Ahh…the holiday season! With its dazzling lights and festive cheer, the holidays can often bring a whirlwind of activities and expectations. Although it’s a joyous season, it can also bring forth chaos and stress. That’s why it’s crucial to prioritize self-care and ensure a harmonious and fulfilling celebration. Here are a few strategies to help you navigate the holiday season while keeping your well-being at the forefront:
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With the holidays just around the corner, it is natural to feel overwhelmed and stressed. We tend to prioritize everyone else’s needs and neglect our own. For those battling MS, the daily challenges can wear you down and take a toll on you. You might feel fatigued and have no energy to indulge in any activity. That’s why self-care is so important. Without ample rest and relaxation, you will feel burnt out. There is no perfect formula for self-care, but doing things that help you rejuvenate and heal is the key. Here are some activities you can do to indulge in self-care and make your holiday season more fun and livelier:
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The holiday season can be overwhelming. While I enjoy shopping, cooking, decorating, and spending time with loved ones, it can leave me drained and exhausted. The holiday season represents joy and celebration, but life has a way of challenging our plans and intentions. Taking care of ourselves is integral to enjoying this season to the fullest.
Holidays have a significant impact on our lives. Every year, I remind myself to be mindful of my spending. I get so caught up in gift exchanges and not-so-necessary decorations that I lose track of what is truly important. A present is lovely, but the gift of our presence and undivided attention is unmatched. Spending time with loved ones and being present in the moment is priceless. I must remind myself to put the phone down, set aside my worries for another day, and focus on being fully present. If a gift exchange is essential and you have a large family, we can always give a personalized homemade card or a small trinket that symbolizes your appreciation. Seasonal sales are great but be mindful of impulsive spending. Knowing our financial limits and respecting those boundaries is part of our well-being. It allows us to prioritize our expenses and financial goals.
Social expectations can be a source of stress during the holidays. We may feel pressured to participate in events or activities that do not align with our current emotional or physical wellness. I allow myself to leave social events early, take breaks, or excuse myself from them as needed. Your loved ones may be more understanding of your limits than you think. Share your feelings with them, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Sometimes, it’s essential to know the food or seating options at the event, or it may be essential to know who may attend the gathering if it contributes to an unhealthy dynamic. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries and follow through with them.
For those who experience loneliness or grief during the holiday season, know that you are not alone. The absence of people or any loss in your life can be difficult this time of year. Whatever the cause of our grief is, know that it is okay to acknowledge and express it. One way to deal with these feelings is to rethink our expectations and be flexible with ourselves. These feelings are entirely valid. Seek support from friends, family, and professionals, and practice acceptance. My MSAA Community Online Forum offers a free peer-to-peer online forum for individuals with MS, their families, and their care partners to share information and their experiences with multiple sclerosis. Building connections and finding support this holiday season can be done in various ways.
Self-care has become an essential component of well-being during the holiday season. I have learned that prioritizing my needs and preferences does not have to be an added task on my to-do list. I can make small changes that have a significant impact on my health.
Bubble baths, massages, shopping. These are just a few things that initially come to mind when I think of self-care. Self-care is often glamorized, focusing on the external material aspects that constitute treating oneself. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of all of these aspects, and I love a good shopping spree every now and then. But these aspects are just on the surface of what it really means to care for yourself.
Self-care isn’t always as luxurious as it sounds or looks on movie screens. Taking care of oneself requires dedication and discipline. I’ve found that self-care is uncovering the ugliest parts of yourself. Really getting to the root of who you are as a person, how you react to specific situations, and how you grow as an individual are just a few life-changing processes that I truly consider caring for yourself. But where does this process even begin? Visualizing the person you want to be and showing up as them every day, regardless of your current circumstances, is just one method. Much like the classic saying, “Fake it till you make it,” you are only as good as your mindset. By acting as if you are already where you want to be in life, the rest will surely catch up in due time.
Continue readingMSAA 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 Steven Kaiser as the November Artist of the Month. Steven is from Greensboro, NC.
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Working within the MS community has provided me with a profound perspective on life and resilience. Each day, I witness the trials and triumphs of those living with this complex condition, and through their experiences, I have gained invaluable lessons that have reshaped my outlook on life.
The Power of Resilience: Witnessing the determination of individuals with MS has attested to the true power of resilience. Despite facing unpredictable symptoms and challenges, the strength shown by these individuals in their pursuit of a fulfilling life is nothing short of inspiring.
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MS is debilitating and relentless, wreaking havoc on our bodies and minds. It is frequently a diagnosis that causes fear, confusion, and discomfort in so many ways. The first thing that I think of when I speak with a person with MS is the word resilience.
If there is one thing I have learned about people with MS, it is that they are resilient. They have learned to withstand difficulties and adapt to situations that many are unaware of. The courage those with MS show every day leaves me baffled. It takes strength to deal with the physical and “invisible” symptoms of MS, and educating ourselves and those around us about this disease is just as powerful. The MS journey is one of ups and downs, trial and error, and acceptance.
Continue readingBy Chernise Joseph
Since it’s the spookiest of months, let me get right to the point: MS has taught me how to be afraid. To be very, very afraid. As big and as intimidating as that word can truly be, I don’t want it to come across as multiple sclerosis has simply scared me away from living as that isn’t the case at all–if anything it’s the exact opposite.
Multiple sclerosis is a funny thing, especially the sort I have. I can go weeks, months, even years, without any relapses, but the threat of them still lurks over my head like a storm cloud. What if I overdo it today and trigger a relapse? What if the weather is simply weather-y and I’m in relapse-land? What if, what if, what if.. That is what scares me the most about MS. The what ifs.
Continue readingWhen a health condition is invisible to others, people who do not have the condition may struggle to understand it. This is often the case with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Many MS symptoms cannot be seen. This can be incredibly tough for people living with MS. Those around them do not always understand what they are dealing with, even after they try to explain.
To find out more about the MS community’s experiences, we reached out to the MultipleSclerosis.net Facebook page. We asked, “What is one thing about MS that you wish people understood?”
Continue readingThe lessons that living with MS has taught me are abundant. I have lived with this disease since I was in my very early 20s. Some of the most pivotal years of a young person’s life. I had big dreams of being a sports reporter. I did seven internships throughout my college career at Penn State University. The truth was, I was just downright hungry and would do whatever it took to be able to say, “I made it.”
My last year of college was a pretty exciting time for me. I had just finished an internship with the B1G Ten Network. The show I helped produce won an Emmy Award, and I had just landed a new gig straight out of college for an ABC affiliate in Harrisburg, PA. I was about to take on the biggest news story living in the sports and news world at that moment. Penn State was amidst a horrible scandal that rocked the nation. I was assigned to cover the courtroom news for this story. I spent eight weeks living in a trailer parked in a Walmart parking lot close to the courthouse. I was doing live shots next to CNN, Fox, ABC, and ESPN. I was on top of the world, or so I thought…
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