Somewhere over the rainbow, brain bulbs fly… bulbs fly over the rainbow, why then oh why can’t I… And yet I can! And you can too! If you’ve seen my latest post on social media, you’ll see how I did fly up, up and away in the MS MindShift brain bulb balloon this past October in Atlanta.
I live alone, yet I’m not alone. I traveled alone, yet I wasn’t alone. I was diagnosed with Relapsing MS in 2001. Nearly twenty years later my diagnosis has shifted from RMS to Secondary Progressive SPMS (SPMS). My brain has shifted too. Although I’ve worked quite hard at strengthening my brain by using various exercises related to “neuroplasticity,” I’ve found there’s much more to do based on brain health and life skills relating to self-care.
The MS MindShift is something I thought I knew about, but not as clearly as I thought. Let’s think about these areas:
- What am I doing now vs. the lifestyle choices I can make to do better?
- What are my other chronic conditions?
- How can I tie my other conditions into my MS lifestyle choices to help do a better job?
- Lifestyle, lifestyle, LIFESTYLE!
Ohhhh, it was early in the morning after an evening of fried green tomatoes and other yummies related to southern style. We all met and were driven to the football field filled with balloons testing out their flames.
In a way, the whole thing made sense to me as to the flame and the brain. If you don’t give it the power it needs, it can’t fly. Let’s chat about the brain for a brief moment. The brain is made up of both white and grey matter. Lesions can occur in both areas, yet until we understand what this means, we can’t understand the experiences we may experience. Based on my latest neurological tests and conversations with doctors, there are many more things I can do to help improve my brain health. Here are a few simple ways:
- Breathing/Mindfulness
- Diet
- Sleep Hygiene
- Exercise
- Staying Social
This is only a sample of what I myself need to address… the rest is up to you and choices in your lifestyle. The MS MindShift is an initiative which focuses on the BRAIN and the critical role it plays in multiple sclerosis (MS). When it comes to the brain, there are lifestyle choices you can make every day to help keep that brain of yours as healthy as possible and for as long as possible for days to come. For more information please refer to the website: www. MsMindShift.com.
