Face Your Fears. What's The Worst That Can Happen?

I remember being on a plane with my mom and she being scared from the weird movements it made during some turbulences. I asked her what is the worst thing that can happen? She said that it would be terrible if the plane should fall and we would get injured or worse. As I stood there listening to her, I realised something: the worse thing that could have happened was for the plane to fall, crash and we died. But here’s the ironic part: we are all going to die someday. So what are you afraid of really? I know one of my biggest fears is loss.

We have become accustomed to having all that we want or at least all that we can afford. Today’s society emphasizes consumption and fast moving… everything! Fast tasks, fast solutions, fast food, and so on. But there is no shortcut in life. There is no magic trick that will make you better, richer, healthier. It all resides in you.

You have the power to change things around. You have the abilities to make a difference in your life and / or the life of others around you. But you must be willing to face your fears. 

Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of pain, fear of the unknnown, fear of being dissapointed.. You name it! It’s all based on the central fear of death and of something bad happening to us that will provoke death. It’s scary even to think of it, I know.

What Does Really Scare You?

This brings us to an important point in this discussion: the worst fear is the fear of… fear itself. We get anxious when we don’t know the outcome of someting, we get scared not knowing how our health is going to be tomorrow, a month or a year from now. But you now what? By its nature, life IS unpredictable.

With or without multiple sclerosis, we all face daily challenges that we don’t know how are they going to turn out. We can predict a little bit, but the actual result escapes our grasp. And that’s another issue many of us fight with: being in control. 

That need to be everywhere and do all the things at the same time, and having the best possible outcome also. That’s not possible. And even if you can put up with this kind of routine for a while, you either overburn and crash or you become a machine that will no longer know its purpose after retirement or getting an illness.

My point is: get a hold of your life NOW. Make up your mind about where you want to be in life. Set goals for yourself and act on them daily, with little steps, little tasks that will take you eventually to achieve what you had in mind. It might not be exactly as you planned it in your mind, but you need to do your absolute best in order to get that opportunity.

Even if you don’t have treatment yet, there is no excuse to sit down and complain. I know it’s hard, I know it’s scary, I know it gets you frustrated and angry. But stop the negative mindset, I beg you! You are only doing harm to yourself! Think of the things that you CAN do to improve your life, your health and overall wellbeing.

Fear Is Stopping You From Taking Action

The reason why I’m writing this today is because I realised that inaction is the cause of all bad outcomes. If you stand still and do nothing, you are not allowed to protest, you are not allowed to ask for anything. 

If the only thing you do is sit there and criticize, offend and even hurt others, the only thing you will achieve is only getting yourself even more miserable than you already are. What’s the point in dragging other people around in your pain when you can pull yourself up from that state of mind and do something positive. 

Fundraise, raise awareness of the public opinion, do not just sit there and wait for the Government to give you what you need, don’t wait help from others while you do nothing. Because, guess what? Help is not comming! You got to start by helping yourself first. 

Then go create or join a community of MSsers and welcome everybody in. Don’t grudge and point fingers. You don’t know the stories people have or the problems they had to face to get where they are. Respect yourself and others will do that for you. It’s better for your heart, it’s better for your mind and it’s better for your health.

The Worst-Case Scenario

What is the worse thing that could happen if you stand up for yourself? For me it was losing the possibility and / or access to treatment. But when they did not consult me on the type of medicine I needed to take for my MS, i politely refused. 

I'll say that again: PO-LITE-LY! I was assertive about the reasons behind why I was refusing the interferons. I explained that the side effects were damaging to me and my lifestyle and the best option was Copaxone. 

I was told that the funds for that year were over, and that I must now wait for the next opening in the National Program. I asked when will that be, and I was told at the beginning of the new year. There will be a selection process, my file will be submitted to the comission that made the approvals, and when and if I get through, they will let me know. 

And that was it!

Christmas was approaching and I had no treatment and did not know when, if and how my MS will or will not flare up. I did not know if I will be eligible for receiving treatment. And most of all I WAS SCARED SHI@#$SS! 

But I accepted my decision and that was that! If a repalse or many were to happen, how could I stop them? Even with treatment, if your MS is active, it has its way with you. It’s true that it slows down the process, but you still have a brain eating disease. Your very own zombie! Oh, and you are going to grow old, get sick and die eventually. Why have fear?

Wrapping Things Up!

