Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Melanie Lown as our guest. Melanie is a mindfulness teacher, has an M.A. in Psychology, and follows the Overcoming MS Program. She talks to Geoff about her MS diagnosis, the power of mindfulness and the importance of self-compassion. Watch this episode on YouTube here.  Topics and Timestamps: 01:30 Melanie’s introduction and MS diagnosis. 03:58 Balancing self-advocacy with compassion for healthcare professionals. 07:07 Using a diagnosis to discover your purpose. 09:48 Discovering Overcoming MS. 12:02 Our lived experience is as valid as datasets. 13:29 DMTs and COVID. 16:31 The growing popularity of mindfulness in Western medicine. 21:45 Meditation physically changes the brain. 23:33 Depression and spiritualism are opposite sides of the same neural pathway. 27:54 The awakened brain vs. the achieving brain. 29:39 Activating the parasympathetic nervous system with self-compassion. 33:39 Emotions are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’. 35:44 Mindfully choosing your healthcare team and treatment. 42:22 Tips to incorporate mindfulness into your lifestyle. 47:54 Non-judgmental awareness. More info and links: Visit Melanie’s Website or follow her on Instagram: @welcometothemat. Melanie’s Recommended Meditation teachers and guides: Vinny Ferraro Amanda Gilbert Elisha Goldstein Tara Branch Davidji Insight Timer New to Overcoming MS? Visit our introductory page  Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub Visit the Overcoming MS website Melanie’s Recommended Books: The Awakened Brain by Dr. Lisa Miller Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach Cured by Jeffrey Rediger Learned Hopefulness by Dr. Dan Tomasulo Melanie's Recommended Scientific Articles: Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American psychologist, 60(7), 678. Miller, L., Bansal, R., Wickramaratne, P., Hao, X., Tenke, C. E., Weissman, M. M., & Peterson, B. S. (2014). Neuroanatomical correlates of religiosity and spirituality: a study in adults at high and low familial risk for depression. JAMA psychiatry, 71(2), 128-135. Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Gameroff, M. J., Sage, M., Tenke, C. E., & Weissman, M. M. (2012). Religiosity and major depression in adults at high risk: a ten-year prospective study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(1), 89-94. Portnoff, L., McClintock, C., Lau, E., Choi, S., & Miller, L. (2017). Spirituality cuts in half the relative risk for depression: Findings from the United States, China, and India. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 4(1), 22. Follow us on social media: Facebook Instagram YouTube Pinterest Don’t miss out:  Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes here. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected]. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us:  If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation here. Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS.