Welcome to the course:

       Create your own Apothecary Healing Cards.

 It wasn’t so long ago that the old chemist (i.e. pharmacist) would take a prescription from you, go back to his lab, mix some ingredients and hand you a cure for what ails you.

But you and I both know that nobody has that quick fix for MS and no apothecary shop can cook up a cure. 

So who is going to heal us?  We are!  Okay, maybe we won’t get rid of the disease process, but we are about to access our own apothecary cards.  Through art and journaling we can create an opening for our feelings, fears and thoughts about living with MS. 

I am so excited to bring you the process that will allow you to have a voice for the emotional toll Multiple Sclerosis takes. 

So what the heck is this all about?

Do You Need Artistic Talent?   NO WAY!!!

It’s not about talent, it's about creating…and living large, and doing it all with Multiple Sclerosis.  You know how we tend to say we are members of a club we didn’t want to belong to?  Well I have decided it is time to change that.  We MSers (sorry if anyone hates that term-I am open to others if you can think of something better) are actually a pretty wonderful supportive group of people. 

I had no idea until I started engaging with other people who have MS on social media that so many of us are reaching out to comfort, befriend and show understanding to our fellow MSers.  

So I figured if we are that willing to help, then we should actually have a club!  We can be proud and active in it and embrace what we have been given.  We make a difference every time we talk to another person with MS who needs our support. 

But one of the things that I noticed is how most of our conversations, and rightly so, are about the physical things that happen with MS.  It is so important to hear from others that a symptom isn’t too weird, or that they had it too, but what we don’t say enough about are the feelings we have dealing with an incurable (at this point) disease.  How do we adapt to our new selves.  How do we create lives that are fulfilling with this thing hanging over our heads.

This week in Accessing your Apothecary Cards we are going to talk about the word Acceptance.  It is the first word in the MS Ribbon Diary for a good reason. 

Remember that day when you were told by the doctor that you have Multiple Sclerosis?  Remember that feeling? 

If you have been diagnosed recently you are probably still adjusting to the idea that this will be with you as you live your life.  Accepting that is a process and it isn’t always easy. 

For most people the diagnosis is frightening, leaving them with uncertainties about the future and feeling a bit helpless.

If you are like me and you knew something was wrong for a long time, while hopping from doctor to doctor, looking for an answer; then the diagnosis might be a relief.  At least you have a name for it.

How did you feel when you found out you have MS?                     

• What are some of the words and emotions that surfaced? 
• Have you found a way to accept the  ‘new you’?
• Was the diagnosis a surprise?

When we think about how we are simply handling the day to day realities of having MS, we have a chance to face, and find a place to put those unknowns and what ifs.

Take at least 5 minutes to write in your journal any feelings that come up when you say the word acceptance.  Don’t worry about how the words go together or whether it even makes sense.  Just get all of that stuff out there on paper. Write fast and furious, without thinking. Let your subconscious guide you.  You don’t even have to read it when you finish!

Even if you write I HATE MS a hundred times…it’s fine!  Get the muck out!!!

Great!  Now that that’s done Let’s make your first card!