[00:00:00] 10 years after my diagnosis, and I still get nervous about MRIs. No matter how stable I've been, there's always that fear that they'll find something, a new or active lesion, and it'll be the start of my decline. What will it take away from me? My ability to walk, to see, to be me? What will they find, and what will it mean for my future?
Can you relate? As I'm sitting here waiting for MRI results, I thought that this was a conversation we needed to have. 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, confidence, and hope. Save your seat at alinebrennan.com/webinar.[00:01:00]
Welcome to my MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow progression and live a life they love. I'm Aline 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, my friends, and welcome back to my MS podcast. So I've been peeling back the layers in these more personal, vulnerable podcast topics or episodes that I've had recently, and I don't think you get much more vulnerable than the moment you are waiting for MRI results.
If you are listening to this podcast, you know firsthand all the [00:02:00] emotions that come with it, and this MRI is even more triggering for me because it's the 10-year anniversary since my diagnosis. Like, 10 years It's honestly hard to wrap my head around that because in some ways it feels like a lifetime ago.
In other ways, it feels like I was just sitting in that doctor's office hearing the words, "You have MS." I remember it so clearly. I was 36, feeling like I had finally worked my way to starting the life that I wanted. I had left my corporate job, I had gone to culinary school, and I was building my nutrition business.
I was supposed to be in the prime of my life, like growing my business, getting married, having a baby. It was all right there. But instead of launching into what I thought would be one of the best seasons of my life, I got MS. Like, [00:03:00] literally, I'm watching my friends walk down the aisle while I'm walking hospital hallways.
My friends are talking about being tired because they have the joy of a baby growing inside of them. I'm exhausted 'cause I have lesions growing on my brain. Like, what? Is this really my life? My career friends were climbing the ladder while I felt like I was watching my dreams slip through my fingers.
And it's like, "Okay, now what?" Because my ambition didn't just go away when I got that diagnosis. My dreams didn't go away. The desire to build a business, to have a family, to live a full life, like, that didn't just go away. I just didn't have the energy to pursue those dreams the way I used to. I mean, if you know, you know.
And that has to be the hardest part of this journey because you still have things that you wanna do, goals, projects, [00:04:00] dreams, like all these things. But yet when you have MS, you run out of energy before you can do them, sometimes before you can even start them. Like, let's be honest, right? Well, over the years I have told myself I have to figure out how I can make the most of the energy that I have because I refuse, I refuse to get stuck in the doom and gloom.
That definitely is not me, and I wasn't about to let MS completely change who I was. And let's be honest, like, let's really be honest about this. There may be no cure for MS, but it's also not terminal. Like, our life is not over. Yes, it may have changed drastically. The pace at which we live and pursue our dreams has significantly changed.
But we're still living life. And for me, that just meant I had to learn how to go at a different pace, a pace that would allow me to stay [00:05:00] in the game. Because in the beginning, it felt like it was either/or. Like, either I pushed through the fatigue and paid the price later, and we all know how well that goes, or I learned how to adjust my speed limit so that I could keep moving forward.
And that has been one of the messiest and most humbling journeys of my entire life. Because when I can't move at the pace I want to move, that is so irritating to me. It is so irritating to me. I get angry. I feel, like, weak or behind or just not myself, and all of that sucks, right? Like, not language I would typically use on the podcast here, but here we are, calling a spade a spade.
That sucks. My life does not look how I thought it would, and it's definitely not the timeline I thought it would be either But I'm still pursuing my dreams, and one of those [00:06:00] dreams was this business. What started as a nutrition coaching practice almost like 16 years ago became something so much more meaningful after my diagnosis because I dedicated it to women living with MS, because I saw firsthand how little information was out there, but how important the information was that did need to get out there.
So everything that I do now is focused on helping women with MS, especially those ambitious ones, who wanna feel better in their bodies so that they can pursue their dreams. But they just can't figure out how to get started with this whole diet and lifestyle thing or how to stay consistent with it once you do get started.
Because it makes a difference, specifically with our energy, so that, yes, we can still pursue our dreams. And I don't want MS to take anything away from me, and I don't want MS to take anything away from you either. [00:07:00] But I digress. Here I am 10 years later, and I can't help to have all of those old fears resurface as I'm waiting for my MRI results.
And if I'm being completely honest with you, over the years, I've shared so publicly that the lesions on my brain shrunk and went inactive within six months. And I've also shared that 10 years later, here I am, I remain stable, and I am incredibly grateful for that. That is a blessing. It is a gift. And it's also something, it's also something that I feel really proud of.
I found a way to make diet and lifestyle changes realistic in everyday life, and it's made a tremendous difference in my energy and how I feel in my body, and that's amazing. And also, I do still have MS, and that's been amazing. But sharing that so publicly feels like it also [00:08:00] put a target on my back, especially when I'm waiting for MRI results because there's that little voice in the back of my head that just starts running with all of the what-ifs.
Like, what if this MRI isn't stable? What if there's a new lesion? What if there's new activity What if this is the beginning of the decline for me? Like, what if it starts to affect my walking, my vision, my energy? Will I still be able to work? Will I still be able to show up for my family? Will I still be able to be me, right?
Like, those are the thoughts that start running through my, and I'd be willing to bet, say, our mind as we're waiting for MRI results because your mind starts trying to predict a future that doesn't even exist yet, and all of that is natural, right? Like, that's just fear. We know what it is. But for me, there is that extra layer that if this progresses, will this discredit me and my work?
And of course, the answer is no. Like, I know that [00:09:00] logically because I've been stable for 10 years, and that's a huge win. Even my neurologist, my MS specialist, still continues to be so encouraging of my approach with diet and lifestyle. So whatever happens with these MRI results doesn't erase those 10 years.
But it also doesn't make the waiting any easier. It doesn't make the MRI itself any easier, by the way, too, because let's be honest, they can be a bit brutal. Like an hour in a tube that is only slightly bigger than your body, and then the heat. This is the part that always gets me. Like, the heat from the imaging that builds, you can always tell where they're at with like where- what part of the body they're taking pictures of because you feel the heat like underneath of you.
And I don't know about you, but I start to feel a little panicky. Like, is this increasing my internal body temperature enough that it's gonna trigger fatigue? And I'm like trying to calm myself down. Like, I laugh about it, but it's an awful moment. [00:10:00] The very test that's supposed to help me manage MS feels like it's actually making me worse in that moment.
And then there's the moment mid-scan where they either pull you out or they don't to give you the IV contrast. So the hospital I go to for my MRIs doesn't automatically give you the gadolinium contrast. They only do it if they see something new on the imaging. So they actually pull your previous scans up while you're in the machine so they can compare them.
And if they look exactly the same, they don't give you that dye, that contrast dye, 'cause there's certainly no benefit to having it. But you know, you outweigh the pros and cons of it, and I get that. But they certainly have become so much more conservative with using it, and I appreciate that. But it also creates this moment mid-scan where you know if they've seen [00:11:00] something or not Because if they see something, they're pulling it out and they're giving you that contrast.
So you get rolled back into that machine knowing there's something going on, and that's so emotional. So when I'm in those machines, I do my best to stay calm. Like, like I always request worship music 'cause that's something that really calms me down. I try to focus on my breathing, and actually, if MRIs are something that make you anxious, I did an entire episode on the podcast here on how to get through them.
I'll link it over in the show notes over at ellenbrennan.com/blog. FYI, there's a blog post for every podcast episode, so if I ever reference something on here that you're interested in, head over to my blog 'cause I always have all the links in there. But we get through them, right? Like, we get through the MRIs however we need to, and then that just takes us to the waiting game, the waiting game for the results afterwards.
The MRI is over. You've done the hard thing. You laid [00:12:00] in the tube. You listened to all of that banging and clicking. You've done the breathing. You've said your prayers, and now there's nothing left to do but wait And for me, that's when my brain has a field day, right? It can easily get the best of you.
'Cause I don't know about you, but I love certainty. I want someone to tell me the minute I am done that MRI that everything is okay. I don't wanna wait. And here's the kicker. I pretty much always get my MRIs done on a Saturday morning because I have to go into Philly to get them done. And number one, the drive into the city is so much easier early on a Saturday morning than it would be during a work week.
But also, I get, like, one of the first appointments of the day, so there's no waiting. It's just calm. It's easy. Like, like, I just try to eliminate as many stressors in the day as possible, so that's one of the best ways that I can do it. But I always have my follow-up [00:13:00] appointment with my neurologist scheduled, but, like, early that next week.
And I don't know what happened, but I don't have a follow-up appointment on the calendar f- with my neurologist. I have no idea what happened. And you know, trying to get an appointment with your neurologist or MS specialist doesn't happen in a couple days or a couple weeks. Like, I book them six months to a year out.
So I'm really hoping that these MRI results come back good because if they're not, I'm gonna have to figure out how to get an emergency appointment with my neurologist. And of course, we know that, like, if something concerning does come back, they do fit you in, like, they make it happen. But it just doesn't feel good not having that appointment on the calendar.
So now I just wait for the portal message to come through, and that's typically how I hear about it first anyway. Like, I typically will get a message from the portal that I have new results waiting for me before I even hear from my doctor. So that just creates, [00:14:00] like, the refresh button on my phone to get so overworked.
I'm constantly refreshing my email to see if I have that new test results subject line in my email. But look, the reality is, regardless of what the results are, I know that it's not realistic to, like, eliminate fear around MRIs or even living with MS. Like, it's natural for us to have some fear. We are living with a disease for which there is no cure.
That doesn't feel comfy cozy. But yet we cannot let it stop us from living the life that we want to live. Yes, we have to go at a different pace now. Again, we've established this. That stinks. But we're still in the game. We are still in the game, my friends. The goal is to keep living anyway, to keep making plans, chasing your dreams, build a business, believe in your future even if there is uncertainty.
Because MS [00:15:00] or not, uncertainty is a part of life And nobody understands that better than women living with MS, right? Like, we know that firsthand. Now, I don't know when you're listening to this. Maybe I will still be waiting for results. Maybe I know already now. But either way, I wanted to share this journey with you because I know I'm not the only one sitting in that waiting room.
I'm not the only one staring at a calendar counting down to an MRI. I'm not the only one wearing out that refresh button on your portal to see if the test results came in yet. And I'm definitely not the only ambitious woman out there trying to build a life around a lot of uncertainty So if that is you, my friend, I see you.
I see you, and I know that it's hard. But I also know that you have gotten through a lot of hard things before, and this is just one more thing. The only difference is [00:16:00] we don't approach this the way we do so many other hard things in our lives, which has been to double down and to just push through, to plow through.
That's not how healing works. Definitely not with MS. We need a different approach. We need to have compassion. We need to have grace. We need to have patience with ourselves because we're processing a lot of information, emotions, decisions. We are living an invisible disease. We still look the same on the outside to the rest of the world, but we're living in a body that feels very different, and they still likely have the same expectations of our pre-MS self.
And sometimes, oftentimes, we still have that expectation of ourselves, too. That is where the hardest work becomes to not take yourself down in this process, to still allow yourself to have dreams, to have goals, but giving yourself the space to [00:17:00] pursue them at a pace that feels sustainable, that feels supportive, that keeps you in the game.
All right, my friends, I will keep you posted on my MRI results. And if there's something that really stood out to you in today's episode, please send me a message or a DM over on Instagram. I love hearing from each and every one of you. So many of you have sent me messages, and it means the world to me because I feel a little less alone.
I think I shared before, like, I literally record this podcast in the closet of my bedroom. So it's just, like, it's me and this mic and my laptop that's propped up on a little step stool from my daughter's bathroom. Like, I'm super high tech over here. But it gets the job done. It allows me to have this platform to connect with this community and to build this community of amazing, ambitious women living with MS.
And I wanna hear from you. [00:18:00] Please send me a DM. Let me know, are you waiting for MRI results? Do you have one coming up? Or if you want, let me know what the dream is that you are continuing to chase even though you have MS. You are giving yourself permission to still dream big and the ability to pursue it at a pace that honors you and your body that you live in today.
Okay, my friends, I could keep going. I have to wrap this up. But again, thank you for listening. Thank you for being here. Hope you have a great rest of your day, and I will see you next week. Bye. 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 the sooner you start, the more power you [00:19:00] 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 alinebrennan.com/webinar.
See you there

[00:00:00] What if it gets worse? If you live with MS, you've probably asked yourself that question more times than you can count. But what if the real problem isn't the question itself, it's how much time we're spending mentally living in the future that hasn't even happened yet and may never happen? Let's talk about the question, let's talk about the problem, and let's talk about a solution.
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, confidence, and hope.
Save your seat at aleenebrennan.com/webinar. Welcome to my MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow [00:01:00] progression and live a life they love. I'm Aleene 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, my friends, and welcome back. Today, I wanna talk about a question that I think every woman with MS has asked herself at some point. For you, maybe it was this week, maybe it's this morning, maybe while you were waiting for MRI results or a new symptom flared up, or maybe it was 2:00 in the morning when you were lying awake and couldn't sleep.
The question is, what if MS gets worse? And here's the thing, I don't think that's a bad question. [00:02:00] It's a very natural question. When you live with uncertainty, your brain naturally tries to protect you by looking ahead. So with every new sensation you feel in your body, you go through the checklist. Is this a new symptom?
Is it going to be permanent? Is this the beginning of my decline? And I get it. I'm the kind of person who likes to think through worst-case scenarios, partly because it makes me feel more prepared. Because I think if I can figure out how to handle that, maybe I won't be so afraid of it. But recently, I've come to realize there is a difference between preparing for possibilities and emotionally rehearsing tragedies.
And I think a lot of us living with MS cross that line without even realizing it. A few weeks ago, I was reading a devotional that a friend had given me called [00:03:00] What Comes Next by Jess Connolly. It's a 40-day devotional for anyone walking through a, quote, unquote, "hard season." Like, she labels it as heartbreak, burnout, brokenness.
I'd say MS kind of falls into any or many of those categories there, right? And one of the questions that she asked in the book really made me stop and think because I found it to actually be so relevant and applicable to MS. It made me realize I spend so much time rehearsing futures that haven't happened yet, and maybe never will.
And maybe you do, too. Again, like, a symptom shows up and suddenly your brain jumps six months ahead, 10 years ahead, 20 years ahead. You're no longer dealing with today's symptom. You're imagining future disability, like doomsday, worst-case scenario. Meanwhile, it's still Tuesday. Nothing has actually changed.
