11 Self-Care Tips for Living With Multiple Sclerosis

When you prioritize self-care, you’re better prepared to manage the everyday stressors of life. And when you’re living with multiple sclerosis (MS), stress management is particularly important, says clinical health psychologist Grace Tworek, PsyD.

“Managing stress can have a very positive impact on overall MS management, including your mood and quality of life,” says Dr. Tworek, who specializes in working with people living with MS.

“On the other hand, difficulty managing stress can further complicate MS and even bring about new symptoms.”

11 multiple sclerosis self-care tips

Dr. Tworek shares tips to help you focus on self-care and manage stress when you’re living with multiple sclerosis.

1. Identify your stress triggers

Did you know that stress can impact the onset and severity of your MS symptoms? There’s evidence that stress can lead to “pseudo-relapses” — new or worsening symptoms that may seem like they’re caused by the disease itself.

But in reality, it’s not that MS is progressing. It’s that your body is having a harder time managing the condition when you’re stressed.

“By recognizing the impact stress can have on your symptoms, you start to understand how managing stress can have a positive impact,” Dr. Tworek points out.

Pay close attention to your symptoms and how you experience them under stress. Do they seem worse when you’re disagreeing with your spouse or facing a tough deadline at work?

“Monitoring the way your symptoms feel at different times of the day and in different contexts and situations can give you insight into which stressors seem to affect your symptoms,” she adds.

2. Build a support system

No one should go through a chronic illness alone.

“Families and caregivers play a large role for many people throughout their entire MS journey,” Dr. Tworek says. “It’s really important to feel like you have people with whom you can be yourself, share your challenges and feel supported along the way.”

Support groups may be a key element of your support system, too. They introduce you to other people who are living with multiple sclerosis and allow you to tap into a community built on commonality.

“It can be truly life-changing to connect with other people who have the same diagnosis as you and are going through similar things,” she advocates. “It can be such a validating and supportive experience.”

3. Get help with everyday activities

MS can change your ability to keep up with everyday life the way you used to.

“All of your usual activities can look a little bit different depending on where you are in your MS journey,” Dr. Tworek acknowledges.

But there are lots of things you can turn to:

• Attend occupational therapy. “In this type of therapy, you’ll learn how to improve your ability to perform daily tasks like eating, cooking, cleaning and bathing,” Dr. Tworek explains.
• Embrace mobility aids. Assistive technology, like braces, a cane or a wheelchair, can help you maintain your energy and improve your quality of life.
• Ask for accommodations at work. In the U.S., employers are legally required to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. This might include, for example, allowing extra time off to attend medical appointments, providing assistive technology or moving your desk to a part of the office that’s more accessible.
• Accept help from loved ones. The people who care about you want to support you. If friends and family offer help, like by running errands, take them up on it — and don’t be afraid to ask.
• Seek out other assistance resources. Some nonprofit organizations offer grants for people living with MS to access transportation support and hire caregivers.

4. Find new ways to do things you love

When MS affects your mobility, you may not be able to enjoy hobbies and activities the same way you used to. Dr. Tworek encourages you to look for opportunities to adapt them in ways that still bring you joy.

For example, let’s say that you used to be an avid hiker. Reflect on what it was about hiking that brought you so much joy. Was it the activity itself? The environment you were in? The people you were with? Then, look for more accessible activities that could tap into some of the elements you loved — like taking a gentle walk on a paved park path or even sitting on your back patio listening to the birds chirp.

“What other activities could promote those same feelings, even if they look a little bit different than they did before?” Dr. Tworek poses. “Once you can identify the components that promoted joy within that activity, you can find some ways to adapt and adjust to that.”

5. Practice deep breathing

Breathwork techniques can help you address stress and find calm. In particular, Dr. Tworek recommends diaphragmatic breathing, aka belly breathing. It focuses on strengthening your diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle that sits beneath your lungs.

To do it, place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen, right around your belly button.

“As you breathe in and out, focus on how it moves the hand that’s on your belly,” she instructs. “Just feel the air moving in and out, while the hand on your chest stays relatively still.”

6. Embrace meditation

Meditation can be a powerful tool to help you relax and find calm in moments of stress. Research suggests that in people with MS, meditation may even help reduce pain.

There are many types of meditation, but Dr. Tworek especially likes a particular visualization exercise. To do it, picture a place you’ve been where you felt very calm and at peace. Try to imagine that place with as many details as you can — colors, sounds, tastes and smells.

“Try to identify this place in the most detail possible so you can mentally return to it in moments of stress or overwhelm,” she advises. “The more you practice visualizing and placing yourself there, the easier it is to come back to that place when you need it.”

7. Follow a balanced diet

Following a healthy diet overall can help keep MS symptoms from getting worse and can make a world of difference in how you feel on an everyday basis.

• Focus on nutritious whole foods. There’s no specific diet for MS, but a balance of lean protein, whole grains and fresh produce can help keep inflammation at bay.
• Limit or avoid inflammatory foods. Ultra-processed foods, fried foods, red meat and sugar all make inflammation worse.
• Stay hydrated. Drinking your fill of H20 can help lessen MS-related fatigue and other symptoms.

8. Stay physically active

Research suggests that exercise can decrease the severity of MS fatigue and improve walking and balance.

“As your physical abilities change, identify new activities that work for you, like walking, swimming or using a stationary bike,” Dr. Tworek says.

Your care team may also recommend physical therapy, which can help you address barriers to exercise, improve some of your physical abilities and combat MS side effects, like:

• Gait problems
• Balance impairment
• Bouts of dizziness or vertigo

9. Manage other health conditions

Research shows that people with MS are at higher risk for other conditions that can affect how MS progresses. These are called comorbidities — medical conditions you have in addition to your primary diagnosis.

Comorbidities that can make MS worse include:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol

“If you have another condition, as well as MS, it’s important to work with your healthcare providers to figure out how to best manage it,” Dr. Tworek urges.

10. Seek mental health support

Research shows that up to half of people diagnosed with MS experience depression, and about 40% experience anxiety. That’s about four times higher than in people diagnosed with other neurological conditions.

There are many ways to tend to your mental health, but working with a therapist — especially one with experience working with people with chronic illnesses — can help you learn coping skills for managing life with MS.

“One of our main goals is helping you find the skills to make the stressors in your day-to-day life feel more manageable,” Dr. Tworek says. “We’re here to support you and to be in your corner.”

11. Communicate with your care team

Self-care and stress management can help ease some MS symptoms. But if your symptoms persist despite your best efforts, take note.

“If you notice that a symptom tends to be present long-term and doesn’t seem to be impacted by stressors, this might be a good indication to talk to your neurologist about it,” Dr. Tworek encourages.

Final thoughts

Living with MS can make you feel like you’re not quite yourself. But focusing on self-care can go a long way in helping you cope with the changes that MS can bring. And it can help you maintain both your physical and mental health.

“If you ever find that you’re having difficulty managing any symptom — whether it’s changes to your mood or changes in functioning — there are areas to find additional support,” Dr. Tworek says. “Reach out to your provider and ask what they can do or recommend so that things feel more manageable.”