Keep Your Mind Active
If You Don't Use It
You'll Lose It!
Multiple sclerosis can and does damage the nerve in your brain and your cognition will decrease. This is in a fact, but you have to find ways to keep your brain active and alert. In MS, certain function can be more likely to be affected that others like, memory i.e. retaining and retrieving new info. Your attention and concentration can and will become an issue. You will have some problems processing information. This problem is due to the damage in gathering information from your five senses. In MS, you can have problems with planning and prioritizing and a frustrating problem in being verbally fluent or not being able to find the words to say. I HATE this. Ofcourse, we with MS are not stupid, we still keep our smartness, our long term memory and though we search for words our conversational skills, with consistent use, remains intake.
People with MS have to constantly keep the mind active to keep our brains active and as in peak of shape as they can be. I have been utilizing little things to keep my mind active. Thankfully, I am a Learning Coach for my children who attend virtual schooling which aids in keeping my mind active and on top of things. My daughter graciously gave me her "old" Nintendo DS because she received the "new" Nintendo DSi and again, graciously gave me her Big Brain Academy. She told me that she wanted me to keep being smart!
Another great way to keep my mind fresh and on point is to read. I suggest E. L. James' Trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey. If this is not up your alley, I have found a refreshing new award winning author by the name of K. L. Brady. One of her first books is named, "The Bum Magnet", with its follow up, "Got A Right To Be Wrong." I even read her younger audience book, "Worst Impressions". Now, after I finish the last trilogy of E. L. James' Fifty Shades Freed, I will be reading K. L. Brady's new book, "Soul of the Band", which is a young adult themed book. I can't wait. I can tell you that reading is fundamental and keeps your brain active. Please check out K. L. Brady's website for more information, http://www.authorklbrady.com/
There are other tricks of the trade to keep the mind active. Utilize crossword puzzles, word searches, nintendo games, reading, starting a blog, starting a daily journal, join a book club, enjoy a night out with your friends. Just do anything that will keep your mind active so your deficits will be less obvious. I have figured out that the saying is true. If you don't use it, you will lose it. You have to keep your mind active to attempt to keep the neurons firing and active. Try a few of these tricks. They may be of some use to you. Good luck.