Accept your fears, aknowledge them, but move on. Think of the worst case scenario and then work on how would you get over those situations, how would you overcome them? Make an action plan, write it down if you need to, put it somewhere safe and go on living your day.

See you in the next post!

Yours truly,

Alexandra

P.S. What’s your biggest fear concerning MS? How are you planning to overcome that fear in case it becomes a reality? I would love to know your opinions. You can share them on Facebook, Twitter (hashtag #SMartMS) or send me an email at smartchoice.livingwithms@gmail.com. Thank you for reading!

(photo credit)

How To Silence Your Ego & Get Your Joy Of Living Back

Remember the moment the doctor told you that you have multiple sclerosis. Your entire world collapsed, right? You thought that your life was over then and there and that nothing else mattered. Probably the voice inside your head still shuts you down from the world outside, keeping you away from new experiences and positive emotions. That’s just your Ego telling you to survive. Let’s see how you can tame it and get your joy of living back.

What Is The Ego And What Does It Want From You?

The Ego is that part of your psyche that thinks about itself to be all-powerfull. You are probably thinking “what is she talking about? what is this woo-woo things she writes?”. But the Ego is just that: the conscious feeling you have of being alive and of being yourself. The Ego is just all your knowledge, your lessons learned, all the things that people told you from an early age untill now. It is how you see yourself in the mirror when you wake up. It sums up what you think about yourself to be true, and what you learned along the way.

A chronic illness diagnosis is a new and scary thing to live with. We are all scared of what we don’t know and we react to that with fear and anxiety. No matter how we try to rethink it, our Ego steps in the way and pulls the alarm system: “you need to survive this!”.

Think of the Ego as the little voice you hear in your head throughout the day. It’s that voice telling you that you’d better stay indoors today, as your energy is low and you can’t do much. It tries to trick you into staying into the comfort zone.

Lifestyle Shift

Change has never been easy or quick. Adapting to life’s new challenges takes time and practice. By not doing something to regain control, your mind will always be slowly whispering “you need to survive this!”, keeping you in a state of anxiety, fear and anger. There are so many ways these three things are damaging for you. To summarize it, I need to say that in order to survive this, you need to shake them off.

How do you do this? With patience and repetition. You challenge yourself daily. You set goals for yourself. You express a purpose to motivate you in living the life you need to live in order to survive. Let’s make peace with your Ego. I’ll help you with this, I’ve been there!

The “real you” is beyond the Ego. It’s that strenght you find when you think none is left. It’s that gut feeling you experience just before you take a decision. It’s that part of you that feels good when receiving a hug. The real you commands your Ego. It all begins with quieting the mind. It begins with standing still and allowing yourself to JUST BE. Breathe and explore how it feels to be in your body, how do you feel, how do you think, etc. Every day.

Educate Yourself

First things first: educate yourself on your condition. Find out what your symptoms are and what triggers them. Then start to minimize as much as possible the situations that get you in those states. Knowledge is indeed power, and as long as you are informed, you’ll gain power over your MS and considerably reduce the fear of the unknown.

Relax & Take It Slow

Second thing is to take it slow. Life can be hectic nowadays. We are all busy, we all want fast ways or tricks to deal with different situations. Well, I have news for you: MS doesn’t like being hurried. It feeds on stress, on exhaustion and overdrive. Learn how and what to do to relax.

This might be different from person to person. I personally learned yoga, meditation and daily journaling help me deal with my daily challenges. For you it might be speding a relaxing evening with your family or talking slow walks before dinner, maybe listening to your favourite songs. We are all different and different things work better for each and every one of us. Just try whatever fits your lifestyle and be persistent.

Have An Active Lifestyle

Third thing is to stay active. It’s one of the most important things you’ll ever do for your body and your health.

What happens in MS? Your body gets disconnected from your brain, making you unable to use movement. Why are you trying to help MS get it’s way?

Get up off the couch/chair/bed and MOVE! Even if you are bound to a wheelchair you CAN move. Do whatever you can in order to be active every day. A little goes a long way. Through daily repetitions and exercise, your body will slowly regain strenght, as your brain might begin to establish new or alternative connections to help you execute the things you want to do with your body.

I myself have days when I feel so fatigued that I don’t have the mood or energy for doing any of this. But I still make myself get up, stretch, breathe deeply and use my body in one way or another. There is a saying: “use it or lose it!”. Scary, but true! So go an move. Get up and walk, run if you can. Do whatever you can, but DON’T STOP MO-VING!

