There is no question that Parkinson’s disease can be a tremendous struggle, filled with changes and developments. My theory is that when we ‘wage war, go to battle, or fight’, we highlight stress, violence, and turmoil. I don’t often quote film, but as Patrick Swayze says in the classic, Roadhouse, (okay it isn’t really a classic but it makes a point), ‘No one ever wins a fight.’ Avoiding and reducing stress are key to keeping your Parkinson’s symptoms at bay. By avoiding and reducing known stress-related triggers, finding coping methods, like exercise, meditation, and yoga will assist in retaining your energy and flexibility.
Try considering your illness, be it Parkinson’s disease or any other disease, as a roadblock or obstacle to work around or to work with. Maybe if we visualize our illnesses in a less threatening state and see them more as “something that we can work with and not against”, our bodies may not have to exert so much towards the fight and can devote more energy to getting better. Just something to chew on.
I really like your idea, Karl. It does us no good to repeat and repeat the same approach to problem solving. How are we ever achieve a different result?
Agreed Karl but I believe there is a distinction between battling and fighting. In my opinion, a battle is strategic, calculated, planned whereas, fighting indicates a reaction involving emotion and stress which is counter intuitive to treating a chronic disease like PD. It is also my opinion that a regular routine of exercise and quiet meditation is essential to achieving success in treating this disease. As usual, you address an important aspect of living with this disease. – Michael J Church