Does the holiday season bring more anxiety than cheer due to MS brain fog? You're definitely not alone. For many in our MS community, brain fog feels like that uninvited guest at our holiday gatherings. Well, in this episode, we're going to have a heart-to-heart about real brain fog. Practical strategies to help navigate through the fog. You'll learn how to enjoy conversations with your family and friends with more ease and confidence. So let's dive in because you shouldn't miss out on a single moment of holiday joy. And my fellow MS sisters, if you want a more personalized approach to creating your MS diet and lifestyle, check out my private coaching program. Personalized strategies, and lifestyle support. Each month, I only accept three new clients. So if you're interested, apply now at Alenebrennan.

com/ backslash coach. Now onto today's episode. There are 1 million people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the US. So that makes you one in a million. And you have a special purpose in this world that no diagnosis can take away from you. So if you are ready to reclaim your body, mind and life from multiple sclerosis, welcome to my MS podcast. I'm your host, Alene Brennan. The idea for this episode actually came from a conversation I was having with several members in this community. It was during the Five Day to Focus Challenge that I ran this past fall, where I taught about managing MS fatigue and brain fog. Well, in the VIP after party, each person was sharing stories about living with MS brain fog.

One person shared that she often forgets about the pot of water that she started boiling on the stove. She'll get distracted and before she knows it, her husband is giving her a hard time for putting something on the stove and forgetting about it again. Another person shared that she gets so frustrated with herself when she's catching up with a good friend and she's embarrassed because she doesn't remember a pretty significant life event that her friend shared with her the last time they spoke. It comes across like she previously wasn't paying attention or she just doesn't really care what's going on in her friend's life, neither of which are true. And yet another person shared how she struggles to get the words out or the thoughts out in time to keep up with a conversation.

She'll think of it like 10 minutes after the fact, long after the conversation has moved on. She feels so distanced from conversations that are happening right in front of her. You know what's wrong. It's MS fatigue, but you just don't want MS to get the best of you. One person said, 'I just feel like an idiot.' And the worst part is you remember what it feels like when you didn't have it. You remember a time when conversations were easy and your memory may not have been the sharpest, but it definitely wasn't like this. It's humbling, embarrassing, and frustrating. But the last thing you want to do is decline invitations because of it. It's tempting, I know, but it's not the answer because social isolation only makes living with MS harder.

We need real practical strategies to help overcome this so you can still enjoy this holiday season and any social gathering really. So these are my top three tips for navigating MS brain fog at social gatherings. First, You need to clean up your diet if you haven't done so already. I know, insert eye roll here. I'm a nutrition coach, what can I say? But food really does matter, especially when it comes to managing symptoms of MS like brain fog and fatigue. And while now during the holidays, you may be tempted to throw your MS diet to the wind, it's more valuable now than ever. I find that gluten, dairy, and sugar to be the most important foods to avoid when managing brain fog. And even if you focus on just eating less than you normally do, that will help.

And can you replace those foods with just a few more vegetables, especially the leafy greens, because those are the ones that will support your cells with better energy. And when your cells have better energy, you have better energy. And when you have better energy, you're less tired and more sharp mentally. So can you get some more greens into your diet, maybe with like a green smoothie this holiday season? And don't forget, if you do want to go the smoothie route, I have that five-day smoothie challenge at Alenebrennan. com/smoothies. If you need some simple recipes and even cooking demos, so you're not gulping down gross smoothies. Stop with the gross smoothies, get a few recipes in your repertoire that are not only delicious, but they are healthy.

The ones in my smoothie challenge are tasty and they're packed with so many nutrients to support your health. So again, it's alenebrennan. com/ smoothies. But again, Can you get some more like green smoothies in this holiday season? Can you have a salad with some salmon at lunch? If nothing else, help to make the meals that you're eating at home to be the most nutrient-dense for you. I personally choose to completely eliminate dairy and gluten, and I avoid sugar as much as possible, but we're all at different stages of the journey. So have an awareness of where you are now and what's just one step that you can take to start eliminating the inflammatory foods, such as gluten, dairy, and sugar. And how can you start eating more anti-inflammatory foods?

Like leafy greens, deeply colored, and sulfur-rich vegetables. And then get some good healthy fats in. Healthy fats like salmon, avocado, coconut milk, nuts, and seeds. Our brain thrives on healthy fats. Okay, so cleaning up your diet, that's my first tip. And one that you can start today. Don't wait until the day of the party. Start it today. Next, prioritize your sleep. So much happens when we sleep. Our brain detoxifies when we sleep. Our brain stores memories when we sleep. And yet the holidays are a time when we may be getting less sleep. We're trying to fit more into a day. And we're also often carrying a heavier load of stress, which can impact sleep. I'm in the middle of teaching my online course, My MS Life right now, and we're talking a lot of strategies to improve sleep.

Just a few of which include getting off the screens before bed. I know you've heard it a thousand times. I have too, and yet I still find myself scrolling at night. Have a cutoff time for your phone, especially during the holidays. Essential oils. I'm a big fan of essential oils. I love to diffuse lavender and frankincense in my bedroom. I love to put vetiver on my feet as I'm getting into bed. And I find them to be really effective with improving my sleep, both falling asleep and staying asleep. I also find journaling to be really effective for me in managing mental and emotional stress. Sometimes I journal first thing in the morning. Other times it's the end of the day. Either one works.

