showed me I was competent and
capable.”
For tips and checklists, go to
nationalMSsociety.org/stress
or ask your chapter for a copy
of Taming Stress in Multiple
Sclerosis.
Finding the connections
To teach people with MS and
their health-care professionals
how to employ CBT techniques
at home, Dr. Mohr and his colleagues developed
a workbook. The Stress and Mood Management
Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis begins by highlighting elements of the stress
response—thoughts, emotions, behaviors, physical
health and social interactions.
“Some people will respond more to the behavioral aspects. Others will like the cognitive aspects
better. However, they are all interrelated, so if you
change one of the behaviors, you influence the
others,” said Dr. Mohr.
The workbook, available on Amazon.com,
charts a relationship between activities and mood
in order to identify activities that have positive
effects and to schedule them into your life.
Conversely, it helps identify negative thoughts
and ways to challenge them. The workbook also
looks at communication challenges and ways to
reduce fatigue—issues that are often related.
EDWARD KOREN/ WWW.CARTOONBANK.COM
“I had to recognize that I wasn’t always the
perfect housewife,” said Jennifer Whelan. “And
that was okay. Now my husband does most of the
chores around the house. Part of that deal is that I
can’t criticize the way he’s doing them. And when
the holidays roll around, we go to someone else’s
house.”
Don’t go it alone
Sharing about symptoms of stress with other
people with MS is a famous stress buster. Call
1-800-344-4867 for support groups in your area.
Or check out the MSFriends program, where
callers can talk to volunteers who also have MS.
The MSFriends helpline
at 1-866-673-7436 is
open between 7 AM
and midnight ET. (Calls
made outside of those
hours will be returned
within 24 hours.) All
calls are confidential.
Visiting a social
worker or counselor can
also help get you started on reducing stress levels.
Ask your health-care professional or call 1-800-
Patricia Wadsley is a New York–based writer and frequent
contributor to Momentum.
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