But emotionally, your body is experiencing the [00:04:00] stress of that worst-case scenario. Because here's the thing. Your body's response isn't necessarily good at distinguishing between what is real, like what's actually happening in your life in that moment, versus what's happening in your head. So a lot of times your body can respond to an anticipated worst-case scenario as if you are actually living it in that moment.
It can trigger just as much stress in your body. And we know what stress does to MS. Well, this actually came up in one of our Healing Habits coaching calls recently, and it just stood out to me so much of how many of us are living this. Like, different versions of it, but how many of us are doing this habit over and over and over again.
Some of us are worried about work and our careers, and you have, like, these worst-case scenarios of, about how everything's just gonna fall apart. Or maybe it's you're worried about your relationships, whether it [00:05:00] is family or friends or neighbors. Each of us has a different fear or worry on our minds. The stories are different, but the pattern is the same.
Everyone is carrying these futures that haven't happened yet. No wonder we're exhausted We're not just living our current lives, we're also mentally managing 10 different versions of tomorrow. And I feel like this tied in so well with last week's episode, which was about fantasy me. You know fantasy me.
Fantasy me plans like the 12 hour productive days. Fantasy me thinks she can accomplish 14 things before lunch. Fantasy me has unlimited energy. And then real me has to show up and live out fantasy me's planning when real me just wants a nap. But this week I realized fantasy me isn't just planning my schedule, she's planning my future too.[00:06:00]
She's imagining every possible scenario, trying to solve problems that don't even exist yet, and preparing for disasters that may never happen. Meanwhile, real me is standing in the kitchen trying to decide what's for dinner. And maybe that's one of the reasons we feel so overwhelmed, because we're constantly asking ourselves questions we can't answer.
Like, what if MS gets worse? Yes, maybe. What if this symptom is the start of something bigger? Maybe. What if things change in the future and they're not in my favor? Maybe. We actually don't know. So I've been trying to replace that question, what if it gets worse, with something different. I'm not trying to stick my head in the sand.
I'm not trying to, like, force positivity into something. But I want to flip that question so that I and we can start living in this moment. So I start asking myself, [00:07:00] what do I actually know is true today? Like today, not five years from now, not tomorrow, today. And that's a very different conversation because today I know I have MS.
I also know I have choices. I can talk with my doctor about a lot of different options. There's so much that I can do through diet and lifestyle. There's so many resources available for body work. There's physical therapy. Like, there's so many choices that we have now that people living with MS did not have years ago and definitely not decades ago.
We have support on a level that was never before available. So we have things that we can do to care for ourselves today. You also have a life that you are living right now, and it's easy for us to lose our focus on what we do have today when we're constantly rehearsing those worst-case scenarios for our future.
And rehearsing all [00:08:00] of those things, like playing those worst-case scenarios and what if scenarios on repeat in our minds over and over and over again, that's not just exhausting us mentally. It's also exhausting us emotionally and physically, too. And that can hold us back from living the lives that we have right now.
And I know many of the women listening to this podcast are women who have big dreams and strong ambition, and you do not want to drain any ounce of energy unnecessarily because MS has already introduced enough limits. And yes, that's frustrating because your ambition survived the diagnosis, but your energy didn't.
So we need to learn how to protect the energy that we have, and part of doing that is not draining it with all of these worst case scenarios in our future. So here's what I want you to try this week. The next time you catch yourself spiraling into what if it [00:09:00] gets worse, pause and ask yourself, "What do I actually know to be true right now?"
Bring yourself back to today, this moment, the facts, not the fears, because that is where life is happening, and that's where the control is. That is where the options are. So I don't know what MS will look like for you five years from now. I don't know what it'll look like for me either. But I do know this.
Your brain is going to rehearse something every day. The question is if it's rehearsing fear or whether it's rehearsing hope and possibility. Like, why not rehearse your best case scenario? Why not tell yourself that reassurance of all of the resources that you have available to you right now so that we can live the life that is right in front of us right now?
So my friends, this week, notice what you're rehearsing, and if you catch yourself living in that imaginary future, [00:10:00] come back. Come back to today because today deserves your attention. And that's it. Short and sweet, but important and powerful nonetheless. Don't let fantasy you plan your calendar, and don't let her plan your future too.
Your brain is incredibly powerful. The more you rehearse something in your mind, the deeper the groove becomes in your brain. Don't deepen fear. Deepen hope and possibility. 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 the sooner you start, the more power you have to influence your future. The best time to begin is [00:11:00] 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 alinebrennan.com/webinar.
See you there.

[00:00:00] Your ambition survived the diagnosis, but your energy didn't. And learning how to live in the gap, living in that tension of still having big goals and big dreams and wanting to accomplish a lot in this life, but not having the energy to back it up, is so hard. Mentally, you're planning life like the woman that you used to be, who could get it all done in a day, while physically living in a body with completely different limits now.
And that disconnect creates so much guilt, frustration, pressure, and even shame. And that's exactly what we're diving into today. 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 [00:01:00] Just One Habit.
Think of it as your first step towards more energy, confidence, and hope. Save your seat at aleenebrennan.com/webinar. Welcome to my MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow progression and live a life they love. I'm Aleene 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, my friends. Welcome to my MS podcast. I am so glad that you're here today because I need a support system from you.
This may be one of the hardest episodes I've [00:02:00] recorded, and I'm pretty sure I said that on one of the last two episodes as well, but it's because I'm diving into one of the raw, hard truths about living with MS. And personally, for me, today's topic is one of the things that makes me most mad about getting diagnosed with MS.
It's the thing that I try to pretend isn't there. It's the thing I try to override every single time, like somehow I'll make myself immune to it. And just a spoiler alert, I have not found a magic pill or a magic wand to make this all go away, so there is no pretty little bow to tie all this up at the end of this episode.
I still very much am struggling with the reality that I have bigger dreams, bigger goals, and a very aggressive to-do list than my energy can handle ever since I got the MS diagnosis. And I shared in a previous episode that on Mother's Day weekend, I had this [00:03:00] moment where I was realizing that I wasn't fighting MS fatigue as much as I was fighting myself all of these years.
I was fighting my own expectations, my own pressures. And I shared that I wasn't gonna do that anymore. And I've been practicing every single day. But this process is making me aware of the fact that I keep planning my days and weeks for fantasy me energy, not real me energy. And if you're hearing this and already thinking like, "Ah, yeah, that's me.
That is me," my friends, I am in the weeds with you. So let's lock arms and figure this out together, because you are joining me on this journey as it is unraveling real time, and it is a painful process The reality is I recorded this podcast episode this morning and decided [00:04:00] to delete the entire thing because I knew I was holding back on it, not wanting to admit how hard this actually is.
But as I was driving to pick up my daughter from preschool, I was like, "I can't release that. I can't put that out there because it's not going to be helpful unless it's real." There's already enough toxic positivity out there. You want and need real. You need the raw. You want honest, right? Like, that's what I want.
So I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that that's what you want, too, because living with MS, it's hard enough. It's isolating enough living with an invisible disease. When we're talking with one another, we have to keep it real. We need each other to be telling the honest truth. So here is the raw, honest version of today's podcast, and my [00:05:00] hope is that it helps you feel more seen, validated, and less alone in this process.
So let's dive in. Actually, let me ask you this first. Do you feel like you plan your day and your life around the energy you actually have or the energy that you hope to have? Personally, I'm Team Hope. Like, I spend my entire day on a razor-thin line between work mode and mom mode. The entire week, I am constantly flipping a switch from work mode to mom mode in an instant.
I'll hop on my computer early in the morning so I can knock out some work before my daughter wakes up. Then we do our morning routine, drop her off at school, come back, immediately dive back into work, pick her up, lunch, playtime, down for her afternoon nap. I literally close my laptop, close my office door.
Her room is right next to mine, so I am immediately [00:06:00] and literally closing one door and opening the other. There's no, like, transition time of walking to a car or a commute home to, like, decompress or allow my brain to shift gears. Like, it literally feels like the flip of a switch. So that's, like, work days.
But then even on a Saturday, I'm making homemade pancakes, then cleaning the house, then trying to knock out some work, all before 10:00 AM. And then when I crash, I'm mad at MS. I'm mad at the disease that I didn't choose and I didn't do anything to create. Yet it's stealing energy from me and my ability to fulfill the ambition that I have always had.
And instead of accepting it, I've been living determined not to let it stop me from living at the pace that I did pre-MS. It's like I wanna prove that I can still do this, that I'm not gonna let MS stop me. And again, I went deeper into this in the previous [00:07:00] episode, but pretending that this journey wraps up in one episode is not realistic.
Trust me, I tried. I was like, "Okay, here's the conversation about it. Here's the step to move forward." And I tried to move forward, and it's not easy. The reality is this isn't something that's easy to let go of And pretending like it is isn't serving you or me. Not acknowledging the hard leaves us to believe that others aren't struggling with it, that it is easier for others.
And if that's the case, then we must be the problem. I could easily tell myself that I'm the problem, and you could, too. But I don't want that for you or for me because I want to help change the narrative around this disease and this diagnosis, and that only happens when we have real, honest conversations.
So I'm curious to know, is this something that you're struggling with? [00:08:00] I'm guessing yes, because I shared a post on Instagram recently that said, "Your ambition survived the diagnosis, but your energy didn't. Living in the gap with MS fatigue." My friends, that was one of the most shared posts I've ever had on Instagram, meaning a lot of you felt seen by it and shared it with others, most likely your family and friends, to help them understand your world a little bit more.
Because I'm willing to bet that you are planning so much of your days and weeks around the energy that you hope that you will have, your ideal energy, the fantasy you. Maybe fantasy you thinks, "I can work all day and still take the yoga class at night. I can clean the house in the morning and still have the energy for that graduation party later.
I can still come home from vacation and immediately do all the laundry. I can go to church and meal prep in the same day. [00:09:00] I never have to decide between taking a shower or making myself breakfast." Are any of these resonating? Maybe it's something different for you. Maybe there's something else that came to mind.
But these are the things that we tell ourselves should be simple because they were simple before. But now we're living with MS, and with that comes MS fatigue. Our body literally does not produce energy the same way it did prior to our diagnosis. When you are living with MS, your mitochondria do not produce energy as efficiently anymore.
Your mitochondria are the little batteries inside your cells that help to convert the energy from the food that we eat into the energy that runs your body. So when your mitochondria are less efficient, yeah, you're going to be less efficient at producing energy that you need to get through your day. So when you're planning things, [00:10:00] still in the mindset of how you felt prior to your diagnosis, all of these things should be simple.
The idea that you would have to decide between showering or having breakfast because you didn't have enough energy or spoons to do both, that would seem ridiculous. But yet, if you're listening to this podcast, the unfortunate reality is you likely have had a moment or many moments or are living this right now of having to ration out your energy for simple everyday tasks.
Or maybe you're having to ration out your energy against these big goals that you are white-knuckling your way through. You will not let go of it because you don't want MS to take that away from you. But also, it feels really impossible maintaining the lifestyle that you are, and you don't know how much longer you're going to be able to maintain it.
Again, when you're making these plans, they [00:11:00] genuinely feel realistic. Mentally, you see yourself doing them, especially if you used to do these things and more without a second thought before MS. That's the part that stings because it's not like you invented this version of yourself out of nowhere. She existed.
You were the woman who could stack a million things into one day and somehow still function. So now your mind keeps planning from her capacity, from her energy, while your energy is trying to live inside a completely different reality And I think that's where a lot of the grief comes from. You're grieving the version of yourself who could do it all without thinking twice.
The version of you who was capable, productive, reliable, high-functioning, the woman everyone counted on, 'cause that was [00:12:00] us. That was our identity. Especially if you were driven, ambitious, the caretaker, the dependable one, the woman who always figured it out. And there is nothing wrong with being ambitious.
There's nothing wrong with still wanting a full and meaningful life after MS. You are still allowed to have goals, and big dreams, and a strong drive to build and experience all the things that you want in life. The problem is not your ambition. The problem is trying to pursue the ambition at the same pace, pressure, and expectations you had pre-MS.
And what makes this so hard is that life doesn't just stop because your energy changed, like the groceries still need to be bought, the bills still need to get paid, the house still gets messy, kids still need things, work deadlines still exist, appointments [00:13:00] still have to happen, right? So, like, there are some real-life things that have to happen.
So you start to feel like you're constantly falling behind in doing the things that you know you're capable of doing, and that's where a lot of the shame can come in, right? Like, somehow you did something wrong or you didn't try hard enough. So then you start to think, "Well, maybe tomorrow I'll be more organized," or more efficient or more productive.
Again, planning from fantasy you. Do you see how this cycle continues? So the question becomes: how do you stop planning from your ideal energy and start planning from your actual energy? Not your best day, not your if everything goes perfectly energy, your real-life energy. And again, if we're keeping it all the way real, I don't like this option because it [00:14:00] feels like settling.
It feels like lowering your expectations. But let me ask you this, and I'm asking myself this question in the process as well. Up until now, you've been planning around your ideal energy, not your real energy. How's that working for you? How has that been working for you? My honest answer is, well, it's pushed me to get a lot accomplished in life, and also it's cost me a lot from my health perspective because I know there is some fatigue I 100% could have avoided if I wasn't planning my weeks on fantasy energy and trying to desperately make it my reality.
And here's the dangerous part. When we push ourselves and don't have a major crash afterwards, it's easy to feel like you got away with it. So that cracks the door open to try to do it [00:15:00] again. And yes, we may get away with it here and there, but it eventually catches up with us, and the cost is our health, more specifically, our ability to walk, to move, and even see.
That sounds dramatic, yes, but we also know there is truth to that, too. I'm being direct because it's what I need to hear, and maybe you do, too. Ambition is sneaky in that it can make you feel like you have to get things done and get them done by an often self-imposed deadline. That's not healthy ambition, because constantly planning beyond your energy is what keeps destroying your trust in yourself.
And the more you plan from fantasy you, the more disappointment, guilt, frustration, and shame you create. Because every time your plan falls [00:16:00] apart, your brain tells you the same story. You can't handle this anymore. You are not reliable. You are falling behind. And after a while, your brain starts to believe that But when you start planning from your actual capacity, from your actual energy, something different happens.