It's just simply a matter of getting your thoughts on paper and helping you process them on a daily basis. We have a lot on our minds and heart when we are living with a chronic illness. That can keep you up at night. So, find what works for you, but find a process that helps you to work through these emotions, whether it's journaling, connecting with a counselor, or some other strategy, because it can affect your sleep. And that in turn affects brain fog. Okay, so we're cleaning up our diet, prioritizing sleep, and this next step is to manage your mindset. Again, I know, insert eye roll. I can see it. I can feel it. But here's the thing. That which you focus on gets bigger.

The more you focus on brain fog and how it's showing up in your life, the more you will see it. I'm not suggesting that you just try to wish it away or pretend like it's not happening. That's not helpful and it's not realistic. What I am suggesting is that you start paying attention to your self-talk. Are you psyching yourself out before you even get to the party or get in a conversation? That's not helpful. That's only going to create more anxiety and fear around it, which will just make it worse. But what if, what if instead you had an affirmation that supported you? Something like, I give myself grace and patience in every conversation I engage in. Or every social event is an opportunity to practice and improve my conversational skills.

Or it's okay to take a moment to gather my thoughts in any discussion. My family and friends understand and support me. I am at peace in this moment. My breath guides me through the fog. These are of course just ideas. You can create one that is most meaningful to you. But I'm willing to bet if you have these thoughts on your mind, you are far more likely to show up better, feeling less anxious, feeling more confident, and just being more present in the conversation. All of which support you in staying engaged. Because again, remember, that which you focus on gets bigger. So if the thoughts that you're thinking aren't supporting where you want to be, it's time to choose a new thought. And that can start with a single affirmation.

Okay, so these are some bigger picture strategies that are all going to help you best manage MS brain fog, not just today, but long-term because this is a chronic illness after all. But I also want to take a moment to share some tips with you that may be helpful for you like in the moment, in that actual conversation. So here are some tips here. First, do a little planning before the party. Before showing up at a holiday party, try to jot down some key things about each person. This can help you to recall some things about that person when you're in a low-pressure environment. You are more relaxed and your brain works better when it's relaxed.

So if you can think about this, either a couple of days leading up to the party or even on your drive there, just start thinking of some different things about each person to help jog your memory, maybe about previous conversations that you've had or what might be relevant to them. This can only make you feel more confident showing up to the party. And it makes the recall a lot easier. You can also think of some common topics. This may be helpful to think of just like general topics that you could talk about with almost anyone. Having some go-to things like, I don't know, the weather, the holiday, food, a celebrity, anything that's easy for you to talk about and of interest to most others as well.

It's good to have these like go-to topics ready in your back pocket because they can be something that you feel comfortable talking about. And that you can bring up if you ever feel like you're in a conversation where you feel stuck or at a loss for either words or memory, whatever it may be. You can kind of shift over to an easier topic. And the other thing is, don't make it awkward. If you don't remember something, that's okay. The reality is we all forget things in the busyness of a world filled with constant distractions. That experience is just amplified for us living with MS. But my point is everyone can relate to forgetting things. So you don't have to make it awkward.

If you're open about your diagnosis, you can simply say like, 'oh, sorry, that's MS brain fog kicking in again.' Please don't take it personal. Or if you don't share your diagnosis, you can say something like, 'Sorry, the busyness of the holidays always makes my memory a little foggy.' Just make it light. Make it light and just move on. Or if you really need an out, simply excuse yourself. It's okay to simply say, 'Please excuse me for a moment.' And you step away. You either go to the bathroom, you get a drink, or you go to somebody that can help you recall or remember whatever it is that you felt stuck with. And last but not least, give yourself some grace. You showed up to the party.

That is a win. You're having a conversation with somebody in real life. That's another win. Give yourself permission to take a minute before you're responding. If you need to take a sip of water to buy yourself a few seconds before responding, do so. Nobody's perfect. You're doing your best and your family and friends are there to support you. So give yourself some grace in this process. Okay, it's time for our recap. My top three strategies for managing MS brain fog during the holiday season and beyond are cleaning up your diet, getting rid of those inflammatory foods, gluten, dairy, and minimizing sugar as much as possible and increasing those anti-inflammatory foods, specifically the veggies and some good healthy fats. So clean up your diet, prioritize sleep. And manage your mindset.

Hopefully one of those affirmations that I shared today was helpful for you or sparked some inspiration for you to create your own affirmation. And the three tips to manage conversations with MS brain fog are: prep in advance, think of some things about each person, or at least the people that you're most likely to engage with beforehand. Don't make it awkward. Be candid and maybe even sprinkle a little humor in if that's your style, and give yourself some grace. Now, let's keep the conversation going over on my blog at Alenebrennan.com/blog. Share in the comments of today's episode what really helps you navigate holiday gatherings with brain fog. Let's get a list going so that we can all learn from one another. I'll see you over there. Well, my friend, we've reached the end of this episode. Pick one lesson from today's discussion and put it into action now. It's time to reclaim your body, mind and life from multiple sclerosis. And for more resources, events and programs, head over to alenebrennan. com. See you on the next episode of my MS podcast.