Meditation

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all doing well! I wanted to ask for some tips on coping with MS (as I am sure some of you have more experience with this disease than me).

I've adopted OMS (even meditating -almost- daily!) but I can't help but feel so hopeless and scared at times. One moment I am fine and optimistic, the other I feel the sadness and fear overcoming me (I can feel those feelings rushing and I can't control them) - I grieve for my old self, I grieve the fact that I won't ever be healthy again, I fear for the future and how mu life will look like...

My question is, how do you cope? How do you accept? How do you overcome the fear of what's next?

Thank you all!

Hi MM123,

I felt like that in the beginning too. I think it's a natural process that you go through. But I've been following OMS for nearly 2 years and I (mostly) feel really well. There is no reason to think that our life is going to be anything less than healthy. It is possible to recover and halt the progression of the disease.

I can honestly say that I'm thankful for my diagnosis. Without it I would have continued on a life eating the standard diet, full of meat, dairy and processed food. It's saved me from other illnesses that I could have developed. And it's saved my children from, hopefully, developing the chronic diseases that plague the Western world.

Keep on at it. You won't regret going down the OMS road. Good luck!

For me it was the options that drove me forward, quit the reality of what life could be and continue down the same path, or accept a better path and strive for what might be.

I find the program is a holistic approach, if you diet but don't exercise, meditate or become more self aware, IMO you are in the slow lane of the path, the more of the program you add, the faster and stronger your whole life becomes.

The day by day and moment by moment, can often be overwhelming, but for me those are the times I need to take the time to meditate, I will run a 5 or 10 minute body scan meditation, to resettle and calm my active mind. It can be harder to meditate at those times, but it appears to me to be the times I need it most.

I won't say it stops me ever feeling sorry for myself, (it would be lying if I did), but over weeks and months the 'poor me' minutes have reduced, so that for 95% of the time, I'm on an even keel, though every so often I'll have a few black thoughts. Time to shake up my attitude and kick myself in the pants again, and get back on the better path.

Just to reiterate what has already been said - you have started on your OMS path, and that is a fantastic way of ensuring you give your health the best possible chance. There will be good days and bad days; OMS is a lifestyle, not a quick-fix solution, and there will be some days where you feel better than others. Learn to look at the bigger picture, and appreciate how far you have come.

Congratulations on the meditation! This is one area where many OMSers struggle. The more you pratice, the easier it will become, and you will find that 'positive' will become your natural default mode. One of the most important lessons I have learned through meditation is;

"Focus on WHAT IS not WHAT IF...."

Being mindful is all about being present.; not worrying about what happened in the past, or what might happen in the future. No-one has a crystal ball to tell you how your journey will progress (and that includes the medical professionals). The power is in your hands to give yourself the best possible outcome.

Enjoy your OMS journey - you're on the right path!

Rachel

I, too, remember those early frightening days. I coped by reading and rereading the many success stories of others with MS who have recovered or who are recovering with OMS. Those stories and rereading the research of OMS calmed me. Three and a half years in, I'm well! I run almost daily for 40 plus minutes, play volleyball, lift weights, work eight hours if I need to...

OMS works! Keep at it! Tough now and so worth it.

Hello everyone,

Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences and advice.

@LadyBug41 I completely agree with you. Ever since starting OMS and cutting out all the bad from my eating I lost almost all the extra weight and feel much better. Overall I am definitely so conscious of nutrition now and am grateful for this eye opening experience (and hopefully preventing other nasty illnesses later in life).

@Farrier I feel for you! I also find myself looking at all these (presumably) healthy people around me and I can't help but not feel envy for their health and isolation from being ill. Then I remember that my illness is also invisible to the eye and that people around me might also have many (invisible) problems whether is health or something else from personal life and it helps me not be so negative and be more understanding and kind.

@RACHEL77 Thanks a lot Rachel for always being so encouraging. I actually find meditation OK. I practice mindfulness while swimming every other day (there's something incredibly boring and relaxing about swimming ) and then I use Headspace app to meditate some more while waiting to dry off. I am sure I am doing it all wrong but for a beginner I am pretty happy.

@Catgirl1 How amazing! So glad to hear you're doing so well. Yes I believe attitude counts for so much. Right now, I am working on not only hoping for the best but also accepting anything MS can bring my way which is very overwhelming at times