Your brain starts seeing you follow through again. You start rebuilding trust with yourself. You stop ending every day feeling like you failed. And that is what I think so many of us living with MS are actually craving. We wanna feel capable. We wanna feel productive. We wanna feel like we can still show up for the things and people that matter most to us.
And I think this is where the real shift comes. Instead of asking, "How do I keep up with the life I used to live?" start [00:17:00] asking, "What do I most want to protect from MS?" There are things I do not want MS to touch, let alone take away from me, and I know there are things that you don't want MS to take from you either.
I don't want MS to take anything from any of us. But I want us to see the opportunity and the importance of protecting what is most important to us. We need to prioritize our energy to protect that. Because, my friends, the goal is not to stop caring about your dreams or your home or your family or your work.
The goal is learning how to go after those things without constantly pushing yourself into exhaustion. It's to protect the energy that you do have for what matters most. And in doing so, you can actually live a more meaningful life. But what does this actually look like in real life? Like, what does [00:18:00] this practically, tangibly look like?
'Cause let's keep it real. Even after all these realizations about stress and fantasy planning, Saturday morning still comes. There's still laundry, groceries, work, family, life. And for me, that is where the work has been because I immediately default back into push harder, move faster, catch up, optimize, go, go, go.
Just one more thing. So if you notice yourself doing that too, first, please know you're not alone, and that's because awareness comes before the change. So you may start to constantly see this everywhere now. It's like the car that you're about to buy that you never saw on the road before, but now it's everywhere.
Those cars didn't just magically appear. It's simply the fact that you told your brain that this is something that's important to you. Same with this. You're telling your brain that this is something important to you. You [00:19:00] don't want to run yourself into the ground anymore, so you need to start seeing where you're planning beyond your energy.
And it may be disappointing at first because you start to see how much you're doing it, because it's calling out the fact that you don't have as much energy as you want or need. But that awareness gives you the chance to choose differently. You have the ability to start planning for real-life energy, and that can become freeing because you're freeing yourself from the constant pressure and disappointment of a plan that is not realistic for you.
One very practical and tangible thing that has helped me a lot over the years is doing a brain dump every Sunday. I get everything out of my head and onto paper. Work, appointments, house stuff, everything. Then I rank what matters most and only [00:20:00] assign one to three important tasks per day Because I realize everything costs energy.
Driving, errands, decision fatigue, crowded stores, multiple stores, even the recovery time afterwards, it all adds up. So I need to simplify where I can. I'm talking Amazon everything, right? Like, if you can get it on Amazon and it can be shipped to your front door, that is the solution. What can't be bought on Amazon, use Instacart or the drive up options at Target or Walmart.
And when it comes to cleaning the house, what about those, like, self-propelled little vacuum things or using a vacuum mop? I know that right now I just took a, like, deep dive into, like, these tangible, practical things, but these are just scratching the surface of some of the things that can help us to protect our energy so that I [00:21:00] have energy for what matters most to me, like family bike rides or, yes, a yoga class or simply having enough energy left to enjoy my evening.
That is the shift that I am working through right now. Not how do I fit more into my day, but how do I protect my energy for the things that, that matter most to me and to the life that I want to live? So maybe this is the new work for us, not becoming less ambitious, not pretending we suddenly don't care about our goals or life that we want, and definitely not giving up on ourselves just because we have MS.
But learning how to stop building our lives around energy our body doesn't consistently have anymore. Because fantasy you, she's always going to think she can squeeze one more thing into a day. And if I'm being honest, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I think it says a lot about you and your drive that probably [00:22:00] was the drive that helped you survive this diagnosis.
I think it says a lot about who you are, the life that you want, that you still care, that you still have amazing dreams and goals and, yes, things that you wanna experience. That's not the problem. The problem is when we keep asking our body to operate a pace that keeps hurting us in the process. And again, I know how hard this work is because there's still a huge part of me that wants to prove that I can do it all anyway.
But I'm starting to realize that fight is exhausting myself every single day, and maybe you're experiencing that too. So this week, I just want you to notice. Notice when fantasy you starts planning the day. Notice the stacking, the pressure, the I should be able to, right? And instead of immediately judging yourself or trying to push harder, just pause for a second and say [00:23:00] what would it look like if I planned it for real me, not fantasy me?
The energy that I have right now in this moment. And little by little, I think it helps you stop feeling like you're constantly failing because that, my friends, that is what will help you to stop draining your mental, physical, and emotional energy. It will help you to see what you are accomplishing in life and making sure that you are prioritizing your time and your energy for what matters most.
Okay, my friends, I told you this was gonna be a little bit of a messy episode, but one that I think was so important for us to talk about. And if this did resonate with you, I would love to know. Will you send me a note over on Instagram? Send me a DM because we are all in this together. We are locking arms, getting through this one day, one journey, one meal at a time, right?
All right, my friends, have a great rest of your day. Talk to you soon. Bye. [00:24:00] 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 the sooner you 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 alinebrennan.com/webinar. See you there.

[00:00:00] They say when you pray for patience, God doesn't just magically make you patient overnight. He gives you opportunities to practice patience. That's kind of what's happening this upcoming Memorial Day weekend for me because last week on my podcast, I talked about this realization that I've been having that I've been spending years fighting myself, fighting my body, my energy, my expectations, and of course, right after recording that episode, what comes up?
A holiday weekend, which as odd as it may sound, holiday weekends have kind of been my arch nemesis when it comes to actually slowing down because I've always treated the extra time like proof that I should be able to do more. When the rest of the world unplugs, that's when I optimize. It's like God immediately gave me a chance to practice this thing that I have said I wanted and desperately need.
Here it is. And before we get [00:01:00] 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, confidence, and hope.
Save your seat at aleenebrennan.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. [00:02:00] Hello, my friends, and welcome back to my MS podcast. I am so glad that you are here, whether this is your very first episode or you have been around for a while. Now, I have to admit, recording last week's episode was super hard because it was vulnerable and also freeing all at the same time.
I was literally talking through something that I was in the middle of processing personally. And it's so much easier to share stories on the podcast when you're past the hard stuff and you're just sharing the results of a success story. I do not like the messy middle, yet that's where I was. Right in the middle of admitting all of the ugly parts of me that I have tried to pretend don't exist and definitely don't wanna share them with anyone else, let alone recording them on a podcast.
That is not my comfort zone. So if you haven't listened to it, definitely check it out. I basically unravel years [00:03:00] of trying to override my energy just to feel more productive. Does that sound familiar? I kept believing that if I just tried harder, I could get more done. Meanwhile, my body was begging me, begging me to slow down, but I kept ignoring it.
And for what? I never reached a finish line because I kept moving it further and further away. And I kept blaming MS fatigue, and that's very easy to do because we know the reality of that. It is humbling. And I kept telling myself I was not going to let MS, quote-unquote, "win." But the truth is, I wasn't fighting MS.
I was fighting myself, my unrealistic expectations, and I was wrecking my nervous system in the process. Now, to be fair, this drive to be ultra productive and efficient did come from good [00:04:00] intentions, as it often does. But growing up, I had debilitating migraines. I've shared it a lot of times before, but they started as early as elementary school.
I was in and out of the hospital on a rainbow of medication. I would be down for the count either for a day or for sometimes up to a full week in a dark room, often ending up in the emergency room. There was zero chance that I was pushing through a migraine because the reality is sometimes just changing positions in bed made me vomit.
So from that young age, I learned that if I had energy, I needed to use it because I couldn't trust that my body would have it later. I never knew when a migraine was gonna come up and wipe me out. And that mindset did help me in many ways. I became responsible. For the most part, I was always prepared. So that pattern has well-intended roots, right?
Like, [00:05:00] it came from a good place. The problem is, somewhere along the line, the idea of always being prepared turned into pressure, and eventually that preparation stopped protecting me and started exhausting me. So having this come to Jesus moment in last week's episode was actually very freeing. It felt really good.
And there was something about sharing it on the podcast that also felt really freeing because it feels like when you share something, it, like, weakens its power over you. Kind of like a get behind me, Satan moment, right? Like, I am declaring that I am no longer living like this anymore. I will not let this pressure continue to take me down from a health perspective or just from enjoying life.
I mean, I shared that all of this went down [00:06:00] over Mother's Day weekend, which of course has significance in and of itself. My daughter is four now, and I'm in that phase of realizing how quickly time passes, and I want to slow it down. But also, Mother's Day weekend is also the 10-year anniversary from when I lost my mom.
So I'm often reflecting on just how precious life is and how I don't wanna spend my entire life being stressed out. And also, I'm just a few weeks away from my 10-year anniversary of being diagnosed with MS, so I can't not help but think about how much stress impacts MS, the very thing I am putting so much effort into slowing down.
So there was a lot wrapped into that moment, and it just felt so good to process it personally, but then also to share it here, feeling like it was a true declaration. But I'm not gonna lie, shortly after I sent out that email [00:07:00] to share the episode with you, I had this moment of like Wait, is this episode going to help you?
Or was it just about me? Because when I share stories, I share them not to talk about myself. I share them to help you, because I know that's how we learn best, through stories. And also, I've heard from so many of you, when you are diagnosed with MS, you go online, and what do you see? All of the worst-case scenarios.
You go on the Facebook groups, you see all the doom and gloom, right? Like, that's not what you want. You want stories of hope, and I don't know that necessarily last week's was the most uplifting, but it was definitely raw and real. And that is healing, not just for me, but I feel like it's healing for you as well when somebody else can put words to a feeling or an experience that you are having and haven't yet maybe fully processed.
I've actually had several women reach [00:08:00] out to me after attending my free master class that I teach on MS, and they say that they were literally in tears watching it because they finally felt like somebody understood them in a way that they have been feeling and believing that they were all alone in.
Storytelling is healing. So first, I will say, if you wanna join that class, please do so. It's free. It's amazing. I would love for you to attend. You can join over at alinebrennan.com/webinar. But I share this because I was wondering if this was just me feeling this kind of pressure of the constant, like, wanting to be productive, wanting to be efficient, wanting to have that same level of activity that I had prior to my diagnosis, or are other people feeling it, too?
So I posted a poll on Instagram Stories and asked, "What do you lean on most during MS fatigue days?" The highest response [00:09:00] Are you ready for it? Pushing through. That's what we lean on most during MS fatigue days. That was the most popular answer, pushing through. And I saw that, and I was like, "Okay, it's definitely not just me."
And this is a topic we need to be talking about more because the struggle is real, and the reality is it's so tempting because we live with an invisible disease to try to pretend like we have the same health and the same energy prior to our diagnosis. You look the same on the outside, but we all know your body performs very differently on the inside, right?
So again, I had this come to Jesus moment like I'm not doing this anymore because I have been living in two modes, push or crash. That was it. I was in either/or, black and white, one or the other, [00:10:00] A or B, nothing in the middle. Trying to maximize every ounce of energy I had or completely depleted because I just pushed too far for too long again And I am not going to constantly override what my body needs anymore, especially when I spend all this time prioritizing my diet and supplements and hydration and sleep, like, all of it, right?
I know this logically. All of those things matter, but I can't ignore stress. I know enough about the body to know you can eat all the kale in the world, but if you are under a constant state of stress, you can only heal so much. So here I am, Memorial Day weekend is coming up, and I'm kind of already feeling anxious about not being able to plan my normal way.
So I decided this Memorial Day weekend, I'm making a new rule for myself. Not 10 priorities, [00:11:00] not maximizing every single second, not trying to catch up on my entire life in three days. I am such a rule follower that that is why I knew if I set a rule, I would be far more likely to stick with it. And here it is.
For holiday weekends, I pick one priority, because one of the things that I teach in my Healing Habits program is that when you focus on one habit at a time, you are eighty-five percent likely to be successful. If you focus on two habits at a time, your success drops to thirty-five percent. If you focus on three habits at a time, your success plummets to ten percent.
The more you focus on, the less efficient and the less successful you are. And I think that could be similar for making plans. We try to make too many plans, and one, you spread yourself too thin, so you don't have the energy to show up for any of them, or you're not giving [00:12:00] yourself the opportunity to actually be present and enjoy them.
So I had to pick one priority for this weekend, and I decided the most important thing to me was to take a family bike ride. Now, we've been talking about this for probably over a year now, and for a variety of reasons, it just hasn't happened. And we didn't have any other plans for the holiday weekend, so I was like, "This is perfect.
This is it. Here's my priority." But are you ready for this? We don't have bikes, so we have to buy bikes. We need to teach my daughter how to ride a bike. And just for good measure, I decided that it was also a good idea to clean out the garage while we were at it to make space for the new bikes. Like, what?
What is happening? How am I fitting all of this into one weekend and expecting to have the energy to actually ride the bike? And this was me picking one thing, which is clearly like ten things in one. And that is [00:13:00] exactly why I needed the rule in the first place, because my brain does not naturally stop at one thing And I see this so often when women are starting an MS diet for the first time.
You tell yourself that you're going to start eating clean this week or start an anti-inflammatory diet on Monday or start getting nine cups of veggies in this week. And it sounds like one thing on a list, but the reality is it's like 20 steps tucked in there because you have to figure out what foods you can and can't eat, write the grocery list, go to the grocery store to shop all for those new foods.
And let's be honest, it's never just one store. Bring the groceries home, unpack, which means cleaning out the fridge in the process, which leads to dishes in the sink. And then you need to figure out how to store the new foods so they don't go bad before you eat them. Plan your menu for the week, have the energy to cook, [00:14:00] make the food taste good, and have the energy to clean up.
Is this validating to hear? This is why one of the bonuses inside my Healing Habits program is a meal planning walkthrough. I teach you how to break this process down into simple steps so you can get started even when you're dealing with a lot of MS fatigue. And I teach you how to vary it up so you're not eating the same boring foods week after week, especially when you're trying to make one meal for the entire family.
I saw that this was such an obstacle for so many women, so I created the resource to help remove it for you. But let's zoom out for a second. We are using an old, outdated operating system that survived on over-functioning. We are trying to run our lives on this push-through mentality, the one that says, work harder, maximize your time, squeeze just one more thing [00:15:00] in, catch up, don't slow down.
That mental operating system wasn't sustainable, MS or not. But it has become impossible to ignore after you get that diagnosis of MS. Because now there's less room for pretending. You cannot override that burnout anymore. You don't have the luxury of borrowing tomorrow's energy. And that's why it's been such a hard adjustment mentally and emotionally.
