I’ve been trying to focus on other things going on with my body besides just a number on a scale. I purchased a HEALBE watch. I wear that on one wrist and still wear my Apple Watch on the other. It is a little odd but the HEALBE gives me insight into different things.

I can talk about every line of this watch, because I’ve learned a lot about how my body is truly functioning throughout the day, but it’s the stress line that concerned me.

This is how my stress is breaking down so far for the day. You can see from the bottom slightly shaded days, I’m very rarely green. My days consist of me being in an elevated level of stress. This isn’t the first of my apps to tell me this information. I just assumed the other one was wrong. After all what could I be stressed over? I don’t work. I’m home most of the time. I have help Monday through Friday. I’m not stressed. The tightening through my upper back and shoulders is my spasticity, isn’t it?

Ok maybe part is spasticity but there has always been that part I really knew was stress. Why I never wanted to admit it, I’m not sure. I think it’s because I know the stress comes from having MS itself. However, I guess my body has been screaming it loud and clear. This is some days from my Welltory app, the one I chose to believe was wrong, showing the same elevated stress levels.

I think it is time for me to focus on this a little. It isn’t like I don’t understand the benefits of meditation. I need to find that quiet time again. I resigned up for the calm app. I use to like to do mindful meditation after I worked out in the morning. Usually the house is still quiet and my body, after being slightly fatigued, goes easily into a meditative state. Since I wear the watch all the time, I’m able to see if I re-develop a habit if it will really reduce my stress.

Multiple sclerosis and stress are real. When I use to get exacerbation I would always get one within a month of a stressful event that happened. I’d get them without the stress too but every time I had a significantly stressful situation, those relapses followed.

Stress has long been associated with MS exacerbations. It isn’t completely clear whether stress actually causes exacerbations, or whether you may become more anxious than usual because of the physical changes that occur before an exacerbation has its peak impact.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/stress-and-multiple-sclerosis-2440618

The best line in that article about MS and stress is “that MS itself is exhausting, and that when your attention and energy are consumed by stress, you are less likely to function at your optimal level.” Well the reason your consumed with stress is usually because of your symptoms. It is the symptoms that cause the difficulties and challenges thus making life exhausting. It’s like one big circle. I’m personally am going to do what I know best which is meditation, what do you do for stress?