Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Group
This community is a place where members can discuss current events and weigh in on what's going on in the world.
A great article I recently read to share with my DS friends:
Try an MS "Mini-Meditation" To Fight Fatigue
Give Your Stress a Little "Time Out" to Recharge Your Batteries By Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D.
Pretty much everyone with MS knows the special feeling of MS-related fatigue. It is so far beyond tired that it defies attempts to describe it. This feeling is a special blend of exhaustion, fuzzy-headedness, headache and overall heaviness of body and spirit.
Entire chapters and books are written on the subject of MS-related fatigue and how to fight it, which include tips to streamline tasks and encouragement to start exercising to improve energy levels. I wish I could say that I have developed a successful fatigue-fighting strategy that works to get me through a day feeling great, but I cant claim that I do more than limp into evening, bedraggled and downtrodden, many days. However, I have found a little emergency measure that works a large percentage of the time to keep me from hitting the wall too hard and buys me a couple more hours.
The MS Mini-Meditation
I am convinced that a "mini-meditation" break is crucial for getting through the day for someone with MS, and I want to share what has been working for me to clear the fog and jump-start my mental and physical engines.
Give this a try: Lie down (if possible) and close your eyes in a quiet place. Allow your thoughts to drift, but don't follow them. Count your breaths, from one to ten, then start over again at one. It's okay to fall asleep, although you don't actually need to nap for this to work (in my experience). Do this for 10 to 15 minutes and see what happens. Do not worry if you never get to ten in your counting because your mind is wandering, just float along.
I swear, I can almost feel my neural pathways "reconnecting" and "reorganizing" themselves. I do this midday, around lunchtime. If you can't stretch out, just put your head on your desk, or even sit in your car with the seat reclined, and give it a try. This really, really revives me.
Alternatively, you can spend that amount of time thinking about a place that you really like, imagining colors, scents and sounds in precise detail.
Dont Worry About It
Meditation purists will probably take offense that I havent specifically addressed breathing or putting more effort in calming your brain and getting your thoughts to be still. This is not about reaching Nirvana or any other sort of enlightenment, what I am describing is an emergency measure to put a little more fuel in the tank when we feel the heavy wet blanket of MS fatigue is about to smother us. Honestly, it was because of all of the rules surrounding meditation that I found it to be more stressful than relaxing, as I actually felt stress because I wasnt good at it. Think of this little practice as a gentle introduction to meditation, which you can try later - or not.
Remember, the goal here is to feel better and to let your brain temporarily patch itself back together. Taking a little break like this also can work to interrupt the panic that starts to come when you realize that your bone-crushing tiredness is almost beyond what you can physically or emotionally cope with at the moment.
Try an MS "Mini-Meditation" To Fight Fatigue
Give Your Stress a Little "Time Out" to Recharge Your Batteries By Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D.
Pretty much everyone with MS knows the special feeling of MS-related fatigue. It is so far beyond tired that it defies attempts to describe it. This feeling is a special blend of exhaustion, fuzzy-headedness, headache and overall heaviness of body and spirit.
Entire chapters and books are written on the subject of MS-related fatigue and how to fight it, which include tips to streamline tasks and encouragement to start exercising to improve energy levels. I wish I could say that I have developed a successful fatigue-fighting strategy that works to get me through a day feeling great, but I cant claim that I do more than limp into evening, bedraggled and downtrodden, many days. However, I have found a little emergency measure that works a large percentage of the time to keep me from hitting the wall too hard and buys me a couple more hours.
The MS Mini-Meditation
I am convinced that a "mini-meditation" break is crucial for getting through the day for someone with MS, and I want to share what has been working for me to clear the fog and jump-start my mental and physical engines.
Give this a try: Lie down (if possible) and close your eyes in a quiet place. Allow your thoughts to drift, but don't follow them. Count your breaths, from one to ten, then start over again at one. It's okay to fall asleep, although you don't actually need to nap for this to work (in my experience). Do this for 10 to 15 minutes and see what happens. Do not worry if you never get to ten in your counting because your mind is wandering, just float along.
I swear, I can almost feel my neural pathways "reconnecting" and "reorganizing" themselves. I do this midday, around lunchtime. If you can't stretch out, just put your head on your desk, or even sit in your car with the seat reclined, and give it a try. This really, really revives me.
Alternatively, you can spend that amount of time thinking about a place that you really like, imagining colors, scents and sounds in precise detail.
Dont Worry About It
Meditation purists will probably take offense that I havent specifically addressed breathing or putting more effort in calming your brain and getting your thoughts to be still. This is not about reaching Nirvana or any other sort of enlightenment, what I am describing is an emergency measure to put a little more fuel in the tank when we feel the heavy wet blanket of MS fatigue is about to smother us. Honestly, it was because of all of the rules surrounding meditation that I found it to be more stressful than relaxing, as I actually felt stress because I wasnt good at it. Think of this little practice as a gentle introduction to meditation, which you can try later - or not.
Remember, the goal here is to feel better and to let your brain temporarily patch itself back together. Taking a little break like this also can work to interrupt the panic that starts to come when you realize that your bone-crushing tiredness is almost beyond what you can physically or emotionally cope with at the moment.
Join the Conversation