How setting an intention helps me live well with MS

If it weren’t for multiple sclerosis (MS) and my practice as a lifestyle medicine physician, I’m not sure I’d be chasing after better health so vigorously. There simply wouldn’t be enough momentum to push me into action. But as there are silver linings to everything, MS has positioned me so that I have to walk the talk as the doc dispensing health advice. As a result, I now live a more balanced life with greater joy, despite the uncertainties of chronic disease.

With the beginning of a new year, it feels natural to set a resolution. But, like most people, I always quit mine far before Quitter’s Day, the second Friday in January. A few years ago, I finally realized that the concept of a New Year’s resolution was flawed (at least for me), and there was no need to feel bad for opting out.

Instead of a resolution, I started setting a New Year’s intention. Rather than trying to control a behavior, I focused on a value that was important to me. I found it much easier to make small daily decisions over the course of a year toward a value or intention that truly mattered to me.

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Choosing my intention

Stillness was my intention for 2024 (and 2023 and 2022, because it took me that long to be happy with my progress). I’m blessed with a life that is overflowing with never-ending projects, too many great ideas, and more interesting people than anyone can get to know in a lifetime. But my gut feeling was to get quiet and find calm. I could feel the stress hormones and tension coursing through my body, which wasn’t good for my MS symptoms. With menopause on the horizon, I knew I couldn’t continue operating at this level of chaos.

With stillness as my guiding principle, I became much more intentional about which projects I took on, realized that I don’t have to act on every great idea I have, and prioritized spending time with my innermost circle. Basically, I learned to say no more often so that I could say yes to the things that mattered most: family, exercise, rest, and creative projects.

To set my intention for 2025, I had to get really quiet, descend into my “knowing,” where intuition lives, and listen for what came up. Over and over, it was the word “expansion.”

So how do you jump from stillness to expansion?

It took three years to cultivate more stillness. I rarely work after 3 p.m., I lie down for 30 minutes after my last patient so I can have enough energy to shuttle my kids around, and I’m in bed by 8 p.m. for bedtime yoga, my favorite sleep podcast, and deep, restorative sleep.

Stillness allowed me to find my priorities. It also gave me the time and space to replenish all of the energy I’d expended over the years as a doctor, mother, wife, and daughter. At the beginning of 2025, I had a clear vision for what was next and the energy to act on it. Guided by the intention to expand, I’m finding myself stepping into a space of growth, creativity, and confidence.

I’m reminded of a line of poetry attributed to Rumi: “Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” Thanks to the prospect of declining health due to MS, I’m done with minimizing myself, taking up less space, and bending to what others want. In 2025, I’m excited to expand into creative work projects, being a more present mom, and speaking my mind more often, no matter who is within earshot.

MS is hard — even if my symptoms are minimal. In the process of learning to be OK with the uncertainties of this disease, I’ve also learned that intention is at the heart of living a balanced and joyful life.

Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.