b'MS Focus ActivitiesFFeeaarr,,SSttrreessssaannddPPrrooccrraassttiinnaattiioonnUUssiinnggssttrraatteeggiieessttoorreeccooggnniizzeeaannddaaddddrreesssseeffffeeccttssooffssttrreessssBy Marcia HarrisI have pointed out on more than one occasiontask. While I do write an e-newsletter every that I do not consider myself a writer and amother week for support group leaders and not part of the communications team. Yet, eachco-leaders, it mostly consists of photos of our quarter, I am tasked with writing the Empoweredsupportgroups,onlineclassandwebinar article for the MS Focus Magazine. Sometimes,dates, and inserts of articles by other authors. the words come easily because the thoughtsTheMSFocuswebsitemanagereditsmy arethere,andIcantwaittosharethem.writing before sending it out to our readers. Othertimes,IndmyselfprocrastinatingBut the stress I have for writing articles to and doing almost anything else rather thanpublish in our quarterly magazine is very real. writing my story.So how can we overcome this stress? Stress is real Dealing with stressIn an article by one of my favorite MS FocusIn our 2024 NMSEAM Toolkit, MS Warriors: authors, Mary Pettigrew, titled Managing stress,Battling Autoimmunity, there is a section on fear and procrastination, she said putting offmanaging stress that I think could help us: tasks we dont enjoy is common no matter Identifying your stressorsWhen you identify our age or health situation. She points outthe things, situations, or relationships causing that according to a book by Joseph Ferrari,you stress, you can help eliminate them around 20 percent of U.S. adults are chronichealthily. procrastinators. Fear and stress can play a Making time for yourselfSelf-care is a way role in procrastination.of loving yourself and the body you are in. According to Mayo Clinic, stress symptoms Silencing negative self-talkNegative thoughts may be affecting your health without yourplay a large role in our daily life. knowledge of it. Stress symptoms can affect Get out in natureSometimes, in moments your body, thoughts, feelings, and behavior.of stress, a walk or roll can be therapeutic. Stress that is not dealt with can lead to many SingIt may sound childish, but sometimes additional health problems including higha little bit of music can improve your mood blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, obesity,and reduce your stress and diabetes. In an MS Focus fact sheet titled Stress and In Pettigrews article she said fear is anMS: Why You Have It, How to Tackle It, it states, interesting factor that can lead to procrastination.Stress can be caused by fear of developing a In my case, I often fear I will fail on my writingsymptomthatleadstophysicaldisability. msfocusmagazine.org 34'