if it were a smartphone: it does all this complex tasks, it solves lots of issues you might have, and after a while it needs recharging; after the battery is full, it can resume its tasks with the same excellent results.

"The relationship between doctor and patient also has to be an open and inclusive one" (@eumsplatform), to make work a crucial discussion topic during regular check-ups. Career and staying at work are essential things to all young MSers.

My personal belief is that a holistic approach to MS treatment is now needed. Medical, emotional, lifestyle and career factors and their balance make an individual a part of society. The collaboration between doctors, employers and patients is crucial.

Also, a good starting point would be a clinical test result to support one’s working skills and abilities. A medical certification that he or she is able to work within certain conditions and environments. Helping match the skills and career aspirations of young MSers to the demands of their work, will hopefully ensure access to good quality work and minimize the underutilization of their skills at the workplace (@eumsplatform).

On top of that, training the HR departments (where applicable) would be more than useful (@emmabear88), as oftentimes, MSers are afraid of disclosing their illness because of prejudice, of being seen as less capable and even of getting fired.

On the long run, the more cohesive a society is, the more it can withstand its hardships. So, in conclusion, the more we raise awareness and advocate for inclusion of all people in the workforce, the more diverse and powerful our societies will be.

Humans are social animals. We can’t survive so well on our own. A business needs skilled individuals to get things going forward. As a tribe thousands of years ago, it needs skills to evolve. Think about it: what happens if the right skills disappear when you fire an MSer? Just think about it!

CONCLUSIONS. WHERE TO NOW?

Support the “Ready for Work” Project. Spread the word. Use the EMSP Employee Toolkit to raise awareness and continuously educate. 

And last but not least, join the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (@eumsplatform) and Emma Rogan (@emmadragon) once more on the 12-13th of March, as she takes over their Twitter page for an in-depth discussion on brain health, work and related issues. 

See you there! (or read you there!)

(Read the whole twitt chat here, #MSWorkability)

As always, wishing you the best,

Alexandra

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 6 - What I've Learned about Acceptance, Resilience and Love

When I started the Metamorphosis Project, little did I know that transformation really happens from the inside out rather than through things that happened to me externally. Although the outside part cannot always be changed, what happens inside can, and that’s where I began my transformation journey.

A chronic, incurable diagnosis is surely a thing that will turn your world upside down and inside out. It humbles you and makes you see the world from an entirely new perspective. You have to be willing to learn from all that you experience, to accept, adapt an eventually overcome, otherwise the journey will be at least twice as hard.

The Resistance is that instinctual defence mechanism we all share. It’s one of the first brain structure we develop and the first to make us react to the primal emotions like fear and anger. We all know that voice in our heads that keeps us from doing something for the fear of losing, of failing. It’s the same voice that warns us we are facing something dangerous, and that we must get out, quit or avoid that situation. 

It only wants to keep us safe. Forever. From everything.

The only thing that it doesn’t protect us from is ourselves. Unfortunatelly, people tend to act impulsively, and even more so when they’re angry, scared or upset. We are reckless, we torture ourselves internally for what we did or didn’t do, for what we had and what we lost, for what we deserve and do not get. You name it! The list is endess. 

We all have our internal demons. The problem here is that we need to… exorcise them and become at ease.

Real transformation takes work, takes patience, understanding, being humble and open-minded. You can’t begin to change if you are living in the past or are anxious for what the future will bring.

What worked for me personally was taking time to look inside and dig deeper to find out (or to remember) who I really was. The tools that helped on this journey were yoga, journaling, meditation and prayer. This combination allowed me to explore my limits physically, emotionally and rationally.

The yoga practice taught me that all my days are different, and that most of the times, the plan or expectations I have in my brain do not always mirror reality. I might come to the mat thinking that I’m going to have a flowing, easy experience and instead I face a stiff body and sweatty, anxious me. Being such an overachiever, this would usually be the point where I give up. But I learned to accept my weaknesses and hard times and push through, carry on with what I’m doing. 

Life doesn’t wait for me to be ready, it happens now and I must face it. There’s nobody comming to live it for me or help me with what I need to do for myself. I am my most trusted friend, coach and healer. I am a vessel for what God wants me to do in this life. This was one of the biggest lessons I learned and am still learning. 

Day by day, without fail, I come to the mat to meet my demons or to embrace my strongest self, body and mind. The isometric movements in yoga help my muscles release tension, be it physical or emotional. Pair that with deep breathing and I'm in for a wonderous ride to myself. 

We are capable of such great things. We only have to surrender, have faith and allow transformation to do it’s work.

Journaling has always been one of my favourites. Even from a young age, writing down all that bothered me, all my dreams and stories helped to see the bigger picture. It helped with treating my emotions as objects, move them around and explore them from all angles. The mind plays tricks on you and doesn’t show all that you need to see. Simply by writing down all your thoughts, your emotions and lessons, the rational, objective filter that is activated when we read, puts all into order. 

It also works as a pretty good brain dump, when your mind is overwhelmed with noise and you just need to relax. Take out a notebook and write your heart off. For me it did and it still does wonders, as I see myself in a new light. I can come back and review my week, and understand how I’ve been. On the long term, you’ll get to know and understand yourself a little better. 

Your life is a journey, so you might want to spend it with someone you know and trust: yourself.

Meditation and prayer come as a bundle. I can’t separate my mind from the thoughts without feeling protected by the higher power. These two usually are threaded together during one sitting. Instead of a mandala I use a rosary around my neck. I either start by taking deep breaths, taking up space and saying Holy Father, or I finish the session with the prayer. It works both ways. 

Remember what I said about acceptance and letting go of expectations? It applyes here to. 

Every day and night, when I begin my 20 minute practice, I come with a fresh mind, I don’t expect anything, don’t try to change anything. I just am. Silencing the mind is not easy though. Many times, thoughts have me drifting from my purpose right untill the alarm goes off, meaning the session is over. Imagine the frustration! 

But I learned to let it go and accept it for what it was: a process. It has ups and downs, good days and bad days. On some occasions, my mind gets so at ease, so in tune with my sensations and emotions that I begin crying or smiling. 

Layers and layers of negative self-talk, of not forgiving myself or others for all types of stupid things. All the grudges, the self doubts, the fear and selfishness, they all had their turn. They all surfaced at one time. 

As with yoga and journaling, the trick is the same: let go of judging, accept and understand what you are experiencing. Each time, dig deeper.

A bonus tool that has helped me understand the need I have for being close to my christian-orthodox faith is begining to read the Bible. Since the year began, I went through most of the five books of Moses, this week reaching the middle of the book of Numbers. On this journey, I found The Bible Project on YouTube. Two guys and their team digitally draw and create animated videos that tell the story within the Bible. Their concise and modern approach on the Scripture, makes them really worth watching. Find out more about them here and here.

All in all the biggest, the most impactful landmark on this journey of transformation was the day when I understood that all is flowing, that all is energy (a vibration basically) and that the most important and life-giving one is LOVE in all its shapes and sizes: kindness, gratefulness, generosity, compassion, forgiveness. God is love, and thus we are all able to find Him and thus find inner peace. 

We just have to continuously find the love within, get to know ourselves better and better, then love others and be humble that we have this wonderful gift called life. Choose life.

We are more stronger than we think. The mind is limiting our actions. Let the Ego and pride go and look at the world through your heart. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll see.

As always, yours sincerely,

Alexandra