10 Things That Your Doctor May Not Have Shared with You About Parkinson’s Disease
These 10 suggestions are just that—suggestions for what I have found to work for myself. I encourage you to find or develop your own list of successful tools that add to your improvement. As Parkinson’s can be so different and unique for each of us, it may take some time and careful trial and error to identify what works best for you!
Relaxation
Finding ways to relax and reduce stress can alleviate anxiety, tension, and help to improve mood. There are numerous techniques and therapies that you may want to consider, such as yoga, qigong, massage, reflexology, and reiki, just to name a few. Art, music, or just focusing on a hobby can be very therapeutic!
Nutrition
Eat better and know what you are eating. Eat organic—the fresher, the better!
Move with music
Incorporate music you love into your daily life! Music motivates movement as well as mood!
Mind and body
Don’t stop moving, thinking, and growing—keeping your mind and body active and challenged will help keep your systems engaged.
Stay connected
Stay social! Interacting with others is so important for support, mental health, and retaining communication skills.
Stay flexible
Be open! If what you are doing isn’t working for you right now, you might need to tweak your game plan with a new activity, therapy, schedule, or daily regimen.
Maintain a routine
Schedules can be difficult to manage with Parkinson’s disease! Keeping a routine can be of benefit to people with Parkinson’s as there can be some level of predictability with a set schedule.
Stay informed
Stay informed but don’t overload yourself with information! Knowledge is helpful but too much may be consuming and even in a negative way, if misunderstood.
Positivity
Remain upbeat! Staying positive, as best as you can, may add a whole new dimension to how you proceed through life.
Avoid shortcuts
Do the work and try to avoid the shortcuts! Getting better won’t happen overnight, but you probably didn’t get ill overnight, so be patient and stay open to noninvasive options.
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