Have A Healthy Diet

The fourth thing and the second most important one in your daily lifestyle is nutrition. What you eat is fundamentally important when facing a chronic illness, especially MS! Choose healthy and foods, cook meals that keep the ingredients as close to their natural state as possible. Avoid toxins, packaged snacks and sweets. Avoid all that can damage your body chemistry.

Again, how does MS work? It attacks your myelin thinking it is a foreign body. Myelin is a type of fatty protein that insulates your axons. The food you eat can be natural, helping your body have all the nutrients that make it work better, or… It can be sugary, processed and inflammatory, confusing your body into not knowing which protein is good or not anymore… what is natural and what is not, what needs to be accepted and what needs to be destroyed… And so your MS attacks once more, making your immune system destroy myelin.

A confused body makes chronic illnesses worse. We eat food to fuel our actions and grow a healthy body. We should not eat food just because it’s more available and because we got used to it.

The lifestyle you led up to this point made your body feel bad. Why continue doing the same things, hoping you’ll get different results? That’s insane!

I personally cut out all white flours (wheat, rye, oats, etc), all dairy, all refined sugars, all packaged foods (processed, canned). It’s not easy, I know, but your body will thank you for it. Trust me!

Rest & Let Your Body Recover

The fifth but not the least important is SLEEP! Leting your body rest is vital to your wellbeing. During the time you are sleeping, you heal. Information accumulated throughout the day is fixated in your long term memory, hormones are balanced, organs get toxins flushed out and most of all YOUR BRAIN TAKES A REST!

Taking care of your brain is essential in MS. Sleeping is for relaxing it as cross-word puzzles  and reading are for exercising it. From my experience, I recommend 7-9 hours of sleep per night. I know our lives can be busy and things need to get done. But without rest and keeping your energy levels up high the next day, we won’t be able to do much and will probably find ourselves in a viscious circle of fatigue and frustration.

I found that the better and longer I sleep, the more focused and energetic I am throughout the day. Feeling tired midday? NAP or rest for 5-10 minutes with your eyes closed (maybe during your lunch hour at work).

Wrapping Things Up!

Do whatever things are necessary in order to get back control over your life. In order to get the joy of living back. Your Ego is going to continue telling you that you need to survive, I’m not telling you that is gonna go away, but it’s going to do that less and less each day.

You are going to grow strong and feel more and more empowered by your new lifestyle. Your body will be healthier with each good and nutritious meal, with every workout, with every good rest it takes.

Untill the next post, keep making SMart Choices for your lifestyle with MS!

Yours truly,

Alexandra

P.S. Please let me know if you did any of these changes and how did they work for you and your condition. Share your answers on Facebook, Twitter (hashtag: #SMartMS) or write me an email at smartchoice.lifestylewithms@gmail.com. Thank you for reading!

Staying True To Yourself. Why I Write

We are all different in our capabilities and talents. We like and are good at different things, thus each one of us is special in his or her way. Society bounds us to a grid of rules and measurements, wanting to equalize each individual to the next. Creating uniformity makes us easier to quantify, supervise and control.

Backstory

Following the Industrial Revolution, our society became more and more mechanized and labour-focused. It saw people not so much as individualities, but as work-force, as elements of a system that was bound to make profit. And this system is here still. It grew from the factory in the Victorian era and evolved into the corporate world of the 21th century.

But what is there to do when you are a free spirited person? When you value more self expression and talent than following society’s rules? You become independent or you develop anxiety attacks and a feeling of lacking purpose.

I went through the second type of situation. The pressure to conform got so heavy, that I often found myself over stressed, more irritable, feeling boxed in, and like I was putting on a mask every single day, for the past seven years. And I just realised that it’s been that long.

So, for seven long years I went back and forth between corporate or semi-corporate jobs and my own self. And it’s been exhausting!

Imagine being at work, standing comfortably at your desk, having a spreadsheet open in front of you, and your mind wondering away, to the places and things you wanted to be doing instead. You might say that this happens to all of us once in a while. We get tired of work and start day-dreaming about relaxation and the following vacation that we’re going to in a month or two.

Now ask yourself: is this how things are supposed to be? Is this the right thing? Working to afford a life that you only can live fully a month a year? Speding time with your family for just 5-6 hours a day? Focusing on deadlines and sales targets rather than what makes you feel complete and your most productive self? Are you sure that’s how you want to live the rest of your life?

