When MS Gets You Down, Don’t Give Up: A.D.A.P.T.: Assess, Decide, Adjust, Prepare, and Try
“When MS Gets You Down, Don’t Give Up: A.D.A.P.T” is the MSF’s theme for the 2013 National MS Education and Awareness Month (NMSEAM) in March.
Assess: What are your unmet needs? What forced changes have negatively impacted your quality of life? Are there alternatives to achieve what you want?
Decide: Establish your priorities, consider your options, and develop a game plan for reaching your goals. And remember, even small adaptations can make a big impact.
Adjust: Before you begin, improve your odds of succeeding by revising your perception of the situation and your abilities. Your “attitude adjustment” will help you see all the possibilities.
Prepare: Gather the tools or the training you will need to carry out your mission.
Try: Do your best! Frustrated? “Try, try again.” Seek support! You can do it!
“Before” and “After” Adapting to MS Initiative
Give an example of how you have continued to fulfill a need in your life by adapting when MS got in the way. Use words to paint a “Before” and “After” picture of the situation, explaining how MS interfered and what you did to overcome the obstacle. For example:
Before: Music was my life. I played the cello in the local symphony and enjoyed performing before large audiences in the city.
After: MS fatigue and leg spasticity forced me to retire from the symphony. Though I am now on disability, music still is my life. Only now, from my scooter, I play a portable keyboard and entertain seniors in the local nursing homes and conduct sing-a-longs of their favorite tunes.
To learn more or to receive a MS Awareness Kit, email awareness@msfocus.org or call 800-225-6495.