The Power of One Resolution

 

The new year is just beginning, and already my email inbox is overflowing with suggestions about the importance of setting goals and resolutions. But for those of us living with ALS, the traditional goals and resolutions for self-improvement often feel empty and frankly, useless.

In truth, most of us are just glad to have made it this far and really have the goal - - to survive another year!

But living in “survival mode” is unhealthy and ALS research points out that this can lead to feelings of hopelessness and giving up.

Recently, while discussing resolutions and goals with a friend, he said, “The real challenge is to shorten the distance between our daily reality and the life we had hoped to lead.”

I agreed.

What am I doing to shorten the "distance?"

I practice active mindfulness. Let me explain.

As many readers of this column know, I’ve been a long-time supporter of practicing mindfulness; having taught it to others during my professional working years. And since learning about how mindfulness and meditation have been shown to be beneficial for persons with ALS, I’ve practiced both in earnest these past 12 years.

For example, a four-month study with 197 ALS patients showed that active mindfulness decreased anxiety, depression, burnout, and disease progression. In addition, active mindfulness can increase memory, and improve quality of life, coping ability, and psychological well-being.

In addition, an ALS News Today article, “Mindfulness May Improve Depression, Quality of Life in ALS Patients” by Joana Fernandes, Ph.D., describes how ALS patients in a 2017 study found improvements in their quality of life with mindfulness, compared with the patients receiving usual care.

Factors that enable hope, control, and coping are what create greater mental well-being when living with ALS. 

Combatting distractions

But during the past few months, I’ve given in to distractions and lost that “in the moment” mindset. Holiday activities, people, world events, and even my own mental inner critics all pull at my attention, and I often found myself coasting on autopilot.

My old methods of popping into mindfulness needed a tune-up, so I created a new mental prompt ... I now use the phrase, Own the moment.

How does being mindful "feel?"

The mental shift to being mindful can:

• Increase your awareness of the sounds around you, your surroundings, and what others are saying.
• Improve recognition of your body’s needs, such as thirst, hunger, or discomfort.
• Allow you to choose positive reactions to people, places, and things, rather than lash out or fall into a mental funk.

And finally, by reminding myself to Own the Moment, I feel I have more power to influence the direction of my life.

What’s my New Year’s resolution? I can proudly say I have only one, and it’s the only one I need: Own the Moment.

I invite you to try it for yourself. When your mind begins to wander, come back and own the moment. When you feel frustrated and angry, breathe, and own the moment. Whenever you forget to pay attention to what you are doing, stop, and own the moment.

Together we can live mindfully and well while living with ALS.

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To learn more about mindfulness and meditation, I suggest these posts:

How to Focus and Pay Attention 

How to Spend More Time NOT Thinking About Your ALS

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Dagmar Munn
ALS and Wellness Blog

“Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day” 

Michael Josephson

A version of this post first appeared as my column on the ALS News Today website.