I surely wasn’t up for this challenge! I wanted something else. Some other challenge.

The Turning Point

This past year since my MS diagnosis, I came to realise what I value most. What are my core goals in life. And none of the corporate achievements was one of them. I remembered that I want to help people achieve their potential. I remembered that I love hearing life stories. I remembered who I was before entering the production line.

Deep feelings and emotions arose as I was getting back to myself. As I was rediscovering what made me human, and what made me… me. To some it may sound like woo-woo stuff, but getting back in touch with your own self is life changing.

You wouldn’t believe how much anger, frustration and fear can deposit inside you for years and years. And it’s all boxed in. Walled in. And you think you live the best life ever.

And then the void comes. That feeling of shallowness and lack of purpose. It will come, because you are working to fullfil someone else’s dream, and forgetting your own.

Spirituality and getting in touch with your core is not some hippie bull-sh!@. It’s the thing that makes you a human being. Eastern thinking has been knowing this for more than 5000 years.

Getting back to yourself doesn’t mean retreating from this world and live your life on a lotus flower listening to the waves. It means relearning who you are, what are your goals in life and act on them.

Have a purpose. Work daily on your idea. Find fullfillment and ease in doing what is right for you. It’s probably the most important thing you’ll ever do.

How I Came To Writting?

The answer is I did not came to it, as it was already here. It has always been a part of me. Since I was little, writing was my best form of self-expression.

Putting words on paper had and still has a deep cathartic effect on my mind. It exorcises my inner demons, so to speak. It emphasizes what is true, valuable and persistent in my life. It gives me clarity and is a keepsake of my memories.

It’s the way I communicate best. Mostly now, writing the SMart Choice blog. I made a commitment to myself. I need to write an article every single day, in order to grow as a person and as a writer. It is a form of practicing in public, like Jeff Goins says.

I write because I love to be able to express my thoughts,  I love to tell stories and I love the idea of maybe helping someone who gets to read these articles. Living in the digital era makes it even more exciting and fullfilling. I get to share my points of view and find other like-minded individuals with whom I can further communicate.

I cherish relationships and communication. We are social beings. We have always lived in tribes. Even in today’s times, we are all part of small groups, large groups, professional groups, leisure groups, you name it!

Each of these groups is a tribe that stands for something. A tribe focused on a common goal or interest. That’s what’s shaping our selves. We have multiple statuses, we play a multitude of roles, but the most important is to stay true to yourself.

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S. What is your opinion on this issue? Share your answers on Facebook or Twitter. I would love to find out your point of view. Thank you for the visit!

Life With Multiple Sclerosis, A Full Weekend & Preparing To Renovate The House. How To Knock Yourself Out Into Fatigue And Arm Pain

Did you ever had an “I told you!” moment with yourself? Waking up to having a splendid arm pain and some delicious fatigue is all that I could wish for this morning. Especially when I knew this would be happening. So much for wishful thinking! Long title, short story. Read on!

How It All Began

This past weekend had all the ingredients of being a wonderful one. And indeed it was. Finished all my tasks on Friday by the end of working hours, prepared dinner and spent a relaxing evening at home.

Saturday we had a birthday party to go to, at my boyfriend’s parents house. It was an outside barbecue, and they sayed it was going to be one of the hottest days of the month. We had lots of fun, had great conversation and called it a day in the early evening. Came home and rested.

On Sunday, we went shopping for the house renovation up ahead. Went through three stores full of tiles, wood floors and the usual stuff you’ll need. Came back home and called it a day.

Yesterday I planned to put everything from our living room away into boxes, seal them so that we can store them untill we finish renovating. Done deal! Published an article, sorted piles of folders and books and all sorts of things, checked social media, set up the table for dinner and cleaned up.

And then crashed!

I felt so tired that my arms and legs were “buzzing” inside. My body felt a bit wobbly and I could not concentrate properly. My brain was urging me to sit down already, which I did, after taking a quick shower. As I layed in bed, relaxation kicked in and did its job, and my brain could not been any happier!

Feeling a little better, I got up and stretched for a few minutes, did some relaxing yoga moves and took some deep breaths. That sure helped a great deal. My arms and legs felt more relaxed. I could feel the muscles stretch and the sensation was incredible. Imagine being tense and then muscles letting go. Fabulous!

