Embrace the Journey: Enjoy the Play, A Curated Blog

 

Fenway Park Baseball game 

Vacations give me permission to play even though I shouldn't need permission. I work hard trying to sustain my MS management plan and, it’s working for me. Maybe that’s why I compartmentalize play.

I feel like I need to earn some playtime. After I finish all my goals for calories, exercise and standing,(close the rings on my watch)  and do any other appointments for therapies (massage, acupuncture, piano) then I can play. I must insert that I enjoy all my treatments for managing MS, so it’s not bad.

 

 

Baseball at Asheville Tourists

What distinguishes “play”? According to Chat GPT it is defined as an activity done mainly for enjoyment, recreation, or amusement. It can be done for relaxation, learning or entertainment. Okay then! I can be walking, working out at the gym, in the pool, or practicing piano and still be playing. There are times however, when I’m “working out” solely to meet my exercise goals. Especially when it’s late and I’m tired, then it’s hard work.

Maybe the context of the activity defines whether it’s play or work. For example, walking at high tide (think soft sand) on the beach with high winds and misty rain doesn’t feel like play. In fact, nothing about this scenario meets my definition of play. I’m getting my exercise done, building leg strength and burning calories. It’s laborious, hard, hot and generally disagreeable. It’s a workout. 

 

 

 

Duo cheers and challenges

 

Play and learning go hand in hand. Children and adults learn best when planned activities are interesting, engaging and fun. For example, I’m slowly learning French on Duolingo. It feels like I'm playing a game. As an adult educator, I know how easily we adults are distracted. We love to talk and share our experience. Learning is fun when it’s experiential.

 

 

 

My soaking tub for relaxing

 

In the afternoon, I chill at my puzzle table, the piano or the sewing machine for quilting. These activities relax my mind while still giving it a little exercise. My go-to mindless activities are walking outside and reading in my soaking tub. At the end of the day, I feel pleasantly tired and proud of my accomplishments. That’s especially true when I close all three rings on my watch meaning I have met all my daily goals for exercise or time, moving or calories, and standing. I really like to exceed my goals!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having MS is not fun. It’s relentless in deteriorating nerves, muscles, movements, and flexibility. Therefore, actually enjoying the things we do to keep the body performing well is a bonus. I do hot yoga four times a week and look forward to doing it. While it’s not “play”, it leaves me with the same peaceful, nourished feelings as a lively day of play. The bonus is how it leaves my body feeling amazing! 

Embrace the Journey: Have Purpose A Curated Blog

 

Working on my blog

Do you wake up enthused about your day? Good, then you must have intention and purpose in your life. Research says you will probably live longer! My purpose is doing something meaningful to use in my blog, or posting on YouTube or Instagram. This makes me happy. As an educator I love sharing anything and everything I learn about MS. 

Twenty-six years of living with MS and finding my best practices validates everything I do with diet, exercise, and therapies. My neurologist took me off of all medication two years ago. Since then, I have been thriving. 

Set-up for YouTube

Our neurologists diagnose our problem and prescribe appropriate drug therapy, but then what? The various drug protocols kept me stable, but the discoveries I made with diet, exercise and complementary therapies make me feel good and now, are keeping MS in check.

My purpose is to tell everyone that life can be good, even great. I get excited about a new idea. I love writing and finding pictures to bring the topic alive. Doing YouTube and Instagram videos is fun and adds another outlet to communicate. Plus I learn something everyday about communicating with more creativity. Maybe the best part is having to work my mind to keep using technology.

Prepping for doing YouTube

I appreciate my channel, judymanagesms. The work of writing and speaking makes me think creatively. I feel good to be contributing to the knowledge pool on MS. So, I have a good reason to get up everyday! This work supports my mental, emotional and physical health.

Posting on social media isn’t easy for me. I persist because it’s necessary to communicate in today’s world. It’s a good way for me to inspire hope and confidence in others who have MS. 

