The End-of-Year Ritual That Helps Me Understand My MS (and Myself)
Every December, when the last Christmas cookie has vanished and the world finally exhales into winter’s quiet, I feel myself turning inward.
Maybe it’s the hush of the season.
Maybe it’s the weight of the year settling in.
Or maybe it’s simply that MS has taught me: if I don’t pause and look back, I’ll miss the lessons hidden in the mess.
Whatever the reason, this has become my ritual… a soft, honest reflection.
No judgment. No fixing. Just listening to my life and my body.
So I sit with the year... I think about the symptoms that came and went, the energy crashes that knocked me flat, the days I surprised myself, and the days I wanted to hide under the covers. And I ask myself: What actually helped me live better this year? What am I ready to let go of?
Closing a year with Multiple Sclerosis
I don’t do this to criticize myself. I do it to understand. To notice what helped me live better with MS this year… and what I’m ready to leave behind with the old year (alongside those half-used moisturizers and the cardigan that definitely shrank in the dryer).
Why Reflection Matters When You Live With MS
Life with MS is never still.
Symptoms shift. Some fade. Some return like unwelcome guests. Fatigue writes its own unpredictable rules.
Reflection isn’t about controlling MS. It’s about understanding my relationship with it.
And here’s where you come in:
When you look back on your year, do you notice patterns in your symptoms?
Can you remember the days you felt unexpectedly good… and what might have led to them?
Were there moments when you stretched yourself too far, or times when you honored your limits?
Reflection is a quiet act of self-respect. A way of saying: I matter. My body matters. I’m paying attention.
A Gentle Invitation to Reflect
When I reflect, I don’t sit with a rigid checklist. Sometimes it’s just me, a cup of tea, and the quiet of a winter morning.
Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
About your body
Which symptoms showed up most often?
Did any change in frequency or intensity?
Were there stretches when you felt unexpectedly good? What was happening then?
Which days felt the hardest, and why?
About your energy
What drained you again and again?
What boosted you in ways that lasted?
Did you honor your limits, or push too hard?
How did you recover after the difficult stretches?
About your habits
Which routines truly supported you?
Which habits did you cling to even though they didn’t help?
What small things made life easier?
About your emotions
What brought stress… and what soothed it?
Did you give yourself enough rest, space, compassion?
What moments made you proud of yourself?
And the most important ones:
✨ What do YOU want more of next year?
✨ What do YOU want to lovingly let go of?
Because new years don’t need resolutions. They need intentions that honor our real bodies and real lives.
How My MS Symptoms Tracker Helps
Reflection feels gentler when I have notes to look back on. That’s why my Easy MS Symptoms Tracker has become a quiet anchor.
Not something I fill perfectly every day.
But something that helps me remember:
When symptoms started or stopped.
How fatigue shifted with the seasons.
What truly supported my energy.
Which patterns I might otherwise forget.
It’s not just a tracker. It’s a mirror. One that helps me see what’s really happening, so I can step into the new year grounded instead of guessing.
If you’d like to end your year with clarity, calm, and a little more self-understanding, I made this tracker for you too.
👉 Download your free Easy MS Symptoms Tracker here
Give your future self the gift of knowing your own patterns… gently, without pressure, one small note at a time.
Vanessa