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

December 2015 - MS Health Review & Tips - #HealthyThursday

This Thursday I talk about how my MS has been acting in December and share some health and lifestyle tips with you guys. MS being a possible progressive illness, I believe it’s important to have at least a monthly assessment of your condition, so that you are up to date with what’s going on with your life. Let’s get to it!

MS STATUS

Compared to November, I had little to no symptoms. Just some tingling in my arms and “sand” in my right eye. Most of the weirdness this month was due to hormonal issues caused by the delay of the menstrual cycle. The reason of why that happened it’s still unclear to me, as it was the first time to do so in more than a year.

Now, I’ve been injecting Copaxone for almost a year, and on the prospect they mention that glatiramer may cause disturbances of this kind. But I don’t really know if that’s the case here. Will inquire with a specialist when I redo my blood work for this year. Did any of you guys happen to have that while on Copaxone? Let me know in the comments below.

BODY

On a physical level, since December is always a busy, almost hectic time of year, my sleep had to take one for the team and get a little chaotic. I usually sleep 7-8 hours a night, wake up at 7 am and do my morning routine. This month I went to sleep late, woke up at 8 - 9 am-ish, and the inner clock got confused.

How can you tell if that’s happening to you? Simple! You wake up not feeling rested, you’re groggy and tend to be moody, irritable and have a hard time concentrating on your tasks (and I don’t even say how worse your fatigue can be if you add this to it!). Last month I wrote here about fatigue. Hope it helps!

My advice is to try to stick to your routine and schedule, don’t compromise, don’t say that it’s just this time, because with all the things that can stop you from getting a good night’s rest, not sticking to schedule is the easy part. What if you get to bed at say… 11pm and your brain can’t stop rambling (even after you’ve meditated?)? Then what?

So, as I’ve been there, I encourage you to train into sticking to certain bed and wake hours. Set up alarms on your mobile, turn off any screens at least an hour before bed, go get a warm shower when your bedtime alarm goes off. Then try to get as comfy as you can, close your eyes and stand still (adjust as needed and according to your own MS issues).

MIND

Mental clarity is also important to have. Make time to unplugg and get some rest. This was the case for me this December, as I took 3 weeks off from work and just focused on recharging my energy supplies, preparing for the holidays and spending quality time with friends and family.

There’s no reason to force it, especially when you are living with MS. Of course, everyone is different, but try to relax after a hard day, or limit your actions only to the essential tasks that need to be done, get help, plan. Reflect on your year, wins and losses, blessings and missfortunes. Realign with your vision and your purpose. Quiet the mind. Journal. Meditate.

EMOTIONS

On an emotional level, try to find balance between positive and negative feelings. Every emotion is a wave that provokes a certain reaction throughout your body. Aknowledge it and let it go. Stop. Breathe. Be calm: it saves you from burnouts. Don’t blame or backlash at others for your bad mood (like I did! Sorry!). Analyze the reason why you feel the way you do, talk to someone about it or write it down, record your voice, whatever helps and it’s available to your condition.

Last but not least, we all are the result of our daily choices. We can always change things for the better. Just ACT! Moderation and self discipline are key to being successful. One day at a time, we can rebuild our life the way we dreamed it.

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

To receive weekly articles, subscribe in the upper right hand corner.

Love,

Alexis

Anatomy Of An Emotion. Multiple Sclerosis Style!

Do you have mood swings, incredible lows and incredible highs? Is MS… messing with how and what you feel? First, let me tell you how emotions are born.

Inside the human brain there are a few parts that are responsible for the emotional response.

The limbic system, also called the “emotional brain”, is one of the first areas that develop. It is the main part of the brain responsible for processing emotions. It’s function is yet very primitive. It can differentiate between levels of danger - less / more / very dangerous - and it reacts to fear stimuli. The amygdala is one of its components, and is the part that assesses the emotional value of the stimuli.

The area between the front and middle of the brain has a huge concentration of dopamine receptors that make you feel pleasure and be happy about your life.

The hypothalamus regulates your emotional response and the hypocampus turns your short-term memories into long-term ones, helping you retrieve stored information. Your memories let you know how you react to the world around you, including what type of emotional response you are having.

The two brain hemispheres also keep your emotions in check.

Right versus Left

The right side is responsible for abstract ways of thinking, symbolism, gestures and for the identification of especially negative emotions such as fear, anger and danger. It is more impressionable. It is the creative and sensitive part of the brain.

The left side deals with concrete ways of doing things, literal meaning of words and mathematical calculus. It is the scientifical and objective part of the brain. It also interprets emotions and the logical way to react to them.

