Meghan Beier, PhD, is a health and rehabilitation psychologist specializing in multiple sclerosis at the Rowan Center for Behavioral Medicine. She shares tips for how patients can care for their emotional well-being in addition to their physical health.

So, other treatments that I think are really important — I am a psychologist, so I clearly think that emotional wellness and health is a big deal. Most of the time, by the time somebody’s made it to me, they also feel like it’s a big deal or their referring providers have recommended it to them. But I often talk to people about having a really good, strong team around them.

So, I’m a big believer in rehab medicine. So I often refer people to different providers like physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language pathology. All of these members of the team can be really helpful at different times throughout somebody’s life with MS.

I also feel as a psychologist that I’m not just sort of a “one-and-done” kind of provider. I work with somebody for a while. They might feel better, they go into life, and then they might come back and see me, you know, a year or two down the line when there might have been a change or some more concerns. And I kind of feel that way about rehab medicine as well. Those individuals are kind of the team that supports you throughout your life with MS.

I also think it’s really important for us to think about maintaining health in all other domains of life. So It’s good for all of us, whether we live with MS or not, to eat well, get exercise in whatever ways we can, and enjoy to work on our own emotional wellness. But it’s just as — if not more — important when you’re living with multiple sclerosis. So, as much as you can, it’s important to do all of those good, healthy living habits.

And, you know, kind of the final thing is that I also think it’s really important to kind of take a step back, start thinking creatively about your life, try new things, learn and practice thinking flexibly, trying different problem-solving. MS is a very uncertain disease. Sometimes things go well; sometimes, it throws you a curveball that you weren’t expecting.

And so if you are practicing thinking creatively and flexibly, then you’ll be able to kind of take those bumps along the way without it having a massive impact on life.