Because even after living with MS for 10 years, part of me still expects my body to operate like it did before my diagnosis. Meanwhile, my body's over here like, uh, no, absolutely not. We can't expect our body to perform like nothing changed. We need a new operating system, i.e. a new mindset around this.
And just like when you're updating the operating system on your phone or computer, what's [00:16:00] the first thing it tells you to do? Before it allows you to start the upgrade, it requires you to plug into a power source. So for us, that's like saying, "Okay, I know that you have been in overdrive for a really long time, and you're going to adjust how you're living.
But first, you need to start giving yourself some rest." Create a little margin. Create some breathing space. 20 or 30-minute naps may feel super uncomfortable for you, so maybe it's literally just starting with three breaths. Like, let's do it right now. I love doing this on the podcast. Ready? Deep breath in.
Deep breath out. Deep breath in. Exhale it out.
One more time. Inhale.[00:17:00]
Exhale it out.
What did that take? A couple seconds? And you can feel a difference in your body. This is what I'm talking about. Plug into a power source Your breath is the perfect starting point. And then remember, installing a new operating system takes time. You can't expect immediate results. Just like that progress bar moves across in small increments on your screen, that's the same with your body installing a new operating system or way of living.
It's not a flip of a switch. It's small changes, small decisions that you start to make one at a time that start to build progress. It's not one giant life overhaul. It's small decisions, small boundaries, small moments where you stop overriding and ignoring what your body is [00:18:00] trying to tell you. That is progress.
It takes time, but it's one that we can no longer ignore. Because just like when your phone needs that upgrade, what starts happening? It starts slowing down. You max out your storage and eventually it stops working. Don't wait until your body stops working or in other words goes into a full on flare or has massive MS fatigue.
We want to start now. The cost is too high. The cost is our health and our quality of life, my friends. I'm not saying this to scare you or me, but I don't wanna sugarcoat it either because we need to wake up and realize that overachieving, over-functioning, running on burnout mode is not the answer. It's not.
It wasn't the answer before MS, and it's definitely not now. This is why I [00:19:00] say MS is the gift I didn't know I needed because it gave me this wake-up call to live differently, and there is a better way. And that is what I am learning right now, not how to squeeze more out of myself, but how to build life around the energy I actually have instead of the energy I keep wishing I had.
We know that living with MS, our body's mitochondria aren't performing the best, right? And our mitochondria are what helps to create energy for our body. It takes the energy from food and helps it to convert it into energy that our body can use. And when you're living with MS, your mitochondria aren't functioning optimally.
So that's kind of a big deal, which is why an MS diet is so heavily focused on supporting mitochondrial health. But we also can't keep living like [00:20:00] that doesn't exist inside our body. Living with MS and expecting your pre-diagnosis energy is like taking a pay cut but continuing to spend your money like nothing changed.
Eventually, you end up in debt, except the debt isn't financial. It's the energy and nervous system debt. You're borrowing energy from tomorrow to survive today. I remember seeing this quote once on the cover of People magazine. This was probably, like, I don't know, 15, 20 years ago. And it said, "The only thing left to do is to build memories."
And at the time, I remember reading that and, like, my heart heard it, but I don't think my mind was ready for it yet because I was still living like productivity was the most important thing. But I think I'm ready to hear it now. I think I'm finally ready to build a different kind of life, one where I don't spend every holiday weekend trying to optimize myself [00:21:00] into utter exhaustion, one where I'm actually protecting my energy to build memories and enjoy the life that I do have.
Because maybe the goal of the weekend isn't to maximize it. Maybe the goal is actually to experience it And that's what my new rule is really about. It's not restricting myself. It's not lowering my standards, but finally giving myself permission to stop turning every window of time into a test of how much I can accomplish before I collapse.
One priority, one meaningful thing, one weekend I actually get to experience instead of optimize. So now I wanna ask you if this message resonated with you, which I hope that it did, what is one priority that you wanna experience this Memorial Day weekend? Big or small, doesn't matter. And if you're up for sharing it, [00:22:00] I would love to hear.
Send me a DM over on Instagram. I love hearing from you because I get to hear your stories, and that reminds me who I get the opportunity to speak with when I'm on this mic in my podcast studio, i.e. the closet in my bedroom. But seriously, send me a DM. I would absolutely love to hear from you, and happy Memorial Day weekend, my friends.
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 the sooner you 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, [00:23:00] starting with just one habit today. Grab your spot at alinebrennan.com/webinar. See you there.

[00:00:00] I used to think pushing through exhaustion made me strong. I didn't realize how much of my life was being driven by this constant fear of falling behind. Behind on work, behind at home, behind in life. And even when my body was begging me to slow down, I still kept trying to prove I could do it all.
Turns out, it was destroying my nervous system. Because you can only fight your body for so long before your body finally starts fighting back. And I think a lot of us living with MS are trying to cram eight hours worth of life into a two-hour energy window, then shaming ourselves when we can't keep up.
That is what we're talking about today. 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 [00:01:00] 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, confidence, and hope.
Save your seat at alinebrennan.com/webinar. Welcome to my MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow progression and live a life they love. I'm Aline 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 my friends. Welcome back to my MS podcast. I am so happy that you are here, whether this is your first episode tuning in or if you [00:02:00] have been here since day one. Welcome, welcome, and I'm so glad that you are here for this exact episode.
Because I wanna share a moment that I recently had where I realized that I have been having the same argument with myself for years. Like, literally years. And I think part of me knew it was happening all along, but I kept trying to ignore it I kept trying to ignore the obvious because I never wanted to stop.
I was obsessed with being productive. So it didn't matter the circumstances, I kept pushing through to get it all done, to plow through exhaustion, because I genuinely wanted, and honestly still want, to do it all. And for a long time, I convinced myself that was strength, right? Like, if I could push through and [00:03:00] still get it done, that was me being strong Well then, I got MS.
But instead of having this come to Jesus moment, I took that as a sign that I needed to dig even deeper to still get it all done. It wasn't like I had this realization like, "I really need to recalibrate. I really need to set some new expectations for myself in a day." No, I just stacked more pressure on myself that if I could stay disciplined enough, healthy enough, positive enough, organized enough, then maybe MS wouldn't take away my ability to be productive.
So like every night, I keep making these little bargains with myself like, "Tomorrow I'm gonna be more productive. Tomorrow I'm gonna catch up and actually maybe even get ahead. Like, I'll answer the text messages, clean the house, get the work done, schedule the appointments, be more present, and oh by the way, I'm also [00:04:00] going to drink my water, take my supplements, get my movement, and go to bed earlier."
Right? Like can you relate to this, right? It's like all of it. And the crazy part is I genuinely believed I could do it, which is wild because logically I know better. I know I have MS. I know my energy is different now. I spend so much time trying to support my body. My CoQ10, my leafy greens, my hydration, like all of it, right?
But every morning I wake up with the same pressure. That pressure that hits before I even get out of bed. It's like the second my eyes open. Before I check in with even how I actually feel that day, my agenda is already running in my mind, and it's already determined my day before my energy and my health did.
It's like my to-do list is non-negotiable. [00:05:00] It was just a matter of how much resistance from my body I would have to try to fight through it. And part of me thought that was a good thing because I didn't want MS to win. I didn't want MS to determine my day. I wanted to prove I could still do all the things that I wanted to do.
I could still get everything done in a day. But recently, I had a moment that made me realize just how deep this pattern actually goes for me. Because the truth is, this didn't start with MS. I've spent a lifetime building my identity around overachieving long before the MS diagnosis ever came around. I don't think I ever really knew how to sit still.
Like, even growing up, I was not the kid that was sitting and watching cartoons on a Saturday morning. I [00:06:00] always needed to be doing something, and even my hobbies had to be productive. Like, you know, as a little girl, you make those beaded bracelets and necklaces? Yeah, I did that, and then I wanted to make a little business out of it, so I would sell them at garage sales.
And in high school, I didn't sit in the cafeteria and eat with my friends during lunch. I went to the guidance counselor's office, not because I needed counseling, but because I was helping to lead programs of welcoming other students into the high school. Then, when I get to college, I barely had my dorm room set up, and I already had joined this one student organization and committed myself to attending their national conference that was just a month away.
And by junior year, I was president of that organization, the first student in the college to hold that position as a junior. And even that wasn't enough. Like, I still wanted the whole college experience, [00:07:00] so I rented a house with my friends. We threw parties. We had fun. And I vividly remember one Halloween, we threw a party at that house, and we had been decorating all day, getting the food ready, the decorations up, setting everything up.
And right before the party started, I went upstairs to squeeze in a little more work. And my roommate literally had to come upstairs and tell me to stop working because the party had, was starting. All of the people were downstairs, and I am still upstairs on my computer trying to be productive. And here's the kicker.
At that time, I thought that hyperproductivity was a badge of honor. Like, I hate admitting this, but I kinda felt like that made me the girl who was able to do it all. I was living that social life of college and yet acing the academic route as well. And to no surprise, at one point over the years, I started [00:08:00] taking yoga, likely to help manage some stress.
And ready for this irony? I couldn't even just stay a student and just roll out my mat and have my own yoga practice. Nope. This girl right here needed to become a certified yoga instructor, and not just with one 200-hour certification program. I did three. Like, what? And I laugh about this now, but it also makes me sad.
It really does, because I look back on all of these seasons in life, and I see how hard on myself I have been, how much I have constantly pushed myself further, even when I wanted to slow things down. And then I entered the corporate world, where I was climbing the ladder at Fortune 500 companies and working on incredible projects.
And then when I went home, I was building my nutrition business at night and on the weekends. [00:09:00] And then I started taking the train up to Manhattan to study functional nutrition, so I was getting certifications outside of the corporate job that I was having. Then in 2014, when I ended my corporate career to go full-time with my business, I moved up to New York to attend culinary school, and even that, I attended culinary school during the day, and I was the girl who went back to school at night to take night classes when all of my other friends were going out and enjoying life in Manhattan.
Why am I going back and taking extra classes? I was getting the full experience during the day. What did I think was going to happen by forcing myself back into the classroom at night? And looking back, I can see this so clearly now. I knew that some of these things were, like, crazy in the moment, but I almost didn't know any other way.
At the time, it felt normal. [00:10:00] I thought it made me disciplined and driven and successful. But I'm realizing now that some of the worst stress in my life isn't coming from inflammatory foods or toxins that I'm exposed to or lack of sleep. It's the constant belief that no matter what I accomplish, it's never enough.
And when your identity gets wrapped in productivity, what happens when your body can't produce that same way anymore? Like, who am I if I can't over-perform? That is the question that I have been sitting with, and as you can imagine, it doesn't feel comfy cozy. Because here's the thing about burnout. Your body keeps the score.
You can only override your body for so long. Eventually, it reaches a breaking point, and my breaking point was when I came home from culinary school. I joke that I, like, [00:11:00] had to crawl my way to the train station to come home, but that's not much of an exaggeration. I have never, to date, ever experienced a level of fatigue like that before.
My cortisol levels had bottomed out. My body was like, "And we are done." I'm done trying to outrun the exhaustion, the stress, and the warning signals. And for the first time in my life, pushing harder wasn't working anymore. At the time, I remember saying, like, "My button to dig deeper is broken. I can no longer dig deeper."
Now, I didn't know it, but this was MS fatigue. I didn't have my diagnosis at the time, but that actually, number one, was MS fatigue, but also was the worst MS fatigue I have ever experienced. And I had to slowly rebuild, like so many of us do when that MS fatigue hits [00:12:00] and ramps up. I struggled to get out of bed in the morning.
Like, I would do one child's pose on the floor, eat breakfast, and then go right back to bed. And it took weeks to start regaining my energy. And here's the part that I don't wanna admit, but I'm going to anyways because I think it might really help you, and you might be able to relate to this as well. The second I started feeling better, the second I started feeling better, I immediately tried maximizing every ounce of energy again.
If I was at fifty percent, I wanted fifty-one. If I got to seventy-five, I wanted ninety. I constantly fight the energy that I have, feeling like anything less than ultra-productive is failure. I believed this for years, and it's something I can't [00:13:00] ignore anymore. It wasn't until recently that I started to see the toll that this was actually taking, not just on my energy, but on my nervous system.
It's like every single week when I couldn't keep up, the anxiety would spiral. I'd tell myself I had fallen behind again, so I'd work the weekends to try to make up the time. It sounds odd to say, but the reality is I was shaming myself, and that shame cycle only made MS fatigue harder to recover from.
And here's the thing about a dysregulated nervous system. Your ability to tolerate life dramatically decreases. Like everything around you feels louder and more irritating. I felt like I was crying more easily than I ever have in my life. I felt constantly frustrated with myself, with others, with situations.
I was more emotional than ever [00:14:00] before. And that's when I realized something. This wasn't just physical exhaustion anymore. My nervous system was completely overloaded. I couldn't fight my body and my nervous system at the same time. The fight itself was the problem. Every time I tried to push past my limits, every time I tried to m- make those bargains with myself about tomorrow, every time I tried to shame myself for not hitting an impossible standard, I was adding stress on top of stress.
And the worst part? The stress was making MS worse, which made my energy worse, which made the shame worse. Do you see the cycle? It was like I couldn't escape it. And that's when I knew something had to change. Well, this past Mother's Day weekend, I had just returned home from a work trip in Connecticut, and there were a [00:15:00] ton of things that I needed to catch up on.
But it was Mother's Day weekend and I decided not to work just for one weekend. And at first, of course, I told myself I was gonna fall behind. The podcast wouldn't get done. YouTube would never get launched. The algorithm was gonna ghost me. All those catastrophic thoughts- came rushing in. But instead of listening to them, I did something different.
I acknowledged the thought and said, I'm not responding right now. Like as those thoughts came in one by one, I literally said, I acknowledge the thought and I am not responding right now. Now, if you're rolling your eyes listening to this, I get it. Same. Like first time I heard about this concept, I was like, yep, nope, a little too like woo-woo for me.
I'm better than that. Well, guess what? Joke's on me. I humbled myself and I gave it a try and it has [00:16:00] helped so much. So if you have things that are constantly running in the back of your mind that are not serving you, they are more the voice of like your own worst enemy and maybe part of your own shame cycle.
