Learning to Slow Down: How MS Reshaped My Life and My Work

Meet Indu Khurana – Psychotherapist, Coach, Supervisor, and Community Business Awards 2024 Finalist.

Indu lives with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and knows first-hand the emotional toll long-term conditions can take. She’s also spent years helping others navigate those same challenges – especially people with MS and other autoimmune conditions.

In this piece, Indu shares her honest reflections on how living with MS changed her life – from her relationship with her body, to how she works, rests, and supports others.

As a Purpl partner, Indu is offering our members an exclusive deal on emotional support therapy:
Buy 5 sessions and get 1 free – for the whole time you work with her. Just quote IKPURPLdeal25 in your email subject line to claim it. You can find out more about Indu and her work here: https://www.indukhurana.com/, and to take advantage of her exclusive Purpl member offer email: [email protected]

If you’re navigating life with MS or a similar condition, this one’s for you.

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“There are still occasions when my first instinct is to curse this affliction we call MS.
But I make myself slow down and think about this thought and instinct – this gives me enough space to realise that if I did not have MS, I would not have learnt as much about health as I have.
I would also not know as much about my intuition as I do now, or have learnt to trust it. 
I would not have learnt the language of my body, about food, or general – but basic – self-care, and I certainly would not have learnt about the alternative and complementary medicines/therapies as I have. 
It is also because of MS that I have learnt to focus more on the positive things in my life. 
It is due to MS that I am learning to say ‘no’; learning to slow down, to rest more, to seek support when I need it.

Whilst I am loath to say ‘thanks’ to MS, it was the driver behind my decision to leave employment and pursue my long-held dream of having my own business. 
Crucially, it is also because of MS that my business focuses on helping others with MS (and similar autoimmune conditions), why I have learnt so extensively on the impact of our emotions on our physical health.
That’s why I know that not only do we have various powerful emotional responses to the illness or condition, but also that previous issues/experiences feed into the creation of – and perpetuation of – our health conditions.

My professional background, which is rooted in Psychotherapy and Coaching, has also taught me that our emotions drive our behaviours – consciously and, more often, unconsciously. 

It is because of this profession that I have a good understanding of the impact of the label ‘disability’. I know first-hand how much more expensive a condition like this can prove to be in the real world.”

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To help more people access emotional help, as part of a holistic model that I have developed, I am offering a special offer to all those that start working with me through Purpl.

My special offer, exclusive to Purpl referrals, is:
Sign up for 5 sessions with me at my current standard rate and get 1 free. This applies for the WHOLE time you work with me. Just quote IKPURPLdeal25 in your email subject line.

Other articles you might like:

Living with MS: My Personal Story for MS Awareness Week
World Diabetes Day – A Lifetime of Both Blessings and Curses