S8E6 The #1 Thing You Need to Do Now to Ease MS Fatigue This Holiday Season Transcript
[00:00:00] We're officially in that stretch of the year where everybody is saying it's the most wonderful time of year, but if you're living with ms, this season can feel like the most exhausting time of year. It's like Ms. Fatigue ramps up to level 10. Before the holidays even start. So in today's episode, I wanna give you something you can do right now.
One simple step you can take this week to protect your energy, lower your stress, and actually enjoy the season without burning yourself out. Let's jump in, and before we get started, I wanna invite you to something special. Living with MS can feel overwhelming, but one habit can shift everything. That's what I'll show you inside my free webinar.
How to help Slow MS progression, starting with just one habit. Think of it as your first step towards more energy, [00:01:00] confidence, and hope. Save your seat at alene brennan.com/webinar. Welcome to my MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow progression and live a life they love. I'm Alene Brennan, your Ms sister and a practitioner who knows the science and the reality of living this too.
Each week I share simple. Science backed habits to boost your energy. Stay consistent and feel like yourself again, because Ms. May be a part of your story, but it doesn't get to write the ending. Hello. Hello. Welcome back to my MS podcast. I want to start with something I heard this week that really hit me, and it was a client of mine who said, Alene, I feel like I'm.
Already behind with the holidays and they haven't even started yet. And as soon as I heard her say that, I was like, oh God, I can [00:02:00] relate. Like I feel you. Same, right? I mean, can you relate? I'm a mom of a toddler, so we're doing. All the holiday activities, parades, parties, visits with Santa, and of course baking some holiday treats.
We're also hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time this year, so there's obviously a lot of prep that goes into that, and there are things that I actually enjoy doing but still require time and energy like. Decorating the house, updating my tablescape on the dining room table, one of my favorite things to do, and sending out Christmas cards.
NPS. I also still owe my in-laws, their Christmas present from last year, which was doing the picture book of my daughter from 2024. So not only do I have to do that picture book from 2024, I have to get the next one ready for this year too. And if you do those photo books, you know you. Don't want them to start [00:03:00] stacking up.
Now, pre ms. I would just power through it all, right? My autopilot was just to run on fumes and then keep doing one more thing, but that wasn't sustainable. Ms. Or not, and what I've learned. And I'm still learning is this, if you don't get intentional about protecting your energy this time of year, something or someone else will spend it for you, something or someone else will spend your energy for you, and that's where.
Ms. Fatigue snowballs fast because it's not just about the obvious things like travel and cooking. It's also the pressure, the decisions, the mental load of trying to do it right. Even something as small as wondering, should I say yes to this invitation even though I know I'm exhausted? What will people think if I bring the store-bought food instead of [00:04:00] making my usual homemade dish?
Am I being selfish for saying no this year? Like all of those things weigh on us mentally and physically as well, because those questions don't just live in your head. They pull your energy from your body too. And this discussion is one that we had in my Healing Habits program recently about how the holiday pressure just hits.
Differently with MS and what we can do about it. So I wanted to bring that conversation to you here. I wanted to open it up here on the podcast because I know that this is something that affects all of us because here's the truth for people with ms. The holidays aren't just quote unquote busy. They can be straight up.
Debilitating in a way that's completely invisible to those around us because we're not just managing calendars and casserole. Do people even make [00:05:00] casserole anymore? I don't know, but it sounded good. With calendars, we are managing symptoms and schedules and emotional triggers, travel, logistics, and the fear of what.
If a flare pops up and I can't push through, and most of that happens quietly without anybody else noticing hashtag Invisible Disease. That's why we come together on this podcast here. That's why I have my Healing Habits community so that we can get. Together and have a community of people who get it.
You don't need to give the backstory. You can just say, I'm dealing with a lot of fatigue today, or I'm really frustrated because this brain fog just won't lift. And people. Instantly get it. Unlike most of the people in our world who mean well and wanna support us, but just can't understand the reality of living with this.
[00:06:00] So that's why today I want us to come together as a community of people who get it and talk about one essential shift that can change everything for us to help. Ease Ms. Fatigue this holiday season. One thing you can do right now to help ease Ms. Fatigue this upcoming holiday season. Sir, you ready for it?
Here it is the big reveal deciding your non-negotiables in advance. That's it. Not a big to-do list, not a Pinterest menu, not 17 supplements. You have to take just this. What are two to three things that matter most to you this holiday season? What are two to three things that matter most to you this holiday season, and what are you willing to let go of guilt free so you can protect your energy for those [00:07:00] things?
Lemme give you a quick example of my own life. So three things that are most important for me this upcoming holiday season. Three things that I. Absolutely want to happen. One hosting Thanksgiving dinner. We committed to it. People, hungry people are gonna be knocking on our door, so I wanna make sure that I have the energy for that day to show up.
Well. Two. We have a holiday festival in our town that I love going to every year, and last year I didn't get to go because I wasn't feeling well. And this year I really want to make sure that I am well to go. And three I. I wanna have the energy to play with my daughter on Christmas morning when she rips open all of those presents.
I wanna have the energy to play and say yes to all of the things that she wants to do that day. Now, the thing that works in my favor here is that they're all about two to three weeks apart, which is. Really helpful, [00:08:00] but these are the events that I want to have good energy for so that I can show up well, and that means I need to lock them in on my calendar now and start adjusting my calendar accordingly.
Yes, there are a lot of other things that I hope that I have the energy to do. In addition to these three, but I am putting these top three events on my calendar as the most important priorities, so they get locked in first, and then that also means that I am cushioning a little bit of time around them.