Here's what I want you to do. The minute you hear it, stop and say, I acknowledge that thought and I'm not responding right now. Now, you may need to say that every minute on day one, but then day two, it's every five minutes. Day three, every 30 minutes. Day four, every hour. Like each day, it starts to loosen its grip.
And that's what happened for me. So I didn't work the weekend. And when Sunday came, I felt so much better. My energy was better. My nervous system was calmer and I was overall less anxious. And I think that's when [00:17:00] it finally hit me. I don't want to spend my whole life fighting. Fighting my body, fighting my energy, fighting my reality.
Because the truth is, MS is already exhausting enough. I don't need to add a war within myself on top of that. I kept acting like acceptance meant giving up. Like if I stop pushing myself past my limits, somehow MS would win. But now I can say I honestly know and believe that that is not true. I think constantly overriding myself is what has been stealing so much of my peace.
And I would go on to say my joy and my health too. I think for years I've secretly been trying to prove something. Prove that MS couldn't slow me down. Prove I could still do it [00:18:00] all. Prove that I was still capable. But capable according to who? Productive according to who? Like, keep up with who? Why? I don't want my daughter growing up believing life is just one endless performance.
I don't want her learning that rest has to be earned, or that her worth is tied to how much she can produce in a day. And if I don't want that for her, why am I still doing it myself? So I am trying. I am very much a work in progress, but I am trying to do this differently moving forward. Instead of waking up and immediately asking, "How much can I squeeze into this day?"
I'm trying to ask myself, "What actually matters today? What is realistic given the energy that I have? What would support my nervous system today?" A question I [00:19:00] never thought I would ask myself, but now I know it matters. I don't want every day to be an endless chase and pressure to squeeze out every ounce of productivity anymore.
Maybe it's learning how to stop living like you're constantly behind. Maybe it's learning how to let what we did do be enough. And honestly, I think that's the real truce I'm trying to make, not with MS, but with myself. I see it differently now, and once you see it, you can't unsee it. And that's the question I wanna leave you with today.
What would change if the thing you needed to stop fighting wasn't MS, but yourself? And my friend, if you are listening to this and thinking, "I needed to hear this," or maybe, "I didn't [00:20:00] realize how much I've been fighting myself, too." If you've been feeling stuck in that constant cycle of pushing and crashing and shaming yourself and then trying to push harder again, first, you are not alone, and I hope this episode made you realize that.
It's why I put so much of my personal stories out there. They're not always glamorous, but I do it in the hopes that it helps you feel a little less alone, and maybe it helps your journey be just a little bit easier. And that's also exactly why I created my free class, because this conversation that we've had today goes so much deeper than productivity.
In my class, we talk about what it actually looks like to support your energy, to regulate your nervous system, and to build habits that work with your body so you're not constantly fighting yourself anymore, [00:21:00] especially in seasons where your capacity is limited because of MS fatigue, especially for those of us living with MS while also trying to show up for our families, for work, and so much more.
So if this episode felt like someone finally put words to what you have been experiencing all along and struggling with but haven't been able to adequately express it, I would love for you to join us in my free class. You can view the invitation over at aleenebrennan.com/webinar. Again, it's aleenebrennan.com/webinar.
I would love to see you there. All right, my friends, I'm gonna wrap it there. As always, I hope you enjoyed this conversation, and I hope to see you in class this week. Take care. 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, [00:22:00] because that is how real change happens.
And remember, MS has its own biological clock, which means the sooner you 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 aleenebrennan.com/webinar.
See you there.

S9E3 Newly Diagnosed With MS What No One Tells You After the Diagnosis
[00:00:00] If you've been newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, you're probably sitting there thinking, what just happened to my life? Your mind is racing. You're Googling symptoms, progression, diet, DMTs. Just trying to make sense of all of it, and somehow ending up with even more questions than answers. I get it.
I walked this firsthand and I've since helped thousands of women walk through this exact moment. And now I wanna help you. In this episode, I'm walking you through exactly what matters in those early days after a diagnosis. The things I wish someone had explained to me from the very beginning. Think of this as our conversation in the parking lot after that appointment where somebody finally helps you make sense of what's going on and helps you take that first step.
And before we get started, I wanna invite you to something special. Living with MS can feel overwhelming, but [00:01:00] 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, confidence, and hope.
Save your seat at all. brennan.com back slash 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, my friends, and welcome to this very special episode today. Just planning it alone. It has already [00:02:00] become one of my favorite episodes because it finally gives voice.
To an experience that we've all had, and very few people in our world can actually understand. If you are newly diagnosed and you just stumbled upon this episode, hello and welcome. My name's Alene and I am your new fellow Ms. Sister, and this message is likely coming in perfect timing. If you've been around for a while, you've been one of my loyal podcast listeners.
Thank you for coming back. I'm so, so glad that you're here. And I wanna say, you may be thinking that this episode might not apply to you because you've been living with MS for years, but I wanna invite you to listen anyway because it may help you understand and process your diagnosis in a way you have yet to do.
Even after all of these years. So let's start with the moment that united Us all the [00:03:00] moment you heard those three words that changed everything. You have Ms. It's a moment that nobody prepared us for. It's a moment we never expected to be part of our story yet. Here it is. I have been there, and in a minute I'm gonna walk you through exactly what to focus on in the first 30 days so that you don't get stuck in that spiral.
But first I wanna share with you my diagnosis story, not only because I'm often asked about it, but because it changed how I approach this now. So I was 36 at the time I was diagnosed, and to give you a little backstory, I studied nutrition in college. I attended culinary school in New York City. I graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute, and I was head of the nutrition department at one of the most prestigious health clubs in our area.
I was a yoga instructor, a personal trainer. I was basically quote unquote, the healthy one. And then my neurologist told me [00:04:00] I had relapsing remitting MS and basically walked out of the room. Now, obviously I'm exaggerating, but not by much. I, of course, later found out that my doctor was notorious for having the worst bedside manner.
Thank you very much, and lucky me for getting him to deliver the MS diagnosis. Right? But the reality is, even with the best neurologist, you are still in a state of shock and can't wrap your head around what is being said. I remember leaving that exam room, walking down the hallway towards the waiting room, thinking like, oh.
What just happened again? I was 36. I wanted to be growing my career, getting married, having a baby. This diagnosis wasn't exactly enhancing my dating profile, and while I knew that this appointment was the one that made it real after all of the tests. The spinal tap, the repeat MRIs, like all of it. I knew that this was the one that would definitively put MS on my medical chart or not, [00:05:00] and there it now was.
But if I'm being honest, I also was secretly hoping that my doctor would call me later that day and say, Aileen, I'm so sorry we made a mistake. I misread your MRI and you actually don't have ms. This is all just gonna go away. Right. Like we all want that moment. This is all a mistake and it's just gonna go away.
That didn't happen for me. And I'm guessing it didn't happen for you either. Well, as I mentioned, I was 36 single at the time, so I had asked my sister to come with me to the appointment, so she came in the doctor's appointment with me. My dad came along for good measure as dad's do, but he sat in the waiting room, so my sister knew the results.
And I remember walking out, like doing everything that I could to hold back my tears. Not because I wasn't scared, I was terrified, but because I didn't wanna say the words out loud yet, I wasn't ready. It made it too real. So I looked at my sister and I said, you tell him I can't, because I didn't wanna be the one to tell my [00:06:00] dad that his daughter now was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, just six.
Weeks after he lost his wife, my mother to cancer. And it also didn't help that my dad knew a woman at church who also had ms, but was living a very advanced stage of it. So of course he was seeing the worst case scenarios with her, but now I had the same diagnosis as her. So how could he not go to that place in his mind with me?
So I made a beeline for the front desk. My only focus was scheduling those follow up appointments. And then I remember as we were in the elevator going down to the parking garage, like I felt the pressure, like how am I gonna respond to this? Am I gonna fall apart or am I gonna do what I always do? Just put a smile on and push through like.
Find that silver lining. Right? And the reality is, I think I did a little of both. Like I tried smiling on the outside, but I was completely falling apart on the inside. Like my world [00:07:00] just shattered. And I'm willing to bet you did some version of that yourself. It's what so many of us do. And then we go straight into survival mode, trying to figure everything out, trying to stay quote unquote strong.
Trying to get ahead of it. I get it. You don't want MS to take anything away from you? I didn't either. And if this is where you are right now, I wanna just pause before we jump into all of the to-dos and all of the details of your first 30 days because there's something so critical. We need to do first, and that is addressing the state of your nervous system right now, addressing the emotional rollercoaster that you are on.
And I know, I get it. You wanna hit fast forward through this section here. You're like, Alene, I don't have time to talk about my emotions. I'm trying to save my future. Right now. I have a lot more important things to do than talk about my feelings. I get it. [00:08:00] I get it. But here's the thing, your nervous system is in overdrive right now.
It is trying to process something enormous, so that is likely why everything else in your life feels more. Urgent right now. It feels so intense and you may be having people around you telling you to calm down. Everything's gonna be okay. Just relax. You're overreacting. Or maybe those are the things that you're telling yourself right now.
And here's what you need to know. This is not you not being able to handle things. Your nervous system is overwhelmed and it's trying to protect you. This is what most people miss, and until we address that, everything around you, the information you're trying to process, the decisions you're trying to make, all of it is going to feel.
Cluttered, intense, impossible. We need to help calm your nervous [00:09:00] system down so that you are actually able to think more clearly and not obsess over the worst case scenarios, which is why the more you Google. Sometimes the worst you feel you are like on Google Chat, Reddit, or all three searching things like Best diet for ms.
Will I end up in a wheelchair? How fast does MS. Progress? Is this thing curable? All of those are great questions to ask and I'm gonna help you figure this out. Your plan, your options, your next steps. But in the middle of all of this searching, you also need a place to process. What just happened because your nervous system needs to feel supported, and when it does, everything gets easier.
Your thinking, your decisions, your ability to move forward. So before we go any further, let's give your nervous system a little TLC in this moment. I promise it won't take long. Three breaths. That's all that we are doing. So wherever [00:10:00] you are right now, if you have the ability to close your eyes or take a soft gaze onto the floor, do so.
If you're walking or driving, obviously keep those eyes open. But wherever you are, can you start by just rolling your shoulders up towards your ears and relaxing them down the back. Good. Roll the shoulders up towards the ears. Relax 'em down the back. Create length from your ears to your shoulders. Lift the crown of your head up towards the ceiling.
Relax your forehead, the muscles in your face, your jaw, tongue, and lips. Good. And from this place here, take a breath in. Exhale out. Inhale. Exhale out longer than you think you can.
Good last one's happening here. Breath in[00:11:00]
and out.
Can you feel a shift? Even just a subtle one from just three breaths. That's all that it is. Your nervous system needs some help right now. And that can start with something as simple as a single breath. So when you feel overwhelmed, when you're about to go into a doctor's appointment, when you're about to get online and start researching information, when you're about to have a conversation with a family member, a coworker, a friend, a neighbor, whomever it is, take a breath.
Your breath can help to shift your body from the sympathetic nervous system, your fight or flight state of stress into the parasympathetic nervous system where you can actually feel calmer. And guess what happens in that state? Your body can rest and [00:12:00] heal, so you're not only allowing yourself to.
Process the enormity of what you are going through right now in a much gentler way, but you're actually positioning yourself to make clear decisions and to support your healing. And it all begins with a breath. It's not gonna solve all your problems, but it's a really helpful starting point. So thank you for going through that exercise with me here.
I really wanted to start this conversation today with that 'cause I truly believe it will help you to even just understand the conversation that we're having here today. A little bit better. So now let's dive in and we're gonna start with how to prepare for neurology appointments after an MS diagnosis.
Because one of the hardest parts of this process yes, can be your doctor's appointments. And I'm sure this doesn't sound like a huge surprise to you because you may have been in a doctor's appointment feeling completely scattered, overwhelmed, or intimidated. [00:13:00] Same. Okay, same. You had questions that you wanted to ask, but then your mind went blank.
The minute the doctor walked in and 15 minutes later you're walking out thinking like, what just happened? I didn't even get to ask half the questions that I had, or maybe you asked the questions and felt shut down or dismissed. So now you're leaving even more confused than when you walked in. So you go home and you start searching online again, trying to fill in the gaps on your own.
And here's the part that nobody says you are trying to understand a disease on the fly that your doctor has had years. Years. They have dedicated their career to this disease. They have years to understand your brain, Ms, the central nervous system, the medications, all of it. This is. Day one for you, and you're trying to grasp all of this in a 15 minute appointment.
Yes, that feels [00:14:00] overwhelming. So instead of walking in, hoping that you will get what you need, I want to prepare you to make sure you do get what you need, and I want you to start by writing your questions down before you go in. We know our mind generates a lot of questions right in the middle of the night when you're driving, when you're in the shower, like it feels like it is just churning out question after question, and I want you to capture every single one of them because when you do, you are able to walk in more prepared, not just to get answers.
But to feel more confident in asking them, and I'm not saying that you're gonna go in and ask every single question, but when you capture them all, whether it's on a sheet of paper, on your phone, in an app, doesn't matter, find one place to capture them. That's gonna work well for you. And then before your appointment, [00:15:00] maybe in the waiting room.
Because my goodness, we certainly can wait a long time before the doctor comes in. You can prioritize them so that you know you're getting answers to your most important questions. And because I don't want you to start with a blank sheet of paper, my goal is to help guide you through this process. Here are a few important questions that you can add to that list.
Number one, what type of MS do I have and what does that mean for my prognosis? Two, how many lesions do I have? Where are they located and what does that mean for my future symptoms? This is a really important question to ask. How many lesions do I have? Where are they located and what does that mean for future symptoms?
It's an important question to ask because it can help you make a better educated decision on your treatment options. And that's the third question. What are my MS treatment options and which do you recommend for me? Fourth, what side [00:16:00] effects are most common? Because we know that they have to document all side effects when they're doing studies on the medications.
But what are the most common side effects? And ask this one too. Which am I most at risk for? Everyone's going to have a different risk factor for those side effects. So ask which you are most at risk for? And then lastly, how will we monitor MS progression over time? Look, you are allowed to ask questions.
You are allowed to understand what is going on in your body. That's not you being difficult, that is you being educated. And remember, this is day one for you. Your doctor got to ask questions in medical school as they were learning about this disease. So this is your turn to ask questions, to develop your own understanding, and that's what will help you feel more confident in making decisions.