Without the left hemisphere, the right one would be overcomed with negative emotions and would not know how to cope or respond to them. The other way round, without the right, your left hemisphere would not be able to identify negative emotions.

Memories drive and inform emotions

The reason why you remember things is to know how to react in a similar situation. Your brain has already analized what happens in a certain context and gives you the information needed to face the present one. Memories of previous experiences dictate the intensity of the current emotion.

For example, if your past experience with needles was a scary one, and you interpreted it as something that is harming you, the next time you have to have an injection, you’ll possibly experiment the same emotional reaction. 

The right brain identifies the stimuli and identifies the type of reaction: fear. You get tense, begin to sweat and / or talk to much. The left brain comes in and it logically asseses the situation, it sees that there is no iminent danger, you calm down and the injection goes smoothly.

Ways that MS influences emotion.

In MS, injury to the brain happens randomly. Because there are so many brain parts that process different emotions in different ways, the place where you have a new or old lesion, can potentially change your mood and emotional response to reality.

MSers are known to have mood swings, incontrollable laughing or crying outbursts, to get angry faster and to get deeply frustrated on things that normally wouldn’t cause such a reaction.

In newly diagnosed people, fear, anger and emotion may happen frequently, as the frustration of living with a chronic disease takes its toll on their capacity to cope.

Emotional symptoms and manifestations in MS are a large topic. We’ve only scratched the surface of this issue with today’s article. Most likely there will be a series on the topic.

Untill then, smile and keep making the SMart Choice for your MS Lifestyle!

Last, but not least, I would like to thank Positive Living With MS for inspiring me to write this article. You are such a wonderful and positive person. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S. Question: How are you managing emotional symptoms on a daily basis and how are they affecting you on a personal level? Leave a comment down below. Thank you for reading!

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Black Knights of MS: Fear, Anger and Anxiety

Multiple sclerosis is known to cause neurological problems in people that live with the condition. There is much to talk about the emotional component and how feelings can affect the brain and life of the MSer. Of course there have been many people before me who tackled this theme, but I felt like I needed to tell it from my point of view.

Black Knights of MS? I know them well. A little bit too well for my taste.

Let’s look at them from a psychological point of view. We have a built-in “alarm system” called the fight-or-flight response. It is responsible for our survival instinct and regulates the emotions we feel (especially the negative ones) when facing danger. 

As we evolved from living in caves, we no longer have danger lurking all over the place. The predator is no longer after our heads, we no longer have to kill it or run from it. We face different troubles: daily stress, defending our principles, values and point of views, our status, etc. It all comes to being territorial. We defend OUR stuff. Some people do that by fighting back and some people do it by running away. But we all react to danger.

In MS, the danger comes from within. There is a battle fought in our bodies. Our brain is at war with our immune system. 

We see the casualties on MRI scans and while living our daily lives. You don’t know when the next attack is going to happen, you don’t know who the victims may be. You just see the ever-present Black Knights. 

You fear a new relapse, you get angry that this happened to you, and you live in a constant state of anxiety. And you don’t even realise it. These knights know how to hide. You go on with your day and you finally snap for no reason. You cry. You feel deep fear. Or deep anger. Your body gets into a stage of fight-or-flight. Your stress hormones begin to rise up and all of a sudden your day feels like crap.

How did I overcome this? I didn’t! I just went and said “Hi!” to the three knights. I got aware of the fact that I am afraid, I am angry and that I become anxious. And then I moved on. I calm myself by journaling, deep breathing, sleeping and taking life slow. You might wonder how is this “zen living” possible in today’s society? How can you live your life avoiding stress, avoiding negative emotions?

I don’t avoid them. I aknowledge them, breathe and move on. Do they backlash at me? Yes. Do I have scary moments of anger, fear and crying? Yes I have. Do they ever go away? Yes, they do. Do they come back? Yes they do. It's a constant battle that you have to aknowledge.

So, if you happen to meet the Black Knights of MS, don’t run away. Face them. Allow yourself to feel fear, anger and anxiety. Breathe deeply. It calms the nervous system and brings oxigenated  blood to your body. 

Then ask yourself WHY did you feel that way? And write it down. Write as much as you need to. Stop when you feel like you’re done. Then go do something else. It will all pass. I’ve been there!

Any negative emotion that has been felt for more than five days in a row, needs to be taken care of. Schedule an appointment with a psychologist, talk to your nurse or neurologist about it and ask for help.

Your brain might be at war, but you need to addapt and overcome the challenges your are faced with. Every single day.

Take care of yourself!

Sincerely,
Alexandra Celic


P.S. Question: Do you feel any of the three knights? Share your experiences on Facebook, Twitter or in a comment down-below. Thank you!
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