Momentum - Winter 2012

Momentum

Keeping an even keel

Balance issues are among the most common symptoms in MS (see “The balancing act,” p. 34). There are lots of ways to lose your footing in life, though, and many of them don’t have anything to do with physically standing up.

For example, we know that
simple, everyday activities, like
showering or picking up the
bending exhaust you? Or could
you save your energy for things
that add value to your life—
maybe taking a class or having a
date night?

If we have honest conversations with the
people who are most important to us, they
can help us achieve balance in our lives.

mail, take more energy when you have MS. Over the years, I’ve met many people who have given up doing things they enjoy so that they have enough energy to meet their perceived obligations—and in the process, they sometimes throw their lives off balance.

MARK KIRYLUK

To get back on an even keel,
people may need to change
their view of what’s critically
important in life. It was a lesson
that was important for me to
learn when I had children, and
it can be even more challenging
when you add MS into the mix.
You may need to reconsider: Is
it essential that your house be
clean at all times if reaching and
to devote any “spare” time to
loved ones and their needs, and
this can cause stress or a sense
of inadequacy. But I’ve learned
that if you talk with your family
about what’s important to them,
you may discover that much of
that stress is self-imposed—that
they don’t care if dinner is ready
at 6 p.m. sharp, and that they’d
fully support you taking an hour
after work for a nap or a yoga
class, or whatever sustains you.
If we have honest conversations
with the people who are most
important to us, they can help
us achieve balance in our lives—
and that, in turn, strengthens
our connections to them.