Part of the Memoir Group team

Please understand, I have support. My network of friends at Memoir Group help me focus my message. My friends at Toastmasters hone my public speaking skills for crisp social media posts. I get inspiration and ideas at hot yoga and the gym for blog and Instagram posts. For example, in yoga we are reminded that it’s yoga practice. Practice is what I do with everything!

You know my mission. What’s yours? Nothing is too grandiose or too petite. Maybe you are that giving person who always has a loaf of bread to give to someone. Maybe you love to talk on the phone. There are lonely people who need you. Sharing your gift will make you happy. As an educator, I thrive on helping people. Passing on my insights about MS feels right. Plus, it keeps me learning about technology, researching facts on new topics and finding ways to bring my story to life. 

I feel good about my management practices. When I share a success, maybe it will sparks hope in someone, or generate interest in trying something. Aging is working on me but, I’m still walking, and all other body systems like mental acuity and psychological stability seem to be doing fine. Thanks to my purpose, I’ll keep meeting the new day with plans for my blog, YouTube or Instagram. Follow me at judymanagesms.blogspot.com and judymanagesms.YouTube.com.

Embrace the Journey: Managing Stress: A Curated Blog

Family dinner during their visit

Who doesn’t feel stress? The topic is hot in self help books, news and advertisements.  It's big business. Medicines abound. Why? Because stress is really bad for the body. It makes us feel bad and causes disease. Heart disease is most common but stress also seriously impacts the immune system, the GI tract, metabolic functioning and more. 

Daily exercise

For those of us with MS, stress is a major player causing many of our bad symptoms. That’s why managing MS is also managing stress. 

We can’t relax during the good times either. Those happy times of celebrations or maybe vacation bring Eustress, the opposite of Dis-stress. Through experience, I’ve learned to be extra vigilant managing myself during joyful family visits. Do you know your stressors?

Cold pressed juice helps me

My gut reacts to both good and bad stress. I get cold sores in my mouth and they linger. Exercise and diet help calm the symptoms but not always. Sometimes, the causes remain elusive.

Both Eustress or Dis-stress cause inflammation of tissues throughout the body. Inflammation in turn causes disease as well as body aches and pains.  Inflammation causes lesions on the brain and spinal cord that cause MS. The pain the fatigue and the depression we experience with MS can be improved with diet, exercise and therapies.  Stress will always be there so managing it is my plan. 

Sister support helps too!

Retirement helps, but it’s not the end all solution to stress. The issues are different and we have more time to handle them but, the harm in the body is still there. Changes in medicine, finances or housing can disrupt routine and schedule. Disruption with either often puts me in a bad place mentally.

What’s the solution then? Certainly everybody is different, but there is consensus among writers is that exercise, diet, and sleep are best practices. These work for me. 

Embrace the Journey: Self Confidence Matters, A Curated Blog

Retired and happy 

For me, having MS was the beginning of a long journey. I lost my identity then I retired soon after. I learned about MS  and managed me while the future unfolded. Through it all, I never gave away control. I never lost sight of my powers of choice, positive thinking, and managing myself. I couldn’t anticipate all the challenges but I knew that self confidence and determination would carry me through.

Self confidence develops over time but starts with our genetic make-up. It’s acquired through practice and having little successes. Success builds on success. We read cues from many different people and situations. We discover our strengths and interests through social, academic and sports experiences. Positive feedback boosts us up while negative takes us down. The MS diagnosis was worse than a negative input. I felt lost, unsure about everything and really confused.

Strengthening body

I needed to regain my self confidence. I was good at my work, but I was at the end of my career in NC Cooperative Extension. While working I kept the swagger in my walk and appeared to be normal. The symptoms weren’t too noticeable early on.

Retirement became complicated with the MS diagnosis. I didn’t realize how much of my identity and self confidence was linked to work. It took about fifteen years to figure that out put me back together. 

Learning to be comfortable with my body and what it could do was a key to regaining self confidence. Walking was my constant indicator. When I noticed any decline in walking stride or pace, I doubled down to fix it. Sometimes, my doctor would recommend change of drug therapy. I asked him to expand my use of Physical Therapy. 

