By Stacie Prada
Lately, I’ve been pausing periodically throughout each day to ask myself, “How do I want to show up today?”
It only takes a moment, just enough time for a brief inhale and exhale. It allows me to shake loose whatever thoughts are running through my mind and start fresh. I like to imagine I’m shaking a marked-up Etch-A-Sketch toy to create a clean surface ready for whatever I want to draw.
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By Angel Blair
When we hear the word relationships we often think about the connections we have to others. Bonds with our family, friends, significant others, etc. So we tend to forget one of the most important but commonly overlooked relationships we have, and that’s the one we hold with ourselves. We work hard to maintain and foster the relationships that we have with other people in our lives, but the relationship we have with ourselves deserves the same attention and compassion. This is a concept that can get lost in the shuffle of juggling life’s demands, but it has earned the right to be found.
Continue readingKindness is something we encounter more often than we realize. At some point, each of us has been at the receiving end of someone’s patience, and those moments stay with us. When we choose to be kind, we keep that ripple moving forward. What makes kindness such a powerful virtue is that it costs nothing, carries no expectations, and does not require grand gestures or public displays. In fact, it is usually the small, random, and quiet acts that brighten someone’s day the most. Life is short, and choosing kindness is one of the simplest ways to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. Sometimes it is as easy as holding the door for someone, letting a parent with restless kids go ahead in line, or offering a smile when someone looks overwhelmed.
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La fortaleza y la autosuficiencia suelen considerarse como una medalla de honor. Para muchas personas, especialmente aquellas que viven con enfermedades crónicas o incertidumbre constante, la fortaleza se vuelve sinónimo de supervivencia. Nos permite superar días difíciles, pero a menudo tiene un costo: un agotamiento profundo y la pérdida de oportunidades para conectar con los demás. Ser fuerte y autosuficiente es admirable, pero también puede dificultar recibir el apoyo de quienes se preocupan por nosotros. Dejar entrar a los demás y elegir la vulnerabilidad puede resultar incómodo o incluso inseguro cuando la independencia se ha convertido en nuestra normalidad.
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Strength and self-reliance are often worn like a badge of honor. For many people, especially those living with chronic illness or ongoing uncertainty, strength becomes synonymous with survival. It allows us to push through difficult days, but it often comes at the cost of deep exhaustion and a missed opportunity for connecting with others. Being strong and self-reliant is admirable, yet it can also make it harder to receive support from those who care about us. Letting others in and choosing vulnerability can feel uncomfortable or even unsafe when independence has become our default.
Continue readingFor the average person, catching a cold is a minor inconvenience—a few days of tissues and cough syrup before bouncing back to work. But for those of us living with multiple sclerosis (MS), the narrative is often drastically different. We know that a “simple” bug can feel like a seismic event. As one community member vividly shared, “mundane ailments can knock us down for the count.” What might be a fleeting annoyance for our friends and family can hit us with the force of a freight train, leaving us drained and vulnerable.
Continue readingWhen living with a chronic illness like multiple sclerosis, building a community for yourself of people who truly get it is incredibly valuable. Having a support network in your life of people who are there for you in easy times and hard can make all the difference. A support network can be made up of neighbors, friends, and family members you see regularly. And, with the variety of digital options, your support network can easily be found in virtual forums, like MSAA’s My MSAA Community.
MSAA features the work of many talented artists affected by multiple sclerosis as part of our annual MSAA Art Showcase. Each month we share these artists’ inspiring stories and beautiful artwork with you as our Artist of the Month. This month, we celebrate Shana Stern as February’s Artist of the Month. Shana is from Los Angeles, CA.
Feels Like Lightning
Continue readingBy: Dr. Eva Jackson
For the past 15 years, members of my community have routinely organized vision board parties toward the end of the year or at the start of the new year, with an emphasis on goal setting. Personally, I have often felt uncomfortable during this period, as traditional goal setting has never resonated with me. I tend to set ambitious goals but frequently find myself unable to achieve them, despite starting with clear intentions. This recurring pattern leads me to believe that perhaps my goals are often unrealistic.
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Establecer metas es fácil, pero cumplirlas es donde empieza el verdadero reto. Muchas veces creemos que lograr un objetivo depende solo de la motivación, cuando en realidad también necesitamos organización, conocernos mejor y crear un ambiente que nos ayude. Asumir la responsabilidad de lograr nuestras metas no significa exigirnos perfección, sino construir hábitos que nos acerquen a la persona que queremos ser.
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