b'How to Keep MS from Becoming Your Identity While its important to acknowledge having MS as a part of your identity, its vital to prevent it from becoming your whole identity. MS certainly inuences your life and your activities, but it doesnt dene who you are as a person. How do you keep MS from playing an outsized role in your life? Regularly remind yourself who you are, independent of MS. Lets explore some aspects of your identity in the following worksheet:Who I Am What roles do you play in your family? Are you a daughter or son, a parent, a spouse, an aunt or uncle? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What roles do you play in your friend group? Are you the one people turn to for support, the one who organizes get-togethers, the one who makes everyone laugh? Or something else? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What hobbies or skills do you have? Are you an artist? A singer? A great public speaker? A stamp collector? A fantasy football champion? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What communities do you belong to? Do you identify with a specic culture, religion, philosophy, or lifestyle? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What do you love? Are you a pet person? Are you passionate about your job? Do you live for your visits to the beach or the mountains? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Think of yourself in the terms you have identied here, and spend time on these parts of yourself, balancing them with time spent participating in the MS community. Nurturing these aspects of your identity will keep you from being dened by MS. Allow your involvement in the MS community to be informed and enriched by who you are, rather than letting it consume who you are.7'