Top Tips on how to remain focused on reading the book

  • Don't make gigantic reading goals - Start by setting a reading goal that is easily achievable - 8 pages a day. Remember, when you don’t over-commit, the reading experience is less stressful and much more enjoyable.
  • Create a distraction-free reading environment - Start by reading in a room that’s quiet which doesn’t have temptations like a TV and turn your phone to silent.
  • Settle down - With a busy and preoccupied mind it's challenging to sit down and actually enjoy a book. Exercising and meditating supports in putting your mind at ease.
  • Set a dedicated reading time - This helps establish a solid reading routine. It’s important to figure out what fits into your life while still prompting you to make a lifestyle change.
  • Take notes, read aloud, or mouth along - Speaking aloud increases everything from concentration, focus, and retention. Whether you jot down notes in the book margins, or on a post-it , all of this aides in improving your literacy skills, which in turn will make you a lean, mean reading machine.

Implementing advice from the book and sticking to it

It can take up to 66 days for a new behaviour to become routine. Remember that Overcoming MS is not just a short-term plan; it’s a healthy lifestyle change. Naturally, changing your behaviour can be quite tricky at first, but one day it will just become a part of your daily practice. Also, creating SMART goals for your new habits can help ensure you stick to them. Here is some useful reading regarding getting started: 

The most essential thing in following the Overcoming MS program, is to ensure that you remain empowered and to be kind to yourself, not hard-hitting, even if you’re unable to adopt all the lifestyle changes at once, it’s better to adopt a few or at least start slowly than do nothing at all – remember that your best is always good enough. We’ve got some great resources below to kick-start you on your way:

To ease you on your journey, we’d recommend finding people who can support you with your exercise, eating habits or meditation, whether that be your loved ones or finding a fellow OMSer (see below for further details).

Finding Support with fellow OMSers

Remember that you are not alone but part of loving Overcoming MS community, will lots of support on hand as follows:

Join an OMS Circle for support 

Our Circles are a great place to connect with others living nearby. An OMS Circle is a collection of like-minded people who all share the desire to support and make positive lifestyle choices and live a better and healthier life with MS.

Find out more here.

Sign up to the newsletter 

Over 20,000 members receiving the monthly newsletter, a great source of information and keeping you connected with the community, a must read!

Subscribe here.

Listen to ‘OMS Living Well with MS Podcast’, on all major podcast platforms

Listening to like-minded people and their positive experiences, as well as their own difficulties, is good for your wellbeing and will keep you moving forward on your OMS journey - informative episodes, featuring inspiring guests.

Listen now.

Join webinars to learn more

The Finding Hope with OMS webinar series covered an array of detailed topics from living with progressive MS, practical tips for following diet recommendations and Q&A's with neurologists.

Find our next live webinar here. 

Connecting with OMSers online 

Via our social media platforms Facebook, Twitter & Instagram (see below for details). Also, engage with us through our active Instagram stories which often contain polls and questions.

Social Media

Top tips on how to tag Overcoming MS on all social media platforms:

  • #OvercomingMS – for general posts 
  • @overcomingms on Instagram and Twitter
  • Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis on Facebook 
  • #LivingWellWithMS – for podcast related posts 
  • #OMSFriendly – for food related posts

Some useful recommendations below, on what to post on social media:

  • Write a personal piece about your own Overcoming MS journey to encourage others / inspire the conversation. 
  • Take a photo of your favourite OMS friendly recipe, reading the OMS book or exercising

Below are some great web pages that will support you at the start of your Overcoming MS journey:

If you find it helpful, you can download a PDF version of this page here.