And if you are sitting there thinking like, okay, Alene, this is a breath of [00:17:00] fresh air. Like, thank you for saying this. And also I still don't know really how to start with all this. I never really had to advocate for myself with my doctor, and that feels really uncomfortable. You are not alone. And because I heard from so many of you struggling with this, I actually created something called Still You, because I remember being in this exact moment feeling like I had to like.
Sprint up to speed on how to advocate for myself in a doctor's appointment. So I created something that gives you the tools to have the confidence to advocate for yourself and partner with your doctor in creating a plan that feels right for you. Again, 'cause I remember trying to track everything, ask the right questions, and feeling like my brain just couldn't hold it all in.
So instill you. I give you real scripts that you can use in your appointments so that you're not just sitting there thinking like, I don't even know what to ask. I don't, how do I ask this question so that my [00:18:00] doctor will take me seriously? That's what is inside of here. It also breaks down a lot of terms that you're hearing.
With simple definitions so you can actually understand what is being said in these conversations versus just nodding along and trying to Google everything later, and it gives you a place to capture everything after your appointments so that you're able to stay on top of things. And then of course, because I know there's the added pressure of not only you trying to understand this and get up to speed, but then when you share the news with your family and friends, all of a sudden you feel like you're having to educate them on something you are trying to understand.
Right. And at some point you're like, enough already enough. This is just too much right now. I get it. And that is why there is an entire section still you with resources for your family and friends. So you are not trying to educate everyone else while you're still trying to process it yourself. [00:19:00] So it's kind of like your survival guide.
For your diagnosis so you can start to feel more grounded and actually move forward with a plan. So if that feels like a resource that you want in your hands right now, you can head on over to alene brennan.com/new. That's where I'm gonna have the show notes and all of the resources that I'm mentioning on this podcast today.
Lene brennan.com/new like NEW. It'll be the show notes version of this podcast again, with all of the resources linked. So we wanna be more prepared when we are going into our doctor's office. And that leads us to that next big question. What treatment plan do you wanna start? This is the moment where many women get stuck after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis because you're sitting in the appointment hearing medications you've never heard of.
And looking at MRI results, you don't really understand and you're nodding [00:20:00] along like you get it, but really you're thinking, I have no idea what is being said. Definitely don't have any idea what decision to make. You are being asked to make major decisions before you've even had time to process the diagnosis itself.
So let's, for a moment, take that pressure off. You are not trying to find the perfect MS treatment plan. You are choosing a plan that feels right in this moment because here's what matters. Timing. MS. Progression does not wait while you decide. The longer inflammation goes unaddressed, the harder it becomes to reverse.
And my friend, I am not saying this to scare you. I am saying this because this is important information for you to know about the disease in your body. And that doesn't mean to panic. I'm not suggesting that at all. I want to make sure you [00:21:00] don't get stuck either. So whether it is a DMT, an MS diet, or a combination of both, it is a personal decision.
There's no one treatment plan that's going to work for everyone. It's a personal decision. But it's one you need to make and I get it. It is completely normal to feel unsure about it right now. There's unfortunately no way to have a 100% guarantee on anything in life, and definitely not when it comes to our health.
But waiting for a moment of certainty will keep you stuck longer than anything else. So instead of waiting for that feeling, give yourself permission to make the best decision you can With the information that you have today, in this moment, you can always adjust later. You are not locked into one treatment plan for.
And if you need a little help weighing out the options of DMTs and preparing for that conversation with your [00:22:00] doctor, I have an entire episode on this podcast, specifically on deciding on MS medications and how to make the best choice for you. So I will also link that episode up into the show notes of today's episode over@allieandbrennan.com slash new.
Alright, so now let's dive into the next topic here. We talked about preparing for your doctor's appointments. We talked about. Making a decision on your treatment plan. Now, to no surprise, I wanna talk about MS. Diet and lifestyle. And this is something that creates a lot of confusion and I get it because you hear stories of women who are feeling better after changing their diet.
So you ask your doctor, can I just follow an MS diet? And if your doctor is anything like mine. They say, eat whatever you want. Diet doesn't matter. Great, thank you very much, doc. And you're left thinking like, then why are these people getting results? You see some people who are swearing by diet and then you [00:23:00] go and talk to your doctor and he completely shuts the idea down and makes you feel foolish for even asking the question to begin with.
So let me give you a little context to help make sense of it all because my neurologist said the same thing to me back in 2016. Eat whatever you want. Diet doesn't matter. Now my neurologist is saying that my 10 years of stable MRIs is quote unquote great data. That diet works. Here's why. About 80% of your immune cells lives in the lining of your gut.
80% of your immune cells lives in the lining of your gut. MS is an autoimmune disease. So if 80% of our immune cells live in the lining of our gut, that's really good information to know. And by changing the food on our plate, we can help to change the immune response and help to reduce inflammation in our body when we are living with a chronic inflammatory disease.
So as food, a cure? No, I get that. [00:24:00] But what you eat even today, can influence your body. Your body is constantly renewing itself, so when you change the food on your plate, you are helping to build better health for tomorrow. So that's the first step in understanding diet and lifestyle. But then let's take the next step here.
You're intrigued. So you start looking online again, Google Chat, Reddit, whatever. Then you go down this rabbit hole and you come up with this list of no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no anything. You actually enjoy eating, and suddenly you're overwhelmed all over again. You were overwhelmed by your diagnosis.
You were overwhelmed with the treatment options. You had this glimmer of hope about diet, and now that immediately got shut down because you're overwhelmed again, trying to figure out how you can. Actually make these ultra restrictive recommendations realistic in your everyday life living with ms. So let me simplify this here.[00:25:00]
You do not need to overhaul your entire diet right now. You don't need to follow every single rule you see online. What matters most is what you do consistently, and that can start with small habits. But I know this is where many women get stuck thinking, alright, I get it, but how do I actually do this in real life, like consistently Aileen, without becoming overwhelmed, I've been there too, trying to change everything at once.
What I'm eating, what I'm sleeping, what supplements I should be taking. And you do it for a few days if you're lucky. Then everything falls apart. That is exactly why I created my program Healing Habits, because healing doesn't come from doing something once perfectly. It comes from doing simple things consistently.
Inside healing habits, I walk you [00:26:00] through things like simple go-to meals that you can actually make without overthinking or how to stock your kitchen so that you're not starting from scratch every single day, like having two or three meals that you don't even have to think about, or things that you can make in 10 minutes or less with ingredients you already have in your kitchen so that you're not Googling healthy recipes at 6:00 PM when.
Ms. Fatigue has completely shut you down, and it has easy ways to cook veggies so they, they actually taste good. And it teaches you how to build simple routines around things like supplement hydration and sleep. But what makes the biggest difference is not the information that's in there, it's the coaching support.
You're not just receiving more information and left to figure it out on your own inside healing habits. I actually am coaching you every step of the way so that if you feel stuck, unsure, or feel like you're falling off track, I'm there to guide you [00:27:00] so that you can keep the momentum going. Long enough to get the results.
And you're also surrounded by a community of women who get it, women who are walking the same journey right alongside you. Because I know this isn't about knowing more, there is a plethora of information out there. This is about having the support to figure out how to actually implement these recommendations in real life and do it alongside people who get it.
That is where real change starts. So I'll link all the details to that in the show notes over on aline brennan.com/new. And of course, if you have any questions about it, feel free to reach out to me. I'm always in the dms on Instagram. You can email me whatever works best for you. Would love to hear from you.
But for now, I'm gonna wrap this conversation here and I want to leave you with this note. You don't have to have everything figured out today. You're not supposed to remember. Everything you just heard. Even on this podcast, you're not supposed to have all of [00:28:00] the answers yet. If anything today was just meant to be a conversation from one Ms.
Sister to another, a way to help slow things down and start making sense of what is happening. Because right now you are processing something big and likely not. Giving yourself enough credit for what you are actually going through. That takes time. So if your mind is racing later today, or you find yourself back in that spiral, take a breath and begin again.
You don't need your whole future figured out, just your next step. And that first step may be, again, Allie and brennan.com/new. Print it out and let that be the start of your plan. And more than anything I want you to know you are not behind. You're not doing this wrong. You're just at the beginning and you don't have to walk through this alone.
I am right here with you and I am [00:29:00] so glad that you decided to hit play on this episode today, and I hope that you send me a little note afterwards and that you too become a regular in this podcast community. Take care my friend. 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 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 [00:30:00] there.

MS and Sleep The Habit That Helps Your Brain Detox and Recover Transcript
[00:00:00] If you're living with MS and struggling with fatigue, brain fog, or inflammation, one of the most powerful things you can do for your brain might not be another supplement or diet change. It might be sleep, but not just because sleep makes you feel more rested. Sleep is when your brain literally cleans itself.
There is a system in your brain that becomes 10 times more active when you're sleeping, and its job is to remove. Waste toxins and inflammatory byproducts from your brain. And when you're living with a neurological condition like ms, that nightly cleanup process matters more than most women realize. So today we're talking about sleep and ms.
Why sleep can be such a challenge when you're living with ms. What actually happens in your brain when you sleep, and a few things that can dramatically improve your quality [00:01:00] of sleep. So let's dive 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, 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 [00:02:00] write the ending.
Hello? Hello my friends. If you are listening to this podcast episode today, I am willing to bet sleep likely hasn't always come easy for you. Maybe it's 'cause your legs don't settle at night, or maybe it's because your mind won't settle. We all know those moments, the worst case scenarios and what ifs that just play on repeat over and over and over again at two or three o'clock in the morning.
Or maybe you sleep all night and you still wake up feeling exhausted like somebody borrowed your body to run a marathon while you were sleeping and you get to wake up to the aftermath. That kind of exhaustion. It's humbling, right? And the frustrating part is that sleep is often exactly what we need to support our healing.
Yet MS makes it harder to get the sleep that we need, like it feels like such a catch 22. [00:03:00] I know this firsthand and over the years, I've done a lot to improve my sleep and it's paid off. And I also have helped so many of the clients that I've worked with and the women inside my Healing Habits program because sleep is one of those foundational habits for.
Detecting your brain when you're living with ms. It's not just about the leafy greens and the supplements. Sleep is one of the most overlooked strategies when you are trying to manage ms. And protect your brain long term. Over the years I've adjusted my nighttime routine. I've experimented with all kinds of different like strategies, tips, tricks, hacks, all the things, right?
And I can say now I'm in a relatively like good place when it comes to sleep, and yet I also. Was completely blindsided when, for about two weeks, I was [00:04:00] recently waking up around two or three o'clock in the morning, completely wide awake, not able to fall back asleep. And if you've ever experienced that, you know how frustrating that can be, because at two or three o'clock in the morning, you know it's the middle of the night, but your brain apparently has different plans.
It's like, all right, I'm awake now. What are we gonna do? So I started experiencing this recently and because I have become such a good sleeper, totally caught me off guard and I'm like, what in the world changed? Like, what am I overlooking? Well, I got my little detective hat on and I am proud to say I figured it out and the very next night.
I slept straight through the night, but before I talk about what was actually causing it, I wanna explain something that is fascinating about what actually happens in your brain while you sleep. Because once you understand this, it changes how you think about [00:05:00] sleep entirely. So your body has something called a lymphatic system.
You may have heard this before. It's why so many of us are encouraged to move our bodies throughout the day because it's our waste management system and our body needs movement in order for that to work optimally. It helps to clear out cellular waste and toxins all throughout your body, but not your brain.
Your brain is protected by the blood brain barrier. So for a long time, scientists couldn't figure out how in the world our brain was clearing waste. It knew the lymphatic system did it for our body, but what was doing it for our brain, which was tucked behind the blood brain barrier? Well, eventually researchers discovered that the brain has its own waste management system, which they have called the glymphatic system.
I like to think of this as our overnight cleaning crew, right? [00:06:00] Like, because throughout the day, as I mentioned earlier, your brain accumulates metabolic waste toxins and inflammatory byproducts from normal brain activity. When you fall into deep sleep, the space between your brain cells. Actually expands.
Like, isn't this mind blowing when you sleep, the space between your brain cells expands allowing cerebral spinal fluid to wash through the brain and flush the waste out. I'm like, so wait a minute. Is this like a car wash for my brain? Is my brain going through a car wash in the middle of the night? And here's the crazy part, this system becomes 10 times more.
Active when you are asleep, which means sleep isn't just about rest. Sleep is when your brain is literally detoxifying and repairing itself. So for those of us living [00:07:00] with ms, a condition that affects the brain and nervous system supporting that nightly cleanup crew. Is kind of important. It matters a lot.
So when you start thinking about sleep through this lens, it changes how you see it. Sleep isn't just a luxury or a waste of time. Sleep is healing. It is literally protecting your brain. It's when your brain clears inflammation, consolidate memories, restores energy, and supports your nervous system.
Imagine if there was a supplement that could rattle off all of those attributes. Clears inflammation, check consolidates memories, check restores energy check supports your nervous system. I want a Costco size palette of that being auto shipped to my house, right? But of course, just because we know [00:08:00] that all of these wonderful benefits happen during sleep, we may see it more differently, which, yes, that's helpful, but it doesn't mean.
It magically makes it easier to get good sleep. Many of the women listening to this podcast, I know you out there. I talked to you on the dms on Instagram, hello, hello. You are high performing women with ms. You are working, you are raising families, you're managing responsibilities. And because MS is often invisible, it's like the world still expects you to function like nothing has changed.
So what happens? You push through fatigue, you stay up later, you try to squeeze more in your day to keep up and sleep quietly, keeps getting bumped further and further down the list. And when sleep is compromised, your brain never gets the chance to recover. So [00:09:00] let's talk about a few things that can actually support better sleep.
If you are part of my Healing Habits community, you know, I walk you through all of these important habits step by step. We go through nutrition movement, stress mindset, because they all work together to support your brain and nervous system. But for the context of today's episode about a few things that can help to support better sleep.
Let's start with supplements and how they impact your sleep. If you look inside the cabinet of somebody living with MS, who is trying to biohack their way through this disease, you'll likely see a overflowing box of. A variety of different supplements, all promising to be so helpful in managing symptoms and look, a lot of them have a lot of research and are super effective.[00:10:00]
I have my personal favorites, I'm gonna talk about them in a second here, but we wanna make sure that we understand the timing. Of taking certain supplements and how they can impact our sleep. So we know Ms. Fatigue is one of the most challenging symptoms when living with ms. So of course a lot of the supplements that support us can be for supporting energy production, which again, incredibly helpful for getting through your day when you are struggling with MS.
