Running errands with MS

I’m here to talk about running errands with multiple sclerosis (MS). I live in a small city, and a lot of the places I go are probably anywhere from like a 2- or 5-minute to a 20-minute drive.

Something I do when I am commuting to run errands is write things down. I don’t like to multitask when I’m in stores because I feel that I can get kind of jumbled up, and my cognitive fatigue can kind of kick in a little bit. So I make sure that I have a to-do list. I have a planner that I usually write things down in. And I will write the things I need to get from the store, and then what stores I’m going to in what order. Because I want to manage my errands in the best way that I can. And I know if I can reduce the amount of the commute in the car, that’s going to be much better for me.

Having a to-do list is important, and then having a to-do list in the order of where I’m going is very helpful for me. These are like Saturday or Sunday errands, like going to the grocery store, maybe going to the pharmacy, going to get things for my son for school, going to the library, those things. So I try to do them in the best order possible.

Now the other thing that I do that’s a success for me is I usually have sunglasses when I’m driving. I’ve mentioned this in one of my other videos, but sunglasses are important to me because I tend to be very irritated by bright light. It hurts my eyes, actually. And the other thing is I always have ice-cold water, and that’s important to me too. So anytime I’m in the car or I’m on the road, I make sure that I have my cold water with me.

And then the final thing is I make sure when I’m commuting or going to run errands that I’m not multitasking. So I’ll carry my cell phone with me, but if somebody calls me and they want to talk, I’ll say, “Hey, I’m running errands. Can I call you back when I’m done?” And so that way I can stay focused on one thing at a time.

So I hope that these tips were helpful for you and encourage you to go out and run the errands that you need to and have it be a successful day. Thanks so much and have a good day.