TEVA Pharmaceuticals is sponsoring a free webinar tomorrow, May 21^st at 1:00 PM EST entitled “The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces: Overview for the MS Coalition.”

MSAA is an active participant in the MS Coalition and encourages anyone who is looking for general information on the Affordable Care Act to participate. The program will provide an overview of the new and emerging health insurance Marketplaces as well as MS specific information.

Please note that registration is REQUIRED. Be sure to click the following link: (https://tevausa.webex.com/tevausa/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=794060172 ) to insure your spot in the program.

The grown up version of a teenage diary, journaling is a great way to connect your thoughts and tune in to how you are feeling on a daily basis. Although difficult at first, eventually you will find yourself writing page among page effortlessly. Journaling allows us to express our deepest fears, saddest sorrows, and greatest accomplishments in an open non-judgmental format.

Writing quickly frees your brain from “shoulds” and other blocks to successful journaling. If it helps, pick a theme for the day, week or month (for example, love, confusion, change or anger). The most important rule of all is that there are no rules!

All you need is a pen and paper, nothing too fancy to start! Online journaling resources such as Penzu and Penmia can be used for those who may feel more comfortable typing rather than writing. Also in this format, assistive devices can be utilized in order to journal more freely and openly without the struggle of pen and paper. Even a voice recorder or video recorder could assist with journaling!

By journaling routinely you will get to know what makes you feel happy and confident. You will also become clear about the situations and the people in your life. Journaling about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these stressors on your physical health. Journaling about anger, sadness and other painful emotions helps to release these feelings. By doing so, you will feel calmer and better able to stay in the present.

Tune into yourself. Journaling can benefit individuals with MS, by connecting the mind and body. Journaling about a symptom creates awareness around the symptom; when did it start, what you were doing when it started, and did anything make it better or worse. Symptom tracking through journaling is an effective way to help manage your MS.

Through your expressions you’ll discover that your journal is an all-accepting, nonjudgmental friend. And may provide the cheapest therapy you will ever get. Best of luck on your journaling journey!

Spring is almost over and for those of us who have emptied our closets of all the winter wears; it is now time to get organized! Maintaining an organized lifestyle helps to manage the flow of the day, week, and/or month. If we view our lives as a greater whole, we are able to appropriately plan and make the best of our time. Getting organized also allows us to delegate some tasks to others as needed. If we know what is coming up, we can plan accordingly.

Here are some tips for starting your new organized lifestyle:

Utilize your time off: For many, the weekends offer solitude, a break from the day-to- day grind. The weekends can also offer an opportunity to get organized for the week. Start by planning out the meals for the week and laying out the clothes you wish to wear. By taking this extra step, you can potentially avoid stressful situations during the week and we could all use a little less stress!

Forget the “to-do” lists: Years ago my sister introduced me to the “ta-da” list, and it has forever changed my view of “lists”. To-do lists are negative in nature and can often add more stress than they intend. When you look at that long list of things to-do, it’s often a reminder of the things you didn’t do. Taking a more positive spin is the e “ta-da” list. After you have completed a task, you check it off and yell “TA-DA!” It may seem childish, but sometimes everyone needs a little pat on the back for all the things accomplished throughout the day!

One day at a time: Set specific tasks for each day of the week and try to stick with it. For example, select one section of your home to work on. Let’s say Monday’s are “kitchen” days. Think of all the things you do to maintain your kitchen and list them out: sweep, clean out fridge, de-clutter. Now time to delegate tasks; create a list for your spouse or children with their daily “tasks”. By doing these little things one day at a time, you avoid the all-day Saturday cleaning fest, which leaves you completely wiped and ruins the rest of your weekend.

Organization station: Create a place in your home to keep track of your “ta-da” list and “daily-task” sheet. Select a place that you know you will see often and actually use. I like to keep mine near the front door as a daily reminder to myself and family members when they come and go.

Organization doesn’t just happen overnight and can be a real challenge for many people. So make it your own, do what works for you and your family. I am interested in hearing how others stay organized and manage their lives. What do you do?