Fatigue. Yes. Bring on the supplements. They're gonna help give me a little. Boost in my energy and also they can interfere with your sleep if the timing isn't right. Let's take for example, the B vitamins, especially B12, B six, and biotin. They are essential for nerve health, myelin repair, and energy production, which makes them incredibly helpful for [00:11:00] managing MS symptoms like.
Fatigue and numbness and cog fog, right? But because they support energy production, taking them too late in the day can make it harder to fall asleep. Same can be said for coq 10. If you've been a part of this community for a little while, you know my love for Kq 10. It supports mitochondrial energy production and has been studied for MS.
Fatigue. There was a 12 week study done on individuals living with MS, who are struggling with MS fatigue. They took 500 milligrams over the course of 12 weeks and saw noticeable differences in their energy levels. So when I heard that, I ordered me a bottle of Coke Q 10, and it has made a huge difference for me.
I have noticed a significant difference in my energy since taking that supplement. And a little side note, as a member of the podcast community, I extend a lot of my client [00:12:00] discounts to you for supplements. So if you're interested in coq 10 or the study that was done on it, just send me a dm. Um, and I'm happy to share all of that with you 'cause we wanna share the love.
And the energy in this community. Right? But this actually brings me back to the sleep issue that I mentioned earlier. So I was in a particularly exhausting season in life, and I noticed a little dip in my energy. So I was like, all right, let's get that coq 10 going. But here's the thing. I noticed that I was taking it too late in the day, and while it was great for the energy during the day, I realized that is what was waking me up in the middle of the night.
So as soon as I realized that I changed the timing. Literally the very next night, I slept straight through the night. So sometimes it's just a matter of making sure the timing of your supplements is right. And on the flip side, there are supplements that can actually help [00:13:00] support better sleep. One of the most well-known supplements in that context is magnesium.
Magnesium helps to relax muscles, which is especially helpful if you experience muscle tension or those jumpy legs in the middle of the night. It also has another perk for those of us living in the MS community here. It can help to relieve constipation. So there are a lot of good reasons why to take magnesium, but knowing that it can help to support sleep makes it a.
A great supplement to take right before you go to sleep, not first thing in the morning. So really being educated on the supplements that you're taking and the timing in which you're taking them is really important. That's something that I dive deep into in my Healing Habits community. We go through what are the foundational supplements, what are the targeted supplements that are really helpful for us?
When living with ms, what's the best timing to take them? All of it because those details [00:14:00] matter. They matter. And another tool I personally use and love, um, are essential oils. I think we're all kind of generally familiar with what essential oils are, but the fancy definition of them is that they are the volatile aromatic compounds of plants.
So. If you have ever walked into a room and smelled an orange in the room, you smell it before you see it. Like you walk in, you're like, who's eating an orange? 'cause I can smell it when you peel an orange. The essential oils in that. Orange break open, and that is what you are smelling in the air. Same is true if you ever rub your hands over different herbs.
So if you've done it over basil or mint, or thyme, rosemary, whatever it is, if you're in the kitchen like making different things and then you start to get the smell of those herbs, that is because simply the touch of your hand against that leaf broke, open those essential oils, and that is [00:15:00] what you're smelling in the air.
So you can imagine to get an actual drop of essential oil requires a tremendous amount of plants. I think there is 28 cups. I can't remember the stat. It's something crazy, like 28 cups of. Um, peppermint tea is equivalent to one drop of essential oil. There's that much plant material needed to extract one drop of essential oil.
Um, so they're, they're incredible. I have used them over the years. Um, and you can use them aromatically so you can like diffuse them in the air. You can use them topically putting them on their skin. Some you can use internally that you would definitely want like additional guidance on, but, um, different plant families.
Have different effects on our body and our nervous system like florals, like lavender, is very calming. So that's a great one to use At nighttime. Mints are more energizing, so your peppermint, your spearmint, any [00:16:00] type of, um, mint. Any, any type of mint is gonna be more energizing. Citrus oils, the lemons, the clementines, the orange tangerine, all of that stuff is gonna be uplifting.
Um, I think of them as like my happy sunshine oils. And then the root oils like vir cedarwood, they are gonna be more grounding. So when I go to bed at night, I put some vever on the soles of my. Feet, and then I'll often diffuse lavender in the bedroom. It's not magic, but I will tell you one thing, it smells amazing and I absolutely positively sleep better the nights that I use the essential oils, and it's also become part of my.
Evening routine, my bedtime routine. So it's a signal to my body to start winding down and preparing for sleep. And speaking of signals, another one that I try to set up is setting the phone down before bed. I feel [00:17:00] like I am somebody who is super sensitive to that, and it's really annoying if I'm being honest.
I, if I'm on the phone within like an hour before going to bed, I almost. Always notice a difference in how well I sleep. So over the years, I've really tried to create a boundary with my phone at night. I'm not perfect, but for the most part, I've really tried to reduce the amount of screen time before bed and every little bit counts.
So if you are hearing this and you're like, there's no way I can go for an hour without looking at my phone before I go to bed. Great. Can you start with five minutes? Can you start with 10 minutes? If you're a part of my Healing Habits community, you know, one of the things I say over and over and over again when you're trying to build a new habit, if you're struggling to get started or be consistent, break it down to a habit that is two minutes or less.
So if you are trying to improve your quality of sleep and you think that the phone may be standing in the way, shut it [00:18:00] down two minutes before you go to bed, it makes a difference. I would dare to say, especially the small things. Add up. All right, moving on. Another powerful thing you can do for sleep actually isn't what happens at night.
It's what's happening in the morning. Your body runs on something called a circadian rhythm. You've probably heard the term before. It is your internal clock viewing sunlight within 30 to 60 minutes of waking. Especially when the sun is like low, like that sunrise type posture plays a critical role in setting that clock.
Morning sunlight triggers a natural cortisol spike that tells your brain it's time to wake up and be alert. That signal helps regulate. Your wake sleep cycle and prepares your body to then release melatonin later in the evening. So you [00:19:00] want to expose your eyes to the sun first thing in the morning. If you can get outside, great.
Amazing. Do it. If you can't, at least open up the blinds. Get yourself next to a window, let your eyes have some sunlight, and then as the day progresses. You start to reduce the exposure to light. And finally, one of my favorite reminders when it comes to sleep is creating a routine. One of the things I love hearing about inside our Healing Habits community is the different bedtime routines women are creating for themselves.
It is amazing house. Small adjustments can make such a big difference in how you feel the next day Routine is essential for sleep and when it comes to these routines, especially for sleep. I love telling you to act like a child. I have a four-year-old daughter right now, and when we are getting her ready for bed, she follows a routine.
Bath time, [00:20:00] brushing teeth, books, lights out, all of those cues signal to her brain that sleep is coming. And as adults, we benefit from those cues too. So yes, dim the lights. Maybe you do a few stretches. Maybe you're applying the essential oil, or maybe it's reading instead of scrolling. The key is choosing one habit.
I know we can do all of them, but that's not setting you up for success. Remember, two minutes or less. One simple habit that starts to signal to your body, it's time to wind down. So tonight I want you to ask yourself one simple question. Is my nighttime routine helping my brain to heal or is it working against it?
Because when you start thinking about sleep as brain protection, it changes how you approach it. Sleep might [00:21:00] seem like a small thing, but when you understand what's happening in your brain, that cleanup crew is coming at night to wash the wastes out of your brain, it becomes clear that it is one of the most powerful habits.
You can build when living with ms. And here's the good news, it doesn't require perfection. Small adjustments to your routine make a big, big difference over time. All right my friends. That is it for today's episode of my MS podcast. And remember, MS has a biological clock, which means the sooner you start supporting your brain and nervous system, the more influence you have over your future.
And I think it's appropriate to sign off today by saying. Sweet dreams. Take care, guys. And that's it for today's episode of my MS [00:22:00] 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 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.

S9E1 Already Behind in 2026 Start Here
[00:00:00] It's mid-February and you already convinced yourself, you blew it. The workout routine didn't stick, the nutrition plan fell apart, and January somehow became more proof that you just can't keep up. Sound familiar? Good, because that's exactly where we are starting in today's episode, and it's also exactly where the guilt ends.
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, confidence, and hope.
Save your seat at all. brennan.com back slash webinar. Welcome to my MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow progression and live [00:01:00] 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. Welcome back my friends. So the last time I recorded a podcast episode was Thanksgiving. It's been a minute, and to be fair, I planned to take December off, so that was intentional. Um, I had a lot lined up for the holidays and I really wanted to enjoy them this year, and I did.
I also had planned to have a full batch of episodes queued up to kick off the new year. Well, fast forward to this past week. I'm sitting at my computer and I've actually been spending a lot of time in the dms with [00:02:00] all of you, and I love it. I love hearing your stories. I love sharing like resources with you.
Well, the other day I wanted to grab a link to a specific podcast episode that I knew would help somebody that I was talking with in the dms. And I went over to my podcast page and I saw the last episode I released was Thanksgiving. And I was like, where did my plan go? Where did my plan go to have January all queued up?
I felt so defeated, and it wasn't like I didn't know that I hadn't recorded episodes. Of course I did, but I'm sitting here in mid-February facing the fact that it has been, what is that? 10 weeks? I also had planned to make this year, the year that I. Finally got back to consistent exercise pre ms. I was a yoga instructor.
I was a personal trainer. Like moving my body felt part [00:03:00] of me. It felt part of my identity. I've mentioned that before. I. And I did maintain it for a while. Like, um, my exercise routine, certainly after, um, my diagnosis, it didn't stop then, but once my daughter was born and then a lot of other life events happened as they do, and they just derailed me.
And similar to my experience with the podcast episodes, like I picked my head up at one point and I'm like, oh my gosh, you. You haven't had a consistent workout routine in, I can't even tell you how long. So I did go to Pilates last summer and I really liked it, but I wanted something that I could do at home because that was something that I could be more consistent with.
Um, so I was like, okay, new Year, wall Pilates, here I come. At home in my basement, in my jams if I need to for like 10, 15 minutes, whatever I had time and energy for. It wasn't about like an [00:04:00] intense workout. I truly was not trying to match the level of intensity that I did pre ms. I know that that is setting myself up for failure, but I just wanted to be consistent.
Again, I wanted that part of my morning routine. Back. I wanted that part of me back. Right. We all want that pre ms Life back. Well, I started off, well, I was doing like, I don't know, like three to five minutes in the morning, and of course that feels super unproductive and super unsatisfying because even though I didn't wanna go back to the full intensity of what I did before, I wanted to feel like I was doing something other than like three minutes of stretching.
Like, what in the world is that actually doing? But I had to get out of my head and just start focusing on showing up each day. And so that's what I did. And then 10 inches of snow fell, which of course means no school, and I feel like we have had more snow days than school [00:05:00] days in January. Then I had two family members in the hospital, one of which watches my daughter when I work in the afternoons.
So I had that. To add to the no school days, there was no afterschool coverage. And just for good measure, my daughter decided to sprinkle in a few sick days too. Thank you so much, sweet pea. And the reality is, even in the midst of trying to record this episode today, I got a call that a family member had to be rushed back to the hospital and I am grateful to say that they are stable, like all is well.
So I'm very, obviously that is the highest priority and I'm so grateful for that. But because I am talking to you, I know I can also acknowledge that in the midst of all of this, of the 10 inches of snow of the trips to the hospital of the no school days of my daughter being sick. I'm trying to maintain my energy as it feels like more and more [00:06:00] keeps getting piled on.
So of course, MS. Fatigue sets in, like I am living in the sandwich generation of taking care of a young child as well as elderly parents. Also managing a chronic illness. How do we protect ourselves? How do we protect ourselves not only from the very real things that are going on around us that need us, but also how do we protect ourselves from ourselves trying to keep a standard that is unrealistic?
But the icing on the cake is that you look up and it's mid-February and you immediately feel like, amazing. I'm already behind in 2026, because January is supposed to be the time that you are crushing your goals, right? Going all in on the new you in the new year. But the reality is. It's [00:07:00] February and you are the same you, and maybe feeling like January is just more proof that no matter how hard you try and how good your intentions are, you'll never be as good as your prem Ms.
Self again. Right. Am I the only one that's said that before? You'll never be able to keep up. Everything that you want is on the other side of energy you don't have, and the world doesn't exactly set us up for success either in telling us that January is like the perfect time to start fresh. We try.
Because we wanna feel better. We want to have, yes, our best year, and we're afraid what happens if we don't start to make changes? What if this year is a repeat of the previous year and you didn't like that? Or what if this year things get worse? So that fear of MS. Progressing is like a cloud that [00:08:00] is constantly looming over you.
So you try to let it motivate you, right? But the truth is you are completely exhausted. You are completely exhausted, often just getting through the day, but you are definitely exhausted coming out of December, getting through the holidays, my friend. January is not the time to sprint. It is a time to rest.
That is the best way to set yourself up for a better year. 'cause here's what I learned this past January. Rest is not the opposite of progress. Rest is not the opposite of progress. And I get it. I get it. It's so hard not to look at rest as lazy or unproductive, but it's exactly what our body needs regardless of what the world around us is doing.
So I don't wanna just rush past that. I [00:09:00] want us to actually sit with that for a second and really try to believe that because I hear that rest. Is not lazy, and I'm like, yep, got it. Now let me keep it moving because I got stuff to get done. Right. It's like you want that for somebody else. I want that for you.
Rest. Your body needs it. Rest is healing. I say it over and over and over again, but yet, if we're being honest, we don't always give that gift to ourselves. Because you wanna be productive both in your day and in managing ms. You are terrified that if you rest, you'll fall behind and never be able to catch back up.
And that's the tension that I think we all live in. We're exhausted, we're afraid. Of what that exhaustion means. So you try to outrun it, you make a plan, you tell yourself, this time will be different. I'm gonna try harder, I'm gonna be more disciplined. [00:10:00] I'll just power through. And then life happens and it piles on because it always does.
