Hi, I call myself scaredycat as it kind of sums up the way I feel a lot of the time.
Diagnosed with relapsing MS in 2009, have had a few relapses but been incredibly lucky, until, just recently, my condition has worsened. Neurologist thinks I am now secondary progressive. Just trying to get through one day at a time, but really need some support.
If you have any ideas for me about coping mechanisms, I’d love to hear from you.
Hello @scaredycat & welcome to the forum. I’m fortunately still R&R but this warm weather certainly isn’t helping my symptoms.
I can’t offer any help re your situation except to say that joining this forum and posting here is certainly one of the best things you could have done. There is a wealth of experience and expertise on here so keep talking to us.
Hiya being scared is pretty normal, my suggestion is don’t let it become all consuming. When I get into a loop I need to take conscious action to get engrossed in something else. If that fails I try the mindfulness technique of emptying my mind and concentrate on quality breathing. If this fails and I am still in a negative state of mind I then set a time limit after which it is no longer acceptable. Sounds like utter jibberish, but the conscious decision is processed in a bit of my brain that I am in charge of and not a learned and repetitive pattern of behaviour. This usually works but if not I will keep myself to myself so that others are less impacted. I really hope that you can feel a bit better soon. Mick
Thank you for taking time to respond to me Cheetah. The hot weather is making things much more difficult and uncomfortable. It’s good to hear that deciding to join the forum was a good decision, as I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Keeping my worries and feelings about MS to myself has become such a habit, but one I am ready to break.
Sorry to hear that scaredy-cat. What do
You enjoy? I like escaping into a book sometimes or getting out into the fresh air and remember it’s ok to feel scared and sad sometimes but try not to let it consume you. You are more than your MS and remember to be kind to yourself, have a bath, candles a wee drink and take each day at a time. I used to spend so long worrying about my MS but I leant through heartbreak, life is too short to worry too much. Try to enjoy the little things 
Sorry I’m rambling now, I’ll shut up x
Take care xx
Hello scaredycat
Aw, we all feel scared. It’s quite common to look at other people, feel like they know stuff we don’t. Believe that others don’t feel the nerves and fear we do. But honestly, anyone who reckons they don’t feel fear is either fooling themselves, some kind of oddball or a fibber.
Here’s my coping tip. Join in a forum like this one. I used to be really quite shy and what I now consider to be a bit ‘prissy’ about talking about (for eg) bodily functions. Nowadays I pretty much open up about anything.
We’re really quite an inclusive, friendly bunch of random strangers! Any worries you have, MS or otherwise, we’ll try to help.
Sue
Great to hear from you. Mindfulness is a technique I certainly need to practice. I know a bit about breathing in a controlled way as I suffer panic attacks and need to focus on my breathing to gain control and slow the pace of the situation.
Lots for me to learn and share here on the forum. I’m a newbie to all this, but liking it so far.
Hi, good to hear from you.
Books are my salvation and escape route. Was brought up enjoying lots of books and this passion has only grown. I work on the assumption that you can never have too many books. I love to go into a book shop and browse. Second-hand books are fab. I need to see the cover, turn the pages, discover the story and relax. Best kind of therapy ever! FAB.
Hey, thanks so much for your words of encouragement.
I feel quite optimistic that joining this forum will give me a community to belong to where I can express myself openly and honestly.
Life feels very scary at the moment in lots of ways, so having somewhere to ask for advice is a huge bonus.
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Meditation and not letting the MS consume you,are really important. that’s the thing with the MS diary’s, you end up focusing on the MS rather than You. Focus on the + rather than - there are benefits, 1not having to work,2having time to do loads of shopping, and eating cake.
Hi Denise, welcome to the forum. I am a newbie too and am hoping it will help me to open up about this condition. I don’t really talk to anyone about my worries, my experiences and fears. So, this is a huge learning curve for me.
Take care.