Navigating the Ups and Downs of Life

I love taking time to slow down during the holidays as everything around me speeds up. This is the time of year when the days grow short, the nights long. A period when we are designed to hibernate, sleep, and rest. As the year draws to a close, I reach for my inner stillness, go inside in the midst of all the holiday hoopla, and reflect on what has been.

This year, I hit a couple of bumps that were frightening. In March, upon my return from a trip out of the country, I wound up with a stomach bug that turned into a severe MS attack. For the first time since my MS Diagnosis in 2006 I found myself hospitalized, and on top of that, suffering from a nasty case of transverse myelitis. All of my doctors, conventional to alternative, hypothesized that my immune system went into overdrive in fighting off the stomach bug and ended up attacking my myelin sheaths. This created total numbness from my diaphragm down. I had some other symptoms, which I will not go into here, which were also terrifying. I was stunned, and in a complete state of shock.

On the bright side, once I realize I am in shock, my response is generally a good one. I go inside, dig deep and find the healing spaces in my life. I simply focus as much as I can on a positive outcome. This means going into a conscious state of denial and putting myself in a very forward looking place.

In order to do this, I hunker down with my nuclear family, which consists of my incredible husband, and our two amazing boys, who as of this writing are, 17 and almost 16. We have an incredible understanding whereby they intuitively know that I don’t want to share or elaborate upon the details of what’s going on in my body. This synchronicity and intuitive connection are a lifeline for me during challenging times. It is the external counterpart to my inward diet of faith, reflection, and prayer, during good times and otherwise.

In order to dive deep, I further support myself by going on a restricted social media diet. I can’t effectively implement my healing plan if I’m focusing on what to post on Instagram. So, if you were wondering why I shared so little this past spring, on all channels, including this site, well, now you know. For me, healing is internal, as opposed to a play-by-play reality show where my emotions unravel in the universe of social media.

I’m not one to dwell. I like to focus, fix, and move ahead. However, I do like to keep you, my faithful readers, in the loop. That is my intention with this year end update. Moreover, I’d like to share some of my discoveries with you. Below you will find my game plan for moving ahead during the challenging times of life.

Navigating the Ups and Downs of Life

1. Conscious Compartmentalization
2. Connect Only with People Who Nourish Me
3. Social Media Diet
4. Research Bio-Medical Therapies
5. Spend Time in Nature

You may notice that in addition to the above, I also refrained from answering comments here, which can take hours each day. For those of you that were frustrated, it may help to remember that there are 25,000 of you every day on this website, and there is only one of me. I simply cannot spread myself too thin, whether healthy or ill.

As the new year emerges, I look forward to sharing more with you. Not about the trauma I went through last year. The world has enough of that. I plan to divulge my healing secrets and the resources that have resulted from my research. You will find out how I survive the ups and downs of my mundane, yet incredible life. You will learn how I get my body, mind, and soul, into a place of balance. For a sneak peek at some of the strategies that I deployed during the past year click on the links below. And stay tuned, because there is much, much more to come!

• Natural Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis
• How Busy People Can Slow Down and Listen Within
• The Complete Guide to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
• Five Ways to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

Thanks for being my dear online family and have a blessed 2016!

Love,
Elana