By Lauren Kovacs
Wellness is as broad as MS itself. It is a never-ending struggle for some kind of wellness. It haunts most of us like a persistent poltergeist. Little pieces fit into the MS puzzle and you need them all.
We all try and latch onto any floating debris. We ask, “What if it helps?” There it is, the dreaded, “What if?” Always try it; it might work for you. Turmeric is a decent life-ring for some, for example.
It is really hope we cling to, in the end, no matter how small. Routines and eating well are obvious pieces. Many of us find reducing gluten and sugar helps. The jigsaw puzzle of MS wellness is huge. Someone’s failed try might be someone else’s small victory.
One piece I have found to be golden is mental wellness. We all need to vent. I have a talk therapist. I dump my MS garbage on her, poor dear.
A disinterested third party is great for me, mentally. I am a talker. I can talk your ear off. With recent MS stuff, talking is work. Ok, I sound drunk. My brain wants to release, but by the time the flow gets out it is a muddy mess.
Unloading on your spouse puts a big kink in your marriage. Talking to a friend helps, but it has to be the right friend. Talking to a family member might not work either.
Many people are not equipped to carry the burden of listening to our MS struggles. So, we put on a happy face and move on. Eventually our bag gets too heavy and explodes or leaks.
A trail of MS juice follows us, if we ignore it. It drips from our backpack with every step. Wellness calls for us to find a way to lighten our load or patch the leak. The MS backpack is a permanent fixture. We can never take it off. Wellness of any kind is a welcomed Band-Aid.
Talking to someone helps me feel better. I can trip over my own words or smear them as they come out. I need the release at times. Friends might hear complaining and family might get annoyed.
Wellness is a puzzle piece. Trying to smash it into the wrong place won’t work, no matter how you turn the piece. Mental wellness is personal, and very important. You have to find the best way you can to slide that piece of the puzzle in. A Cadbury Crème Egg helps too.
