So, i was diagnosed with MS a few weeks ago and its been pretty stressful, so im wondering what sorts of things caused people stress with their MS and how did you cope?
Hello Bankie number three,I hope you are well and ready for my self indulgence.I have spent and do spend a lot of time modifying and adapting things and myself.I don’t modify myself…yet,but do change my approach to performing everyday tasks.I have to avoid causing myself frustration.
Screaming and swearing is good for relieving stress and living alone this is fine.I have keys on clips for example,to avoid mis-placing them when I’m playing out and have set routines for the mundane things of life.
Good luck, Wb
Hello bankie3,
Stress, well it’s been my No1 enemy since my diagnosis in July 2011, I really struggled with my diagnosis and my work at the time was very stressful, I had a bad fall and then my husband lost his job and I followed that with back to back relapses. I’m off work just now, have been since end of April, but starting to see light at the end of the tunnel now.
I try to cope with the stress that life brings, some days better than others, by being as organised as possible, keeping to a routine as Wb said and trying not to expect too much of myself, try not to “bite of more than I can chew”.
It’s a long road and some of the folk on here have been living with MS for many years and offer their experiences and valuable advice.
Take care
Julie X
Hi, when I`m having a particularly stressful day, I find telling myself that some folk are much worse off than me. It works sometimes.
luv Pollx
i try and control stressful situations ,by trying to avoid them I also use meditation tapes as medication throws me for six. Remember to look after yourself and the stress should decrease.
take care
trish
hiya
i have spent 2 years practising meditation. physically i can manage very little-i need help with meals and cant dress properly without assistance etc etc BUT my mind/thoughts are stronger than they have ever been. recently i have had to cope with an attempted suicide.pregnancy,death etc. thats all in the past month but am ok with it all cos i am still able to offer support to those with these issues. i have also been dealing with the relapse from he*l! right side useless,speech still affected, nurses and s/w involved blah blah blah but i am still me,its just this caracass thats failing me
i would suggest thinking short term-in fact just today but long term how you will cope-i refer to getting ur head straight!
its not easy and there is no right or wrong answers-i truly hope that u find ur own way.
ellie x
Hi there So sorry to hear about your stress levels, but am glad to hear I’m not the only one. Was dx in May this year. Sine June my body has been failing almost every day with new symptoms. Problem is that I know stress can aggravate MS, BUT I am a total stress head, have been all my life. If I find a way to manage it I promise to let you know. Wish I was layed back!! Good luck, X
For me the biggest stress buster has been finding out that it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.
What I try to do now , when something worries me is think of the worst outcome and what I would do in that case. Well, the worst outcome almost never happens but I’m mentally ready if it does.
I’ll give an example. My neighbour told me that he had seen off a bunch of yobos trying to set fire to my hedge. The shed where I keep my mobility scooter is next to the hedge so I had a freak out. For the next couple of weeks I jumped at the slightest sound from outside and started sitting looking out of the window with the lights off. When I decided enough was enough. I did my mental exercise and thought of the worst case scenario - I envisaged the hedge catching alight and the shed going up in flames – then I saw the fire brigade coming and the police and me making an insurance claim. And guess what – it was OK, so the hedge and shed and mobility scooter were gone but I was insured and nobody died! After that I felt OK and a year later I’m happy to say – no fire!
I know that’s not exactly MS related but I apply the same principle – I try to have a mental plan in place for the worst-case scenarios of my increasing symptoms.
Jane
Hello there I remember those early days as if it were yesterday. The main things I did were to think about what and who was most important to me and try and spend my time and energy with these things and people. That meant ignoring washing up (I now have a dishwasher), buying chopped vegetables and using a slo cooker or just having instant food. I try and eat healthily most of the time so if occasionally I have a take away it doesn’t matter. All of this was to save my energy and to reduce stress. I also told people very early on as I couldn’t cope with people’s assumptions as to why I was lazy or moody or forgetful or not concentrating. All of these have improved just being aware of them! The most important thing was to talk to friends and family and find out info to pass on to them. The fact sheets on this site are great for that. Chatting on here has also helped, so much so that I haven’t been on for ages! Good luck and remember, you are not alone.
I always say, look at what your plans were as a teenager…did life pan out as you had planned?
As you go through the various decades of life did you find yourself facing the unexpected?? Job,relationships,money, extended family problems and deaths etc. I guess you have suddenly had to face many problems and work through them.
I doubt you stressed about any of those happening in your future as they are sudden unpredictable events that you deal with the best you can at the time.
Ms is so unpredictable it really has to go on the shelf of -I will deal with any problems as and when they arise. It may be many many years before any drastic changes occur.
The thing to remember is there are systems and equipment out there that you can access quite easily should you need them.
It is much easier to deal with mobility issues for example by using a stick/wheelchair than suddenly being faced with a pregnant 15yr old daughter or husbands redundancy for example.
What I’m trying to say is yes yr dx is a worry but stressing about the unknown is futile. I am sure you have coped with much worse so far in life.
Take care
Pip
Thanks for the advice, its got me thinking of different, more useful ways of coping now, and its getting easier with time (kinda!), i still have off days, like today whcih i why i come on here for more support 
reading posts like this make feelmhappier again Thanks
Back in the early '80s, I was on a short course at Uni. of Bristol. A neuropsychologist there, one Ivor Pleydell-Pearce, defined stress as “fear of the unknown”. It is generally accepted that the most stressfull life event is moving house - think about it.
You can see from this that Jane’s approach is exactly right for removing that fear.
Geoff
Hiya
I’ve never really been a stressy person and I’m even less so now. I tend to deal with stressful situations by looking at the issue/problem and deciding if I can do anything about it. If I can, I work out what needs to be done and do it…problem solved and no stress. If I can’t do anything about it…well that’s it nothing can be done so what’s the point in getting worked up about, just get on with it.
I know this may seem like quite a flipant way of looking at thing but it works for me.
Sue
x