Then we prepared for sleep. Dimmed the lights, made turmeric tea for both of us and regular tea for me, as I needed more relaxation. Meditated for 10-15 minutes, just to calm my mind, brushed teeth, had a shower and finally off to bed.

After an hour or so, a pile of boxes fell down making a very loud noise that woke us both up. Went to fix that and put the boxes back up. Off to bed again, this time for good.

Today Was One Joyfull Morning... Not!

All four days had heat code “yellow”, meaning the temperatures above 33 degrees C. Did I mention we disabled the air conditioner and the only thing keeping me cool was (and still is) a large fan? (We actually bought another one, slightly smaller, but together they do their job well.) Given the heat, the effort and the lack of proper rest, it’s no wonder my brain protested, throwing me a little surprise waking up party this morning!

Arm pain.. well, forearm pain actually and fatigue. Brilliant! What could you ask for more?

Once more I turned to meditation and yoga. Imagine trying to stand still, calm your breath and silence your mind with your arm hurting like you had a knife going through it! But believe it or not, it gradually subsided.

The yoga moves I chose were ones that did not put strain on my forearm. So, no arm balance, inversions or similar stuff for me today! Only strong, grounding poses, and ones that relaxed my arms and getting my blood flowing and muscles relaxing. Felt very good and further calmed my pain.

The Things I Do To Relax

I like mixing praying, silence and meditation into a 15 minute routine that gets me up and running each day. Then I do a 30 minute freestyle yoga routine, finding what feels good for my body that day, and maybe throwing in a few pose practices if I want to do something extra. After that is shower, breakfast and getting to work!

A Few Conclusions

As I’m finishing this article just now, my arm is still hurting, but the pain is under control. Will do a few stretches after lunch and further give some TLC to my body.

Long story short, if you ever feel like you have too much energy in blazing heat, and it’s too good to be true… it probably is!

So, when faced with summer heat, renovations and busy days, spend your energy gradually and try not to overwork it. Slower is better in this case.

Rest, drink plenty of water and stretch. And then relax and sleep well!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S. Did you ever had a similar experience? How is your MS reacting when mixing high temperatures with a full to-do list? Share your answers on Facebook or Twitter. I would love to hear your story!

Making The SMart Choice & Why Should You Care About It

What happens when you get diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis? Your mind begins to shift. Either you make a turn for the better or one for the worse, you are never the same person. You just had a life altering experience. And you are faced with a lot of responsibility and choices or with denial and continuing as before.

How It All Started

Last year I had a head full of questions regarding the lifestyle choices I needed to make. Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis shifts your point of view more than a little. It was clear to me that spending my life the way I was spending it before, was no longer an option.

New choices were needed. New ways of living so that my body and mind would be in their best shape and health possible, and as free of inflammation as I possibly could.

And so began a long process of educating and changing myself on the topic. I have always felt empowered by information and knowledge. I began searching infomation on MS, nutrition, exercise, diagnosis tools, lifestyle hacks and so, so much more. It was and still is the one thing I do on a daily basis: staying on top of it all and taking charge of my life. I consider it to be mandatory. Only then we have the right to complain.

You Have To Help Yourself

I know I might sound ruthless to some people, but that’s how life works: you have to be assertive and fight for yourself. Nobody else cares. You have to take charge, make changes and help yourself first. 

People tend to pay attention more to people who fight against the odds, and for a better life. If you stay there and do nothing but complain, get angry at the world and expect others to cater for your needs, you are in for a big dissapointment.

Nobody is gonna save you. Nobody but yourself!

Life is rarely fair. Life is rarely easy. Things don’t just happen as money does not grow on trees (except it has fallen off from a helicopter right onto one, but that’s just Sci-Fi stuff :)) ). We all have struggles in this world. We all fight battles that nobody else knows about.

We might seem as picture-perfect and as happy as can be when we are out in public. But late at night, when we lay our heads on the pillow, we all have dreams, pains, wishes and hurts. We all feel, suffer, and have our own issues. So don’t judge a person. You don’t know what it takes for that smile you see or for the words you read.

If today I have the SMart Choice blog and you read all these stories full of metaphors and positivity, know that it has been a long way to get here. The journey is still going.

Behind all of this there are endless hours of research, endless planning and ideas, ongoing drafting and organizing. 

There are countless moments when I feel fear for my future, when I felt out of place, when I felt this blog had no purpose and then found it again. There are moments when I struggle to get in front of you and deliver the best article I can, to deliver positivity and encouragements. There are moments when I struggle through cog-fog and fatigue. There are moments when I panic as numbness suddenly starts or my eye getts blurry.

