HEALTH & FITNESS wellness
60 | CANADIAN LIVING SEPTEMBER 2019based stress reduction (a kind of meditation
that helps you deal with your thoughts and
stay present) to help hone this skill.
Ansari says a piece of major advice she
took to heart was to try not to stress over
what she couldn’t control. “It was challeng-
ing for my Type A personality, but I did my
best to focus on what I have instead of what
I am losing, and tried to pick my battles so
that I could take that energy and redirect it
to myself, to living in the moment and
enjoying life as best I can.”Share your feelings.
“MS is seen as an invisible disease because,
in the beginning, you don’t look sick from
the outside. However, inside, you’re pretty
much falling apart,” Ansari says. “I had to
explain to people who weren’t familiar with
the disease that just because I don’t always
walk with a cane (I do intermittently) it
doesn’t mean that I can run (I can’t)
and walk and climb stairs quickly ( I
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talk to people who immediately felt
as though her diagnosis was a
death sentence. “A dark cloud
would hover over us when we
talked about it, and I needed to
snap out of it (and have them snap
out of it). I tried to be positive and
open to questions and concerns, and
focus on all that I have, although some-
times it’s healthy to walk away from nega-
tivity, too, and limit your interactions with
people who have a more negative outlook.
It was important to me to let people know
that even though I have limitations, I’m still
able to do certain things. I’ll be okay.”Do what’s best for you.
It goes without saying that once a diagnosis
becomes public knowledge, input from oth-
ers will come pouring in. “Just under stand
that those who are giving it are doing so
with the best intentions,” says Ansari. How-
ever, only you know what’s best for you;
only you know what it feels like to live with
this challenge. Only you will know best how
to continue to live, day in and day out.”Avoid the “tyranny
of optimism. ” Dr. Li says it’s
common for you and others to focus only
on the positive, and believe that you will
get back to normal. “Illness changes you.
Expect that there will be change and focus
on adapting to your “new normal” instead.”Be present. Live well and more fully
now, says Dr. Li. “Facing a life-changing
illness and not knowing what the future
holds can motivate some people to appre-
ciate life more, repair relationships, engage
in more meaningful activities and reprior-
itize the work/life balance.” She adds that
adopting a “stay-in-the-present” way of
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cancer treatment is afraid of a recurrence,
focusing on the fact that right now, in this
moment, we know there is no cancer can
help the patient move forward. Live more
fully in the present so whatever happens in
the future you’ll have enjoyed life and may
have fewer regrets.” Consider mindfulness-“Not knowing what
the future holds
can motivate some
people to appreciate
life more.”