Ways to Negate the Negative in Your Day

By Suzanne Troy

2 min read

We certainly know that Parkinson’s disease (PD) can zap your energy and make you feel negative about life. This is true if you have the disease or if you are a care partner for someone who has PD. Rather than fight the daily negative feelings, come up with ways to negate them in the first place.

My own father has had PD for almost 15 years. He is now 86 and battling the dementia that often comes along with it. My mother has been a warrior through her own health issues and is my dad’s primary care partner. I help often when my mom needs assistance with my dad.

I think we all found it hard to get through the COVID-19 pandemic without feeling down about life in general. If you have a chronic disease, this can add to your burden list. The following are tips on how to start your day on the right foot and with a positive attitude whether you are a person with Parkinson's or a care partner.

Follow a routine

Try to follow a daily routine that best fits your individual needs. I’m a creature of habit so I benefit from daily exercise whether it is a walk with the dog or an exercise class.

I have found it very easy to find virtual classes to follow from the comfort of my home. Often, you can also find classes specific to Parkinson’s. Good ones include tai chi, boxing, or chair-based exercises.

I also thrive on my spiritual strength through my belief in God. Each morning I read a daily devotional along with a bit of scripture from the Bible that helps me get my mind and heart in the right place for the day.

Use your creativity

Being creative is a great way to get your mind off your worries and to put some grit into a project. Maybe paint a picture, write and share your story with our ParkinsonsDisease.net community.

Build a birdhouse and enjoy watching a bird build its own nest in your backyard tree. You will feel a sense of accomplishment too!

Help someone else

Write a thank-you note for service providers who have helped you during a difficult period or during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teach or volunteer with youth on a subject that is dear to your heart or from your professional background. Call someone that you haven’t talked to in a while. Maybe they need some cheering up!

Get out in nature

Find a local park or nature preserve to a drive-through or walk-through. Plan ahead and bring a picnic too! Invite friends that you haven’t been able to see in a long time!

We know that life is not easy, but if we learn to manage the negative feelings that come with Parkinson’s disease or a similar chronic illness then we learn to live more fully.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The ParkinsonsDisease.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Krukar2012 Member
I have had Parkinson’s for awhile now. I have a few friends in Sedona my home who also have this disorder. It is incredibly important to me that I stay positive. Each morning my cats and I enjoy some boxing, then an on-line LSVT routine on my deck. Takes about an hour. Then my wife and I walk to coffee. As a PwP I cannot be, will not be a victim because this disease will consume me if I let it. Blessings, Mike
1. Marc Mitnick Member
 <inline-mention username="Krukar2012" user-id="4161271"/> Hi Mike, Thanks for your comments. How are you feeling? Your positivity is contagious! I like your last line, "As a PwP, I cannot be a victim because this disease will consume me if I let it." Your strong faith is admirable as well. Keep up being a victor! Regards, Marc M., Moderator, ParkinsonsDisease.Net
Marc Mitnick Member
Hi Suzanne, Thanks for your article. It is very refreshing to hear your views on "Ways to Negate the Negative...." I believe in setting your day on the right path through faith and devotions is a positive way to begin each morning. Positivity Rules! With continued good wishes, Marc M., Moderator, ParkinsonsDisease.Net
Suzanne Troy Member
Hi Mark, I appreciate your positive thoughts! Best regards, Suzanne T.
1. Maryangelina Member
 <inline-mention username="Suzanne Troy" user-id="4147628"/> my problem is with medical personnel. They have no idea about Parkinsons and Restless Leg Syndrone. Most say its anxiety etc same with insomnia . Brcause i dont have visible tremors. But i have jerks where my body wull suddenly jerk so hard it will almost throw me out of bed. Or my arm will fly out and hit something.thats my its called a "medicak PRACTICE". THEY ARE PRACTICING cause they do not know. Same with cardiac doctors. 
2. Suzanne Troy Member
 <inline-mention username="Maryangelina" user-id="3036367"/> Hello, I'm so sorry that you don't seem to have attentive medical personnel. I would recommend getting a second opinion if possible because they seem to be missing your apparent symptoms. Here are a few articles that should help you prepare for finding the right help and may be ask the right questions to help you get a more definitive answer: symptoms!https://parkinsonsdisease.net/infographic/treatment-journey https://parkinsonsdisease.net/diagnosis Please let us know how it goes! We care about you in our community! Best wishes and prayers to you! Suzanne, team member
dlyons31 Member
Wow! What great list of affirming ideas for dealing with a chronic disease or life in general. Thanks for providing this compilation.
Suzanne Troy Member
Thanks dlyons31 for your affirming response! I hope you are enjoying a great summer and find positive things to do! Blessings, Suzanne T. (team member)
timothymeyers Member
Noisy Books, (for what ever it is worth, dementia withstanding) As a child, i would look upon libraries with a great trepidation. And to be candid, to this day, i still revere libraries as such. A new discipline is required to appreciate the Digital archive of Wit and Wisdom. Electronic memory is volatile as paper. Giving merit to the trope, “is it worth the value of the paper too which it is imprinted”? There exists within “me” this shelved and literary bank of booked expectations of noun and verb to commune with “consciousness” via the gift of print. Their cousins of; pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions and other familiar literary cousins of composition that true “Truth” is held captive by ink on paper. When is composition considered deceptive? Fiction is a Stranger. Conspicuous Conspiracy. Perhaps this is why I fell in love with lithography. A human desire to create a literal hard copy of memories. A marriage of; ink to paper. A vain attempt to document our individual truth and opinion as fact. Once committed to ink and pulp we validate or personal fact and fiction as “Real”. What of Beethoven?, Picaso?. Does their medium of expression suffer a loss of translation, a lack of detail too naive to those of little Faith? As a science of fact and fiction we manufacture and publish assumed beliefs, as an orgasm of mutual malice and mayhem. These warehouses of compressed literature, books, manuscripts, maps etc portraying themselves as bastions of wisdom, wit and wonder hold the innocent and naive in a state of suspended and repressed anxiety. These noisy books all begged for immediate attention. Seeking a soul willing to collaborate a mutual awareness/consciousness in pandemonium of printed pages. A desire for common communion of spirit and prose, holy and otherwise, at the alter of ones ego. When I wore a younger mans clothes I often would marvel at the three dimensional value of printed literature. The more familiar dimensions of 8.5 x 11 inches by .004” thick. If it was put to print it was more stable and concrete knowable fact of fiction. What does two dimensional screen of digital technology deprived us of? How thick is the cursor on my screen? Perhaps I link my youth to the three dimensional value of ink on paper as legal tender. Hence instilling a value superior to that of a computer screen. We still seek hard copies as a “more legitimate” bill of fare. But words are useless if not spoken. Hollywood weds Frankenstein.