It's All About The Mindshift

But you know what? I breathe in and out profoundly, and repeat to myself that this too shall pass, and I get strong again. I push through, I get up and brush the dust off, and I move on with my day.

SMart Choice is one of my purposes in life. It is my way of lending a helping hand and making my mind heard and my ideas encourage someone. 

If only just one person feels better after reading SMart Choice, my day is a success. The aim is to make people face the truth: yes, life is hard. 

Life with MS is harder still. But what do you do? Give up or fight?

It’s not easy, it’s not pretty, it doesn’t matter if you have treatment or not. It’s all in the mindset. In the way you push through each and every day to move onwards, always onwards.

You have been given a life. Make smart choices. Make the choices good for you, the ones that suit your life. Design your own lifestyle around MS. Keep it boxed in or it will box you in.

Designing A Diet

I began eliminating all harmful items. I gave up smoking ever since I had the first neurological consult, as I did not feel up to it any more. I felt that I should not do it until my situation was clear. That day, when I came back from the clinic, I had my last ciggarette. I’ve never touched them since.

The next rational choice was giving up coffee, coke and all the sodas I had been drinking so far. Water and tea became my new best friends.

Gluten came next. All white flours: bread, pasta, pizzas… they were all gone from my diet. I made the choice to be healthy, and not to feel bloated.

Sugar and dairy were a bit more difficult to let go. Bread and carbs were never my favourite things to eat, so the choice was easy. Chocolate and yoghurt were a different issue. They’ve been on and off my diet untill about 2 months ago. I let them go for good. I made the choice to get rid of all possible inflammation in my body.

My diet is made up out of simple foods. Food that is as close to its natural form as possible. No frying, just baking, grilling and steaming. Chicken, turkey, beef, fish and seafood. Organ meats, seeds and nuts. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Limitting the starches to only two servings per week, if any (potatoes, rice).

No refined or hydrogenated oils/fats like sunflower oil or margarine. Only avocados, olives, olive oil and coconut oil. Of course, consumed in moderation, as they are still fats.

The only sugar I consume is raw honey. I found a beekeeper and I buy locally, not from the supermarket. Mix three tablespoons of raw honey and coconut oil with six tablespoons of raw cocoa, add a few drops of your favourite aroma (vanilla, rum), a pinck of salt and maybe a few pistachios, and you have the best sugar free and safe home-made chocolate!

Designing An Exercise Routine

After constant trying and testing, I found that my body thrives on gentle movements and cardio. Every morning I get up and exercise my strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. Every day! 

Every day I get up on my stationary bike and pedal as much as my body allows me. I do 30 to 60 minutes of yoga to stretch and flex my muscles and joints. I work with my dumbells and raise my body’s resistance. 

It’s an ongoing process. I do as much as my body allows me but I show up every single day. I choose this lifestyle. 

I prepare for war. If my MS wakes up someday, I will be here to face it, as strong as I can be.

Designing Peace of Mind & Relaxation

Don’t forget your mind. If left alone, it can become your worst enemy. Fear, anger and depression could creep up any time. 

Take time to relax, unwind and just be still. For 10-15 minutes stop whatever you’re doing and just stand still and do nothing. Think nothing. Pay attention to your breath. Pay attention to what’s going on inside your body.

I found journaling helps. Five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening are enough to write down what are you grateful for this day, what your mindset it and how are you feeling overall. Make up your own main points you’ll want to write about. Personalize it.

This too is an ongoing process. It takes practice and determination. I can tell you from my own experience: it is hard to do this! The mind is a crazy monkey! But with time and practice, it does shut up. Trust me! 

Take time to rest. Nap when possible. Do some stretches throughout the day. Take it easy. Work hard, at your job and at your life. 

It is not given to you. You must work for it. Little by little. Day by day.

SMart Purpose

This blog is where I talk about my struggles. It’s where I give advice, it’s where I share knowledge and keep you accountable for designing your healthy new lifestyle. 

You have to make choices. You have to make smart choices that help you on your MS journey. Living with MS is not easy, but with the right mindset, it can be done.

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S.: If you want to know more about the SMart Choice journey, send me your questions via message over the Contact page or via email smartchoice.livingwithms@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you. Meanwhile, join the SMart community on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for the visit!