For the new year, I’ll be setting intentions instead of resolutions
With MS, the pressure for a 'better' version of yourself can feel tiresome
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For many people, the arrival of a new year is a celebration of the possibilities that lie ahead. For those of us living with multiple sclerosis (MS), it’s often quieter and more internal. It’s often less about making resolutions and more about facing a reckoning.
When you live with MS, a new year doesn’t feel like a blank slate, but rather a continuation, because our symptoms don’t reset at midnight. Fatigue doesn’t just magically disappear because the calendar flips to January. Pain, spasticity, and brain fog all cross over without asking permission. The pressure to declare bold goals or promise a “better” version of yourself can feel tiresome.
Making it through another year
I’ve learned that ringing in the new year with MS means redefining what progress looks like. This will appear different for each of us. It’s not always about doing more; sometimes it’s about doing things differently or deliberately doing less of them. In years past, my resolutions revolved around pushing harder, ignoring my limits, and proving I was still capable. They usually didn’t last long and often came with a cost my body had to pay later.
Now, I approach the new year with more honesty, reflecting on what the past year demanded of me, which usually involved the appointments kept, the plans canceled, and the days spent resting when I wanted to be productive. I acknowledge the grief that comes with chronic illness, but I also recognize the resilience it takes to keep showing up anyway.
Ringing in the new year with MS means setting intentions instead of resolutions. Intentions leave room for uncertainty, making space for flares, relapses, and the disease’s unpredictability. An intention might be to listen to my body more closely, to ask for help sooner, or to stop apologizing for needing accommodations. These aren’t flashy goals, but they’re meaningful and can make all the difference.
It also means celebrating survival in ways others might not understand. Making it through another year with MS is not a given, emotionally, mentally, or physically. Every year lived with this disease is a year navigated with courage, even when it doesn’t feel that way.
As we begin this new year, I’m not wishing for perfection or even stability. I’m hoping for self-compassion, flexibility, and moments of joy that exist alongside the hard ones. MS may shape how I enter this new year, but it doesn’t get to define my worth or erase everything I’ve already overcome.
Sometimes ringing in the new year with MS isn’t loud at all. Sometimes it sounds like a deep breath, a quiet acknowledgment: I’m still here and that matters.
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.
Shereese
This is a very good post. Definitely along the lines of how i approach the new yr. Resolutions leave me feeling like a failure because I usually dont keep them. Setting intentions is doing what I can, when I can and givibg my body rest is doing something as well. Setting healthy boundaries for myself aa d not letting others make me feel worse because I can keep up or do something. I want to explore new activities I can do, date myself and have a stronger relationship with my HP and improve relationships with others. I choose ME and life despite the MonSter!
Debbie Harrison
Thank you for your article. It made me look at this past year differently. Therefore, hopefully, this coming year. It was a positive, heartfelt read. Thank you again. Debbie
Jenny Simpson
Such a wise, knowing, compassionate post. It is so helpful and like balm in a busy world.
Patty Glatfelter
Beautifully written. As a person living with MS for 37 years I found wisdom in this article beyond your years. Onward with a year of good, achievable intentions!
MADELINE l NEWTON
very well put ...thank you for showing us that we are all in this together ...love and happiness is something we can have at no cost ....loves to all of you on this journey ...