So if I need to adjust my calendar in any way, I can start planning for that Now. I can't pack the days leading up to these events with a lot of activity because then I'm not gonna be showing up. Well, it also means that any prep that needs to be done for them as. Especially hosting Thanksgiving dinner needs to start early, [00:09:00] and I'm not talking about like peeling or cutting the potatoes a little bit early.
I'm talking about things that can be done almost now. Can I start making a grocery list, making sure that I have all the things that I need for the Thanksgiving table? Do we have the right serving platters? Do we have enough naps? Kins, like all those things, I don't need to wait until the week before to decide on that.
And quite honestly, even something as simple as deciding what I'm gonna wear and what my daughter's gonna wear that day, because that is a decision, and deciding now, making sure that I have all of that stuff now is one less decision I am making that day. And. On a busy day, it's very easy to get decision fatigued because there's so many things that we are having to decide on, and that again, pulls on our energy.
So I am making sure that these three events are locked into my calendar. I'm creating a little buffer [00:10:00] around them, both leading up to them, and also cushioning like a rest or a down day. The day after. And then I'm also looking, are there things that I need to do to prep in advance and how can I start doing that now?
So I gave the example of Thanksgiving dinner, but like for the um, holiday festival in our town, there's nothing I need to do other than show up for it. So that one's pretty easy. And then of course, Christmas. That's the big show. There's a lot to be done with that. So can I start brainstorming what is on her wishlist?
Um, can I start doing some holiday shopping now? Check the wrapping paper. Do I have enough wrapping paper? These are things that I can do now to help ease the load. As we get closer to it. So the first thing is identifying two to three things that are most meaningful for you to do this holiday season.
And obviously choose things that are realistic for you. Then [00:11:00] lock them in on your calendar now and create a buffer both. Before and after. Then I want you to decide on the health habits that need to be prioritized to support your body during the holidays. Because let's face it, when the holidays get busy, it's easy to forget your supplements or skip your walk or just grab something quick and easy to eat over a healthy meal.
And even though it's true, missing one walk. Isn't gonna have detrimental effects on you. It does become a slippery slope because missing one day makes it easier to skip the next day. And research has shown that after you skip the second day of a habit, you are far more likely to fall off the wagon or give up.
But because these are the very habits that are helping us show up for the holidays, well, they are not insignificant. [00:12:00] They are important. So what are one to two healthy habits that are most important to you to maintain your health throughout the holidays? For me, it's prioritizing my sleep. I need to stop glorifying evening productivity.
I need to have a cutoff time at the end of the day. I shut it down and I have some relaxation time before I get in bed. Previously, I would go until the very last minute of the day getting one more thing done, and then I would lay in bed and wonder why I couldn't fall asleep or why I didn't have a good night's sleep that night.
So I need to make sure that I am maintaining my evening routine, which is putting my daughter down to sleep. Then having a brief journal time. I'm talking like five minutes or less. Then my husband and I watch some TV on the couch and I go to bed. I also put some essential oils on my feet before I go to bed, so I actually [00:13:00] just reordered them to make sure that I had them to be consistent with.
Um, sleep throughout the holidays as well. So those are the little things that you start to notice now when you are getting ahead of this, when you're looking at this at the second week of November and saying, okay, what can I do to make sure that I'm consistent with my habits? Maybe that means reordering your essential oil.
Or maybe it means reordering some supplements, because that's my second thing. I need to prioritize sleep and I need to stay consistent with my supplements. If you know me, you know my love of coq 10 for helping to keep Ms. Fatigue at bay. I can't just say that I need to be consistent with my supplements.
I need to identify the habit that will help me to be consistent with my supplements, which is filling my supplement container every Sunday when my supplement container is filled. I am [00:14:00] far more likely to take my supplements each day. So what healthy habits are most important to you? I know there's a laundry list of them.
That we quote unquote, should do. But what are the ones that you find most impactful and most meaningful? Is it hydration? Avoiding gluten stretching daily? I mean, there's no one quote unquote magic habit that's gonna work for everyone because we're all in different seasons of life and different seasons of healing.
So decide on what's most meaningful to you and prioritize it. Make it a non-negotiable so you can show up well for the events that are most meaningful to you this holiday season. So this is my invitation to you this week. Pick two to three things that matter most to you this holiday season. What are two to three things that are most meaningful for you to do this holiday [00:15:00] season?
Put 'em on your calendar and adjust the days before and after. Accordingly. And choose the habits that will help you to show up well for them. You don't have to do every healthy habit this holiday season. Pick one to two things that is most meaningful and most effective for you, and identify the habit.
That's going to allow you to do that. So like I said, from the supplement perspective, I wanna be more consistent with my supplements. So my habit is filling my supplement container each Sunday. If you wanna be better hydrated this holiday season, maybe your habit is drinking one glass of water when you first wake up in the morning.
Focus on the habits. My friends, I have changed my entire approach to healing to. Living quite honestly, and certainly to coaching, to shift our focus from these big, [00:16:00] grandiose goals, to focusing on the habits, the things that we can do on a day-to-day basis that allow us to feel better in our bodies and be able to say yes to more of the things that we love in life.
Yes, to more of the people that we wanna spend time with in life. Because you need to protect your energy like it matters because it does. You don't need to do it all. You just need to choose what matters most and follow through on that. And my friend, I am here. Cheering you on every step of the way. And that's it for today's episode of my MS podcast.
I hope you're walking away with one small step you can put into practice today, because that is how real change happens. And remember, MS has its own biological clock, which means this. Sooner you [00:17:00] start, the more power you have to influence your future. The best time to begin is now. That's why I created my free webinar.
How to Help Slow MS progression, starting with just one habit today. Grab your spot at alene brennan.com/webinar. See you there.