Having a relative with Multiple Sclerosis was one of the inspirations behind Noggin. MS is another one of these conditions with a funny name that affects both brain and body, often in many unseen ways. MS is often diagnosed in young people and with a massive range of symptoms affecting each person differently on any one day is a very challenging condition for doctors to treat and for people and their families to live with. Frequently invisible to the naked eye, with no current cure, and in the very scary sounding category of being a ‘neuro (brain) degenerative’ condition we wanted to understand about ways people with MS -and similar 'scary' diagnoses- could look after their brains. What we found out was that by making some simple changes, we can all make some changes to how we feel and this is super important , especially when you are living with something like MS or with someone who has it.
Rest Me- take time out, focus on sleep, switch off- all these things really do change how our brains perceive the world around us
Feed Me- what we eat and drink makes a difference-whether it is less cake or more vegetables, more water or fewer chips we can all try a little harder in this area
Keep Me Active- Exercise, even on its own, with no other changes can help the health of our noggins. And no age is too old or activity too little, anything will help. Set your own goal- it might be a 10 k or walking to the garden gate-get moving. And being social is pretty important too, social connections also help the wiring in our brains to improve how we feel. You don’t have to go to a party if you don’t want to, just chatting to someone on the bus or on the park bench is a start
Help my Best Friend- our brains and tummies are in communication all the time- those butterflies when you are anxious? So eat more fibre, drink more water and get out for a walk in nature to keep those good gut bugs happy
