The Post-Holiday Blues: Finding Meaning with Parkinson's

With the holiday season behind us, we can be more susceptible to feeling down, blue, even depressed. It’s easy to understand why.

For weeks, we devoted energy to seasonal celebrations, whether it was Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, New Year’s, or other holiday observances. We shopped, traveled, ate, visited with family and close friends, ate, possibly binge-watched sports and movies, ate, and, likely, veered from our routines of exercise, sleep, rest, and work.

The holidays can also make us more mindful of whom we have lost, with whom we have a fractured relationship, of financial stressors, or of what we can no longer do because we live with the Parkinson’s beast.

What helps to feel more purposeful?

Doing what we can to feel more connected, purposeful, and energized is vital.

Below are some ways to do that.

Setting goals

Many people make New Year’s resolutions. We resolve to improve our lives, to invest energy and other resources in new ways, and to let go of physical, emotional, spiritual, or economic baggage. This helps us live into the promise and opportunity presented by a fresh start in a new year.

Think about the year that has just ended. Identify its joys and disappointments, successes and failures. Ponder what these have taught you. Then, consider one “minor” resolution and, if you like, a “major” one. Write it down. Plan to look at it at least once a day. If you fail to keep it, that’s just fine. You can always reset and try again.

We all need purpose in life. Identifying goals and working to reach them reminds us of this purpose.

Staying connected

The act of forming, nurturing, and strengthening personal relationships, especially within the Parkinson’s community, is vital for living well with the disease. These connections are sources of encouragement. They link with a feeling of being in solidarity with others whose journey is taking them down the Parkinson’s road.

I was reminded of the importance of these connections recently. I met for coffee with a group of friends. All of us were diagnosed with Parkinson’s before turning 50, and thus are said to have young-onset Parkinson’s disease. As we sat and shared experiences of both the challenges and joys of having PD in this season of life - parenting, working, meeting other demands of middle-aged people - it occurred to me that I am poorer without these relationships. Investing in them has to remain a priority.

Staying active!

As you know, staying active is the best medicine for slowing the progression of Parkinson’s. It helps us feel better, not only physically but mentally as well. Regular exercise helps alleviate the blues, and even depression, and, when we do it with others, it connects us in meaningful ways.

If exercise is new to you, try different forms to see what you most enjoy and what seems best for you and your body. Whether it is walking or running, boxing or cycling, swimming, tai chi, yoga, dancing, or something else, engaging in it regularly and consistently will help your quality of life as well as your disease management. Better yet, finds some friends to exercise with, too, which fosters the kinds of connections we all need.

Practicing gratitude

Cicero said that “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

A focus on what or who enriches our lives with joy, meaning, and hope helps us live with a posture of gratitude.

Life with a chronic and progressive illness threatens gratitude because it takes from us what we hold most dear - physically, emotionally, relationally, even mentally. Nevertheless, discovering what we hold on to and are most grateful for has been shown scientifically to have great benefits.¹

These benefits include better sleep, higher quality relationships, improved self-esteem, greater resilience, more empathy and less aggression, and improved mental and physical health.

Each day, as I wake up and just before going to bed, I ask myself this question, “What are you grateful for?". I then answer it as thoughtfully and precisely as I can. Often, my response includes things like the ability to set goals and work for them; having close relationships with my family, colleagues, and friends; having a job I deeply enjoy; and being able to run, my favorite form of exercise.

I’m certain these reminders help me live a more thankful life, a better life with Parkinson’s. I also know that each of these practices help assuage the post-holiday blues.