Blog Archives
Ideas For The New Year
Fresh Starts Aren’t Always Necessary
It’s a new year and the thought of those resolutions on the club napkin are but distant memories. Seriously, resolutions can be wonderful intentions yet only to create a burden that wasn’t the intention in the first place. If you are truly goal-oriented, resolutions are simply extensions of those goals that are nagging you the most.
Making Priorities
My biggest battle with my body and mind as I age with Parkinson’s disease is prioritizing:
- Contending with what I should do and what I don’t want to do.
- Weeding out projects that I really want to do but know I shouldn’t do.
- Identifying what I can let go of.
- There are things I must let go of just to get better.
There are sacrifices for one reason or another that we all must make. Illness doesn’t always influence our important decisions, but it can most assuredly be a contributor to the making of those decisions.
Drive
Illness provides a perspective for many of us, due to a pushing drive and a boosted sense of urgency. The only solution to quelling the nagging feeling, is fulfilling that drive to produce.
Trimming and Expanding
Most resolutions includes weight loss, health, reading more, less television, or a making more of or a reducing of something. Wanting to improve ourselves is the right direction to go, but if we go overboard, it may have a reverse effect and cause us stress, anxiety, and or tension. We must be careful to ensure that we aren’t doing ourselves a disservice by taking on too much. Knowing our stress level and not exceeding it is crucial to our well-being. Keep your stress level in mind as you monitor your health regimen and overall wellness. Be kind and forgiving to yourself whether you fall off the diet, or not. Stay committed to your projects of 2020! Best of luck!
Summer Reprise – Tips for Staying Positive and Proactive
This was created in May 2014, but I thought it was worthy of another appearance.
Here are some Tips for Staying Positive and Proactive:
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Take care of yourself. The more you know about Parkinson’s, the better. You play the key role in your own health. Seek out therapies/modalities that work for you. Accepting your illness does not mean giving up.
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Appreciate the good in every day. Focus on what you can do! Do not focus on what you can’t do! Savor and appreciate everything.
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Stay flexible in all ways. A rigid pole often tends to break in the wind. A flexible pole will bend and give in the wind. Being more flexible will add a new dimension to your life.
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A person with a good attitude is much easier to be around and is good for our well-being.
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Being positive is a choice! When we label everything “good” or “bad”, we lose sight that we cannot savor one without the other. You cannot have the sweet without the bitter. This is life!
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Explore the stressors in your daily life. Find an outlet to help you release your stress.
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Procrastination, denial, fear, and apathy only delay the opportunity to begin our own self care. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.
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If you don’t laugh every day, start! Laughter has all kinds of health benefits. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t stop laughing!
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Plan ahead for what you can and be aware and engaged. Always have a plan B, C, or more.
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The best exercise or activity is the one that you like and you are willing to do. If Parkinson’s prohibits us from doing something we love, then we must find a replacement for that activity.
