Attitude of Gratitude

Posted on November 18, 2019 by MSAA

By Scott Cremeans

I am a ridiculously nice man. I know this. Until… The following is a true story.

My Google Home device: *ding* I have a reminder for Scott
Me: Hey, Google, what’s up?
My Google Home: I have a reminder called you have a doctor’s appointment in 4 days.
Me: thank you, Google.
My Google Home: thank you for thanking me. I guess we are in a thanks loop…

I think I broke my Google home device.

I believe that the key to happiness is genuinely twofold. First, you must Continue reading →

Expressing Gratitude to Cope with Stress, Build Relationships, and Help Myself

Posted on November 15, 2019 by MSAA

By Stacie Prada

It’s the morning of my MRI scan and neurologist appointments. Leading up to them, I’ve anticipated needing to seek support and to allow myself time to process whatever I learn today. I tell myself that test results don’t change how I’m doing. They just give me more information to consider.

The rub is that I anticipate being sad with any possibility today. I feel worse than I did earlier this year. Eight months ago, I learned Continue reading →

Thank You for Robbing Me

Posted on November 8, 2019 by MSAA

By Lauren Kovacs

Wow, hard to be thankful when MS is a greedy robber. MS has taken so much from us MS folks. The line of…”it could be worse” is never, ever to cross anyone’s lips.

That being said, it is important to find things daily to be thankful for. No matter how small. From those who are in pain and bedridden to the newly diagnosed. Bedridden folks might be thankful for sheets. Others might be thankful for being able to still walk.

Find anything. There are days when Continue reading →

It’s in the Contract

Posted on October 25, 2019 by MSAA

By Doug Ankerman

Mental wellness? Wait. When given my MS diagnosis years ago, all talk centered around the physical side. No one mentioned anything about the mental challenges of MS.

For this reason, I renege my contract with multiple sclerosis! (Wish it was that easy, right?)

Fact is, in my experience, mental wellness is WAY harder to manage. I have AFO’s to help with foot drop. A rollator to Continue reading →

Deciding What I’ll Do and How Much I’ll Do for My Best Health

Posted on October 23, 2019 by MSAA

By Stacie Prada

In true keeping with not quickly remembering the lessons I’ve already learned, it took me a few months of building frustration before seeing a situation I’m experiencing as something I could approach differently.

I volunteer for our local self-help group, and increasing work and personal health demands are making it harder for me to continue doing everything I’ve done for the past six years. I’d asked for volunteers to help. Some stepped forward and I appreciated their help, but still I felt responsible for more than I can continue.

I was getting frustrated, and resentment was building. I was getting Continue reading →

Booting the Mental Devil

Posted on October 16, 2019 by MSAA

By Scott Cremeans

I went through many years of a deep dark depression that enticed me to see just how close I could get to the edge. This game of chicken between the darkness and the light stole my thirties from me and cannot return the years that were taken. This onslaught occurred as the angel and devil on either shoulder taunted me with a ruthless game of truth or dare. Although this atrocity would not stop, the bold brutal battle did not come to the desired conclusion of the dark side. The following is what helped me, and hopefully, others can Continue reading →

I Can Try

Posted on October 11, 2019 by MSAA

By Lauren Kovacs

Mental wellness is often overlooked by MS folks and those around us. I am not saying for others to walk on eggshells, but mindfulness is something we all need to remember. Mental wellness is trying and knowing when to seek assistance.

The saying, “… if you have nothing nice to say…” This goes for negative self-speech too. Try to speak words of affirmation to yourself. Be your own cheerleader. Try at least.

Having been a Continue reading →

Put Change in Your Pocket

Posted on September 27, 2019 by MSAA

By Doug Ankerman

Change is inevitable. It’s a part of life. Change is how we learn, cope and grow. Change excites, directs and motivates.

Me? Hmm, not so much. And for that I blame multiple sclerosis.

You see, pre-MS, I was casual. Nothing shook me up. Change was brushed off like crumbs on a table. But now after a couple Continue reading →

Multiple Sclerosis Changed My Life

Posted on September 25, 2019 by MSAA

By Penelope Conway

Life changes. It changes things around you and it even changes you…more than you realize. When multiple sclerosis came into my life, it happened quickly. So quickly in fact that I didn’t even have an opportunity to blink before the tsunami hit. There weren’t months or years of unanswered symptoms. I had a healthy body one day and a non-functioning one the next. My diagnosis only took days where, for many, it can be a long and exhausting process.

The initial shock for me was Continue reading →

Living in Uncertainty When the Body Craves Routine

Posted on September 18, 2019 by MSAA

By Alene Brennan

Our bodies – more specifically our brains – are designed to crave routine. The more habits we create in our lives the less we have to think about and the easier it is for us to move throughout our day.

Yet living with a chronic illness can lead to anything but a routine, habit-filled day.

Depending upon how this “snowflake disease” presents itself in your body, each day can bring Continue reading →

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