And you don't think, wow. This was a really hard month. No, you tell yourself. Failed again. So can we change that? We'll start with the whole premise of January. Being a good time for a fresh start is an illusion, certainly for those of us living with Ms. Managing fatigue, raising children, caring for aging parents, and holding it all together on what feels like running on fumes.
That mindset that January is our fresh start is built for somebody who has unlimited energy. Definitely not a chronic illness, and quite honestly, I don't even know if that person exists anyway, so what if we stop measuring ourselves against somebody who likely doesn't even exist? It's this [00:11:00] illusion that we tell ourselves, but it's certainly never.
Built for us, because here's what I noticed in January, the three to five minutes of wall Pilates that I was doing, it did matter. Not because it's transforming my body in those three minutes, but because I showed up even when it felt so small, it. Couldn't possibly make a difference. And even though I didn't do it every day, guess what?
Today I opened up my app and I was on day 14. Yeah, we are six weeks into the new year, and that doesn't feel very impressive, but it's 14 days more than not doing anything at all, because I told myself the lie that five minutes didn't count. This is how habits start. Not from a perfect streak, but from starting small, so small that you can actually get through it and [00:12:00] have the energy to show up again tomorrow.
But then when life happens and derails you again, 'cause it does, instead of letting that be proof that you can't do it, that you failed, that you fell off the bandwagon, stop and recognize I'm human. I am a mom. I'm a daughter. I'm a caregiver. I'm a woman living with ms, doing the absolute best I can with what I have, and so are you.
Here's the good news. If you are feeling behind right now, drop the guilt and drop the story you're telling yourself about not being good enough. Because when you lift that pressure, what's left is you exactly where you are right now with an opportunity to begin. Again, not with a bundle of fabricated energy, but to begin with your next.
Breath. It doesn't mean [00:13:00] starting over. It means letting go of a plan that assumed you had energy, that you just don't. It means choosing one thing. Just one that feels doable today, not on your best day, on your real life today. And it means releasing the idea that consistency means perfect attendance when really it just means showing up on the days that you can and returning when you can.
My friend, you didn't miss your opportunity to have a great year. Maybe you had a bumpy start like I did, and maybe you started telling yourself that this is just how 2026 is gonna be. But that's not true. Don't stay stuck thinking that you've lost your chance. Simply start with one thing that you can do today, and if I could recommend, let it be something that is two minutes or less.[00:14:00]
Grab a glass of water, get your supplement bottle out, and take it today. One supplement. Do three minutes of stretching. Not all of these. Pick one. Pick one thing that you can do in two minutes or less, and yes, resting for two minutes counts too, because we are continuing to reinforce that belief that resting is being productive because it's giving your body what it needs in this moment.
Rest is healing. We need to believe that for ourselves, not for the person standing next to us, but for ourselves. So again, right now, I want you to think of one thing that you can do starting today that is two minutes or less. Two minutes or less. Resting, stretching. Drink a glass of water, take one, supplement, pick one.
When you focus on one [00:15:00] habit at a time, you are 85% likely to be successful. When you try to focus on two habits at the same time, your success goes from 85 to 35%. And if you try to do three habits at a time, you are success plummets to 10%. Let's stack the odds in your favor. Focus on one habit, something that you can do two minutes or less, and do it today.
And my friend, if you are wanting a plan to guide you through this year so that you can truly feel like this year is different than it was last year, send me a DM over on Instagram. Dm me the word New Year. I have a special invitation I wanna send your 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 [00:16:00] change happens. And remember, MS has its own biological clock, which means this. Sooner you 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.

S8E7 What Should I Eat on Thanksgiving with MS Transcript
[00:00:00] Thanksgiving is the biggest food holiday of the year here in the us, and if you're living with MS, that can come with a lot of pressure. Maybe you're already stressing about what to eat, or maybe you've already decided to throw in the towel and just eat whatever and get back on track in January. But here's the thing.
I don't want you to stress. Definitely don't want you waking up the next day with regret or symptoms flaring. In this episode, we are ditching the shame, skipping the food rules, and creating a realistic plan you can feel good about because it's not about. Being perfect. It's about showing up with intention and protecting your energy and health in the process.
So let's create a plan for that. 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 [00:01:00] free webinar. How to Help Slow MS progression, starting with just one habit. Think of it as your first step towards more energy, confidence, and hope.
Save your seat at allie 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. Next week is Thanksgiving, my friends. It is next week, and if since getting diagnosed with Ms. Food [00:02:00] has become a source of stress for you, this is probably not your favorite holiday. The stress of figuring out what to eat may already be creeping in big time.
And if so, you are not alone and you're also in the right place. This holiday has a way of bringing up. All of the questions and a lot of pressure with it, but today I wanna simplify it for you, not with a long list of rules. We have enough of that already, and definitely not with guilt because we absolutely have plenty of that already tacked on today.
I just wanna do a clear, realistic plan to help you feel good during the holidays. And afterwards too, because the reality is Thanksgiving kind of kicks off the entire holiday season. So we don't wanna start off with a setback. We wanna start off enjoying Thanksgiving and feeling good when we wake up the next day.
So this isn't about being perfect, but it is about supporting [00:03:00] your body in a way that works so you can actually enjoy the day. And the people you're spending it with. So I wanna walk you through like the actual day of what you could do to feel better in your body. Let's start in the morning. Most people think that we should start with appetizers, but I wanna back it up even further.
I wanna start in the morning because here's a super common trap that I see all too many people make you skip breakfast because you know you're gonna be eating a quote unquote big meal later. I think that came from like the diet culture of like, oh, save your calories so that you can really enjoy and indulge later, but then you end up starving.
Your blood sugar crashes and suddenly everything on the table is calling your name all at once. You are far more likely to make bad decisions and overeat if you are skipping breakfast. So here's my [00:04:00] advice. Eat breakfast, and if you can make it a healthy one, keep it simple and keep it healthy. The two things that I want you prioritizing, not just at breakfast but through the entire day, is protein and healthy fat, because these are the things that can stabilize your blood sugar levels.
And keep your energy steady throughout the day. So if we're talking about breakfast, some examples could be if you tolerate eggs, you could have some scrambled eggs or veggie omelet. Um, you could also do a smoothie with some protein powder, some coconut milk, and some frozen berries and toss in maybe some spinach and a banana, um, or you could have some gluten-free avocado toast.
Doesn't need to be a big elaborate meal. You can keep it very simple. A smoothie does not take a lot of effort. Gluten-free toast is simple too. Or again, if you [00:05:00] tolerate eggs, you could just do hard boiled eggs. You don't even need to do an omelet, but regardless of what you're eating, just make sure you get a breakfast and then bonus points if you can, make sure that it has protein and healthy fat in it.
Moving on. If you know, Thanksgiving dinner isn't happening until three or four, you probably need lunch too. Again, another common meal to skip, especially when dinner is earlier in the day. Again, most people have it around three or four o'clock, so you're far more likely to skip lunch, but that isn't setting you up for success, and that's what I wanna help you do.
So. Even if it's a snack, get something in around lunchtime and something that prioritizes protein. So try something like a Turkey or tuna, lettuce wraps. You could do leftovers from the night before. Um, even if it's a protein stick, you guys know I love those paleo valley sticks. I know some other [00:06:00] people like the chomp sticks.
Whatever protein stick you like, have that, that is super easy and maybe have it with an apple, or you could do some nut butter on an apple or a banana personally. I know I am going to be having my favorite gluten-free, dairy-free chicken quesadillas. 'cause they're simple, they're easy, they're not heavy.
Um, they're gluten-free and dairy free, which is really important for me to be consistent with. So whatever it is, just make sure that you are getting some type of lunch or snack. Before you go into Thanksgiving dinner, but of course we can't overlook appetizers, so this is where things can start to sneak up on us, the dips, the cheese plates, the store-bought snacks that you didn't plan on.
And listen, you don't have to avoid the entire table altogether. But one of the things that I have found to be most helpful over the years, and therefore is the best recommendation I can give you here, be the one who [00:07:00] brings something that is veggie based or protein rich. You know, pick one of the two. I am the person that always brings the Crue.
I am the person that always brings that. Cut up veggies that yes, I bought from the store, but has the cucumbers, the carrots, the tomatoes, broccoli, like it has veggies in there. And you think, or at least I told myself the lie that I'm bringing the boring stuff and yeah, let's keep it real. It's not as good as Aunt Mary Jane's cheese ball and all the delicious crackers around it.
But you will be surprised how many people. Actually eat it. I'm always surprised by it and it makes me feel good. 'cause then I know that not only do I have something that's veggie based that I can have, but I know that other people are eating it too. So it feels good knowing that you brought something that is a healthy option for everybody.
So my go-to option would be like a colorful veggie tray and you could put some guac or hummus on there [00:08:00] if you wanted to have a dairy free dip. You could also do shrimp cocktail if your budget's a little bit. More abundant, or you could do some brigitta wrapped, anything, asparagus, cantaloupe, whatever you love.
You could even do a bowl of olives or do a bowl of almonds. Whatever works best for you. But the goal here is to give your body something good before you dive into the main meal. And by good I mean protein or veggie based. So even if when you're having your appetizers, you still choose to have some dips or cheese or whatever it is, make sure that you get some veggies and protein on that plate too, and that you're eating them.
You'll be surprised at how satisfying they can be, but more so. It's just continuing to set you up for stable energy and not triggering a lot of inflammation in the body. So now let's talk about the star of the show. Thanksgiving dinner. Here's [00:09:00] the key. Are you ready for it? Start your plate with protein and veggies.
Yes, this is a theme with breakfast, with lunch, with your appetizers. And yes, for dinner. Seriously, that one move can make a huge difference in how you feel afterwards. So yes, grab the Turkey protein is not just about muscle, it helps stabilize your blood sugar, which means you will have steadier energy throughout the day.
And the next day as well, and less of a rollercoaster of fatigue and brain fog that can sneak in after a big meal. It also helps to reduce inflammation, which we know is kind of a big deal with Ms. Now. After you get your protein on the plate, load up on some veggies and listen. You don't have to have perfectly steamed veggies at Thanksgiving.
This is not about perfection. Roasted carrots, [00:10:00] sauteed green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts with a little bit of bacon. It all counts. Just get some kind of vegetable on your plate. This is the crowding out theory. The more good things you put on your plate, the less room there is for the other stuff. So focus on what you're adding to your plate and less about what's missing from your plate.
Now, the million dollar question, what about the stuffing? What if that's your favorite part of Thanksgiving? Or what if you wait all year for your aunt's famous sweet potato casserole? Oh my friend. If this is you, I get it. My Uncle Joe's stuffing has just as much butter in it as it does bread. I am convinced.
It is amazing. It is the. Best stuffing or dressing, depending upon where you are in the world I have ever had. I love it, but I also have personally decided not to have it anymore because I know it could trigger too many symptoms for me, and [00:11:00] I don't wanna do that. But if you're at the beginning of making changes to your diet and you're not ready for that.
That's okay. You don't have to skip it entirely. The trick is just to be intentional with what you're putting on your plate, not impulsive. Give yourself permission to have one serving after you've put the protein and the veggies on your plate, and then when you have it, sit and enjoy it. I know it sounds like simple and obvious.
I truly want you to sit down and enjoy every bite, regardless of what you're eating, whether you put it in the quote unquote healthy or unhealthy category. Sit down and enjoy the meal because when you are slowing down, when you eat, you are giving your body the opportunity to digest whatever it is that you're giving it.
Far better. And did you know that our digestive system is one of the most [00:12:00] energy taxing systems in our body? So if you're rushing through a meal or stuffing yourself, your energy, yes, of course, is gonna be affected by that. But if you can sit down and chew your food well and be relaxed during your meal, that is going to help you digest your food better and therefore protect your energy better.
Now let's talk about dessert. Did you think I was gonna just like glaze over this one? Um, but we can't do that because we're talking real life here. If there's a dessert that you really, really love, the one that only shows up once a year and you really wanna have it. Have it, enjoy it and savor it. Now, can one cheat, one slice of whatever have irreversible damage when it comes to Ms.
Dr. Wal says yes, and I'm not here to dispute that because quite honestly, I have chosen to skip a lot of the traditional desserts. [00:13:00] I actually bring my own. Allergy friendly pumpkin pie. I buy the holy gluten-free. I think it is the brand. Um, gluten-free pie crust at the grocery store. It's already made, it's most often in the freezer section of your grocery store.
Um, typically in the gluten-free aisle there. And then I'll do a allergy friendly pumpkin pie filling in there. So I bring my own. If you have an allergy friendly bakery around you, maybe you have the opportunity to, um, grab an allergy friendly pie beforehand. So I have made that decision, but I fully respect that not everybody has made that decision.
It doesn't make me better than you or you better than me. It just means that we are all on our own journey, and that's what we're choosing this year. It doesn't mean that next year can't be different. In either way, right? Um, but here's the deal. If the idea of never being able to eat something ever again is preventing you from taking the [00:14:00] first step of starting something like the Walls protocol, or setting an intention to eat healthy on Thanksgiving.
That's not helping you. If you believe that the standard is so high, it's unrealistic and it's so unappealing that you're not taking the first step that is not helping you. So instead of this all or nothing thinking, I wanna invite you into a more realistic, compassionate, and still health supportive approach.
So. What if you are just making a plan for this year, you are not declaring that whatever you decide for this year is what you're gonna do every year moving forward. You are just planning your Thanksgiving intentions for this year, a plan that supports your body. Honors your healing and make some space for some food that you really enjoy, and here's the little bonus that helps your [00:15:00] body handle a meal.
Whatever you've eaten afterwards, go for a little walk after dinner or just move around a little bit while cleaning up. It's so simple. 10 minutes. Literally 10 minutes of gentle movement can help to improve your digestion, your blood sugar levels, and inflammation. So that is our Thanksgiving plan, my friend.
That is our plan for this year. Simple, doable, and full of grace, because that is what we need when we're living with ms. Make sure that you are having a breakfast and a lunch. Bring a healthy appetizer. Put the protein and veggies on your plate first. Lead with them. Make room for them. Prioritize them first, and then make the decision that's best for you.
At dessert time, fill your plate with food that fuels you and enjoy it. With the people that you love. Happy Thanksgiving, my friends. I hope this was [00:16:00] helpful and I hope that you enjoy a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. Take care. And that's it for today's episode of my MS podcast. I hope you're walking away with once.
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 the sooner you 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.

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.