Walking gives me confidence

Feeling more confident physically really boosted my self confidence. I felt good about getting involved in community service. I found my niche working with people and developing volunteers. Both my self image and self confidence improved, and then we moved back home to the mountains. 

Self confidence is tricky. It rises and falls as situations change. The move home put me in a dive, but I knew how to build it up again. This time I had specific goals to improve my oral speaking and write my memoir. I joined Toastmasters and found my Memoir Group. Both groups have shaped, energized and improved me.

Anything that makes you feel good about yourself and that you enjoy doing will build your self confidence. You be the expert, set an example for others to follow. Perfection isn’t necessary. Helping yourself is enough.

Keep the journey going

MS doesn’t go away. It’s a journey. I know that self confidence and the power of me has made a difference in my well being. For 25 years I’ve addressed issues as they arise. Walking well gives me confidence in my capable body. My trainer and physical therapist help me identify and strengthen the weak muscles. 

You may have to dig deep inside to access the power of you, but it’s there. The journey of managing MS needs you to use your power of self confidence to be the best you can be.

Embrace the Journey: Age Gracefully , A Curated Blog

We love to cruise for easy travel

How do you feel about aging? Are you still walking? Could you get up after falling? As we age, these concerns loom large. Problems with walking and falling are worse with Multiple Sclerosis. I’m happy to say that I’m still walking and enjoying living.

MS makes everything more challenging, especially aging. I got over being slow and needing help. Everyday I get to practice humility, gratitude, and tolerance. I'm even learning to be patient with myself. Thankfully, maturity helps everything. 

Don't fall! I was out 8 weeks

In my research about aging with MS, I discovered something really good! The immune system weakens, especially with Secondary Progressive MS, my type. Those destructive T-cells that cause lesions in the brain, get lazy and don’t work so hard. In fact, a trend in treating the disease is to stop drug therapy interventions sometime after age sixty. I have been off my drug therapy for 18 months.

The MS Society did a longitudinal study of patients ages 30 to 76. The anecdotal data in the article confirmed that my path with the disease is normal. It’s still hard to diagnose and the path is different for everyone. We all, MS patients, have widely varied symptoms, but almost all reported improvements in symptoms from doing exercise. 

Walking daily for 30+ years

Scientific data shows that over time, mobility is the symptom that declines the most. Think about it. Leg muscles are large and require lots of strength training just to remain functional. Besides walking, legs help us do simple things like sit, bend down to tie shoes or pick up something. Since MS works relentlessly to weaken muscles, we must work just as hard to keep legs strong. The aging process also works against us. We naturally start losing muscle mass starting early, like in our forties. 

My recommendation is start exercising now if you are not already exercising. It’s never too late and it may be the most important thing you do for yourself. A long time ago, a trainer told me to work my core and leg muscles everyday. I do but I’m still weak. 

PT Thomas keeps me walking

My Physical Therapist says that aging impacts walking and movement for everyone. Walking requires balance, strength and coordination. MS robs us of all three so we have to hit it hard! 

Did you know that aging also shrinks the brain. This undoubtedly impacts processing time, decision making, coping skills and emotional resilience. However, it’s well documented that exercise helps keep the brain nimble and sound. I exercise a lot daily - it’s the one thing I have control over. 

The older I get, the more I look and act like Mama

Let’s not forget the body changes that come with aging either. In my mind’s eye, I see a young me. When I look in the mirror,  I see more and more of Mama. I have her hair which is good, but I’m not so thrilled having her shape and body type. I feel the inevitable slumping shoulders, thick middle, and grumpy dispositions all lurking. We enjoy these caricatures in the comics. I will fight these traits from now on.

They grow up too fast! 

I love growing old is great but only as long as I  continue to be active. In fact, staying active is my job. Having MS complicates everything and makes it harder, but the rewards come in spades. When I exercise, eat well and do my therapies, I feel better and hopefully I look better. I can look forward to taking trips and playing with the grandchildren. The results show in my mobility, which has always been my primary indicator for well being with MS.