Today is Monday August 24, 2020. I am having a fabulous day, even with the terrible humidity and smoky skies. In a much earlier post, I touched on the issue of stress and how important it is to remove as much stress from your life as you possibly can. If you want to keep yourself stable and symptom free, you must remove those people and/or situations that are toxic for you. I am not here to tell you what to do with your life. However, I have learned through experience, that the less stress I have in my life, the better I feel. My body reacts immediately to stressors, whether it is a person or a situation I might find myself in. Once my body reacts, it's too late to stop PD's grasp. When this happens, I have come up with some ways to help alleviate my symptoms, besides the gift of time.
The first thing that I feel very strongly about is removing toxic people from your circle. If you are not sure who those people are, spend some time with your so called "friends". Your body will speak to you. Trust me on this. Spend your time with people who lift you up and support you on your journey. Those are my kind of peeps!
I have taken up some new hobbies, which help me to feel extremely zen. To be perfectly honest, whether or not you have PD, you might want to try some of these ideas. I have purchased some adult coloring books and lots of markers, crayons, pastels, etc.... When I am having a bad moment emotionally, I sometimes break out the coloring book and color away. It is amazing how I have taught myself about blending colors, just by experimenting with different colors. The right side of my body has been affected by the lack of dopamine on the left side of my brain. This was a hard pill to swallow as I am right handed. When I first bought a coloring book and started to color, my right hand was fairly shaky most of the time. Those have been the most important times for me to color. It wasn't easy to hold a crayon steady or to color in the lines, but I did my best! I truly believe that the correct meds and constant Pilates sessions have helped to quiet the tremor in my hand. It still tremors sometimes, but not like it did in the beginning. Another thing that coloring has really helped me with is my focus. In the beginning of my journey, my focus was mush. I was unable to concentrate on anything. Multi tasking (which has always been a strong suit for me) went right out the door. When I colored, I forced myself to stay with it (as hard as it was in the beginning). After a time (and the correct meds), my focus started to return. I sometimes find myself coloring for an hour or more now. Lastly, being able to hold a crayon steady has helped to rebuild my small muscle strength in my right hand. As far as purchasing a coloring book, I recommend beginning with an adult coloring book that has easier pictures to color with bigger lines and curves. Especially until you get your medicines regulated. I picked up my first coloring book at Cost Plus. Target.com and Walmart.com have great choices and reasonable prices. I have picked up crayons, markers and pastels at Target and Michael's. I especially love the coloring books that have uplifting sayings on each page.
As a teacher, I have always believed in the Creative Arts as a special and non threatening way to reach children. I can tell you this with certainty. From all my years of working with young children, I have never met a child who didn't enjoy painting (even the children who were extremely resistant in the beginning). There is something to be said about painting and calm. Because of the peacefulness I witnessed with children as they painted, I recently decided to start painting myself! I asked around and after describing what I was hoping to do, the consensus was that I try painting with Acrylic paints. Wow!! Acrylic colors are so beautifully bright and soothing to my soul. There is something about holding a paint brush and creating that is so cathartic. Don't forget to put on your favorite tunes and enjoy!
Another idea to de stress is to get some bubble wrap and using your weaker hand, try popping it! Some bubble wraps are impossible to pop, as they are made to shelter fragile objects. However, there are other bubble wraps that are perfect for popping! Not only do I feel successful that my right fingers are once again able to pop each bubble, but it is fun! A real simple and creative way to ease the stress. Come on....... Admit it! You loved popping those bubbles as a child! To be continued.....
🌷This was one of the first times I painted with acrylics. They are so vibrant 🌷
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