Coffee Break episode 30: with Tessa Jane Miles
Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #30, where we are pleased to welcome Tessa Jane Miles as our guest!
Our Coffee Break series is your chance to get to know members of our diverse OMS community. In each episode, you’ll join Geoff Allix for an intimate chat with a different member of our global community. Our guests will share their personal stories and talk about their challenges and victories, large and small. We hope you find common cause and a source of inspiration from the stories of these very special people.
As always, your comments and suggestions are always welcome by emailing [email protected]. Tessa Jane will paint your day in colors galore discussing how she uses art to raise awareness about MS. We hope you enjoy this episode’s conversation with her, coming to you straight from Devon in the UK.
My name is Tessa Jane, and I am an artist. My best days are the ones when I forget I have MS. My body tingles with the joy nature bestows – the birdsong, the warm light, or fresh wind on my face. I have an inner glow of happiness and capturing that and applying it to paper, cloth, or any surface which continues that delight, taking me to a world of imagination and beauty. It’s a release.
Following the OMS program has brought me more of these days. Learning to be mindful, present, and to meditate has reduced stress and lightened a heavy heart. I walk amongst trees, or around my garden. I float in water, or I draw and create. Gardening, writing, sewing, and knitting are all mindful activities which help to reduce stress and lower life’s adrenaline. I watch and listen to birds, taste my food, and listen to the rhythms of the day.
I look for small joys on the bad days. A steaming coffee cup. The light on a golden leaf. Or frost patterns on a car roof. A warm fire or a bowl of tasty soup.
Being part of OMS and belonging to an OMS Circle is a comfort blanket. They have become my family and will help shoulder the weight, give good advice, and make me laugh about the detritus that living with multiple sclerosis brings. My walks, creativity, and time in nature is my mindfulness. I’d like to encourage you to find your ways of being present. I’ve pledged to raise £10,000 for 10 years. I can’t do it alone but can with help and support from friends and family. Not all of us can run, but many can write, whittle, knit, sew, crochet, or paint. Join my 10 for 10 campaign and get in touch to find out how (see links below).
On the next episode of Living Well with MS, premiering April 27, 2022, please join us for a very special conversation with Mathew Embry, an internationally recognized documentary filmmaker and advocate for people and families dealing with MS. After being diagnosed with MS in 1995, Mathew is currently symptom-free of MS and freely shares the science-based strategies he uses to control his MS through MS Hope. You won’t want to miss this inspirational interview!
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