b' Make a playlist that matches your mood.Invite a friend over for some conversation. Write a thankful letter to yourself that you can read later. Buy yourself owers. Meditate.In these moments, notice and appreciate how you are feeling. Your body is on a journey and the journey may not always be smooth but as long it persists, continue to move forward. When the challenging moments are looming in the corner, take out that letter to yourself and read it as many times as you need. Go through the pictures of the things that make you happy or smell the owers you bought yourself. Remembering that the better days happen and the difficult days pass is important.Techniques to cope with the tough moments When you think of the difficult moments in your MS journey, what comes to mind? Is it physical symptoms such as fatigue, muscle spasms, or numbness and tingling in your body? Is it psychological symptoms such as irritability, worrying, or even grief? Or is it a mixture of both? Whichever it is, it likely interferes with your ability to do the things you want to do. One pitfall of the tough moments is that they can play tricks on your mind. They can make the day(s) drag and change your mood. Some moments can be seen by anyone around you, while others may feel internal, making them invisible to others. The goal in these difficult moments is to try and nd ways to cope so that you can get through them, and maybe even nd some good in them.Lets use the following checklist to see how many tasks you accomplished while battling a difficult day. Remember, be kind and generous to yourself. If you did the task, irrespective of the time it may have taken you to complete it, you could check it off the list. qBrushed your teethqSmiledqWashed your faceqDrank waterqChanged clothes qLaughedqTook vitamins or medicineqListened to musicqMeditated or prayedqGot fresh airqSpoke with a loved one qStretched qAte a meal qFinished one task Youve likely accomplished many basic self-care tasks, even on the hardest days. Give yourself credit. Society often makes us feel like days not spent working, going to school, or otherwise being productive are wasted. On a difficult day, we may think Ive done nothing all day. But resting is the work of healing your body. These small self-care tasks are the work of maintaining your well-being while you rest. Your job on a difficult day is to give your body what it needs to survive.Changing the way we think about hard days can help us to be more resilient. 4'