This is our second episode marking Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. In our previous episode, we talked with one of the nearly 1 million Americans who is living with MS. We learned that MS has no known cause, but it is believed to involve some combination of genetics and environmental factors. 

Today, we talk with David Olges, a professor in the field of Counselor Education and Supervision, who has also been dealing with MS for several years. David's background as a counselor has helped him develop strategies that all of us can use for handling stress and anxiety. Most people respond to the content of their anxiety or what they’re thinking about as an attempt to control it. Instead, if you focus on managing the feeling of the anxiety, the problem usually subsides.

For him, he has to deal with knowing an attack on his nervous system will hit. Knowing what, when, how bad, and how often --  that’s what he has learned to manage.

"The emotional reality that a symptom, any symptom, can hit at any time -- has taken some getting used to,” he said. "But now I can take on scary things and beat them. It’s given me confidence. I can do this, as hard as it is! And that’s hope. Hope is huge for anyone with a chronic illness."

Activities and Resources to Support the Fight Against Multiple Sclerosis

• David Olges on Facebook
• National MS Society
• Multiple Sclerosis Association of America
• Indiana chapters of the National MS Society
• Turn the Canal Orange - March 5, noon ET - Indianapolis
• Walk MS Indianapolis - April 25
• Orangetheory Fitness Nickle Plate