Commuting to work

I’m here to talk a little bit about commuting to work while living with multiple sclerosis (MS). I’m going to share a couple of things that help me make my commute to work successful. I’ve been living with MS for 10 years, and I’ve been commuting to work for 10 years.

Something that I’ve put into place: I make sure that I pack my bag the night before. This is really important for me. So I pack my workbag, and I may put my laptop in it, if I have it. I may put in any papers or notebooks, anything that is important to my day. And then maybe my cell phone, if it’s charged. And sometimes snacks or my lunch, if it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

I pack my bag the evening before, and then the morning of I usually have a planner here. This is kind of what my planner looks like. And I make sure with my planner that I look at the to-do list—what the landscape of my day is like. Because if I know what’s going on during the day, I’m not going to be thinking about, “Am I going to be late for a meeting?” or “I wonder what’s going to go on.” It keeps my commute a little bit more stress-free.

Another thing that I do that’s really important to me is wearing sunglasses when I’m in the car driving. I’m very sensitive to bright light, and that helps make my drive a lot more comfortable. And then the other thing is I always have ice-cold water. I think keeping ice-cold water is great for me because it helps keep my fatigue a little bit lower and my energy better. And I stay hydrated, which is important.

During my commute I just try to be as stress-free as possible. For me, driving on the highways can be kind of stressful, so I try to take back roads, and that ends up being a successful thing for me.