Everyday Matters program makes a positive difference

People with MS report increased satisfaction, confidence and success using positive psychology principles.

In Winter 2012–13, Momentum reported on Everyday Matters, a program that used the power of positive psychology to address the challenges that come from living with multiple sclerosis; program development was supported by Genzyme, a Sanofi company. Now, the National MS Society has compiled data about the success of the program, and the results are overwhelmingly, well, positive.

In the first phase of the program, which kicked off in the spring of 2012, the Everyday Matters team chronicled the stories of five people who used positive psychology to achieve specific goals and overcome challenges. The MS community was able to follow the progress of these five people through their video diaries.

In the program’s second phase, Everyday Matters toolkits were distributed to more than 1,200 Society self-help groups. A five-week, in-person program was piloted in 17 locations with more than 250 participants, with the aim of increasing participants’ knowledge of positive psychology principles and developing concrete plans for implementing them in their lives. Participants cited the in-person program’s most beneficial aspects as:

• Creating community with like-minded people with similar challenges.
• Learning how not to fall into ruts and how to take charge of their own happiness.
• Learning how to “let it be,” and focusing on the good things that happen daily or weekly.

“Because of Everyday Matters, I wake up with greater appreciation for what I actually can still do,” one participant reported.