PART 1 of Series: MS and Stress
Mindfulness and Stress Management for MS
Often when I ask my patients what happened in the preceding weeks to months before the onset or flare of their MS symptoms, the number one answer is stress. Therefore, better managing stress is one of the most important steps we can take to offload the immune system and improve the symptoms of autoimmunity and inflammation.
If there was ever a time for mindfulness meditation, the time is now. The past few years finally uncovered the crisis that has been brewing under the surface of modern life: our failing mental health due to chronic stress. The global pandemic, political conflict, and racial inequalitt have caused massive changes and uncertainties that have challenged our mental and emotional resilience, making it more difficult to cope and manage MS symptoms.
Has it challenged yours?
It’s well established that MS and stress go hand in hand. If you live with multiple sclerosis, chances are you struggle with stress and anxiety, and perhaps even low mood and depression. Do you have a long-term strategy to manage MS symptoms like these?
Sadly, most people don’t. Many believe that medications are the only answer. Others use alcohol or other substances to manage stress, which only adds to the problem. Still others engage in harmful behaviors to cope, from overeating to withdrawing socially.
All these strategies are mere band-aids. As soon as we stop using them, our symptoms reappear. Wouldn’t it be nice to get to the root of the problem so that MS and stress can be managed in a way that contributes to our long-term health?
Long term solutions for managing multiple sclerossis and stress
While there’s a time and place for medications, there are countless ways we can start building better coping skills to manage MS and stress. Mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork are just a few of the many cheap, easy-to-learn, and accessible practices that build resilience to lessen anxiety and depression.
Why do these practices matter?
Because they get to the heart of the problem.They give us a greater sense of agency, meaning we recognize that we have the power to impact our health. This strengthens our confidence to be proactive and take control of our health.
The best part is that none of these approaches are band-aids. When practiced regularly, tools like mindfulness meditation calm the fight-or-flight response, allowing hormones like cortisol to normalize and the immune function to calm. This is a perfect example of how we can use a simple and affordable tool to treat a symptom at its root cause. What’s more, this is an approach that complements whatever therapies we are pursuing with our neurologists and medical doctors.
Want to learn more?
Join TRUE Medicine’s foundations program to learn mind-body tools as a long-term solution to stress, low mood, and related MS symptoms.
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