My A-L-S Word Game

Dagmar Munn avatar

by Dagmar Munn |

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Here’s a fun challenge. In the spirit of celebrating ALS Awareness Month, I invite you to play my A-L-S word game. It’s a simple game I created to help me cope with the stress and anxiety of being newly diagnosed with ALS. It goes along with the strategies I shared in this recent column, and is one more way I maintain my mental resilience while living with ALS.

How the game began

Like many newly diagnosed ALS patients, I had difficulty understanding exactly what I had and how my life would change from that point forward. I was shocked to learn that the medical community knew a tremendous amount about what amyotrophic lateral sclerosis did to the body, less about what caused it, and nothing yet about a cure or prevention. Soon, after reading one too many online fact sheets, I even began hating the letters A-L-S. Just reading them triggered my mind to conjure up worst-case scenarios of my future with ALS.

Because my past wellness training taught me about the connection between our thoughts and health, I knew I needed to retrain my brain with new, more positive mental associations with ALS. Research shows that negative words can release stress- and anxiety-inducing hormones in our brains. In addition, negative thinking and self-talk can change our self-perception and how we perceive the world around us. We can easily slip into a downward spiral of feeling bad and sad, and restrict our immune system.

A positive definition

Taking pen to paper, I looked at the letters A-L-S and wrote down: “Abundant Laughing Situations.” The words represented how having a sense of humor is so important to living successfully with ALS. Life always throws us curveballs; whether it’s ALS-related or “just one of those things,” being able to see the funny helps me every single day.

But I didn’t stop with just one definition — I came up with many, many more. Here are a few examples:

Always Learn Something, Aware Listen See, Active Locomotor Skills, Assert Lean-in Show up, Attitude Leads-to Success, and Align Lengthen Strengthen.

Another use for my new definitions

Every day, I picked one definition to use as my daily mantra. In the morning, I spent a few minutes meditating on the words, thinking about what they meant to me and my ALS. All day long, I’d noticed how the words applied to my daily activities. Then, before falling asleep, I made a mental gratitude list that included ways the words helped me feel better.

I did this for an entire week and was pleased to find my mental reaction to ALS had completely changed — for the better.

If you find thinking about ALS is pulling you down, try my ALS word game. Join us at the ALS News Today Forums, where we have an ALS word game already in play. We’d enjoy reading your additions to our list.

Let’s help each other learn to live and think well while living with ALS.

***

Note: ALS News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of ALS News Today or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to ALS.

Comments

Linda Bailey avatar

Linda Bailey

Hi Dagmar
We had the opportunity to meet you a couple years ago at our first seminar in Tucson. It’s good to hear you are still doing well.
Jon my husband has ALS now for about 3 years. He is still walking and has use of left hand and some of right. I was wondering what kind of games we could do together to keep him engaged.
Any ideas would help. Thank you Linda

Reply
Anita Brosius-Scott avatar

Anita Brosius-Scott

Hello Dagmar,
Can you and your readers suggest a fun, funny family "parlor game" to play together with an adult family member with advanced ALS? Ideally, something that only requires one of two choices to answer questions or to play. We're looking for laugh-out-loud fun for everyone including the person with extremely limited functionality (eye movements).
Since I signed in with an email, can you send suggestions to my email? I won't be able to check back at this blog....
Thanks!!

Reply
Dagmar Munn avatar

Dagmar Munn

That's a great idea Anita :-) I don't play many games... so, I'll turn your request over to our readers. And send you any suggestions that come in.
Happy holidays to you and yours. Dagmar

Dennis Johnson avatar

Dennis Johnson

Thank you for for your word game and suggestion about how to use it to reframe how you daily think about these letters. After reading your column I came up with another entry: Abundant Living Serenely. The fact you have lived with Abundant Laughing Situations for more than 10 years I also find encouraging. Thank you.

Reply
Dagmar Munn avatar

Dagmar Munn

Thank you Dennis... I'm happy to know my writing was helpful to you. And I like your new definition of ALS - - Abundant Living Serenely. Best wishes to you! Dagmar

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