ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
Hi, this is John Pepper!
Attitude plays an important role in maintaining our overall health, especially when we have a chronic illness. I do understand that, not feeling well, is reason enough to be negative, but it is exactly under these circumstances that we must endeavour to maintain a positive attitude.
We People with Pd have been conditioned to accept that, until a cure is found, there is NO HOPE of any improvement in our condition. We must expect our condition to deteriorate, until we become totally immobile.
I refuse to accept this prognosis.
It would be better if patients were told that, with a commitment to regular exercise, adopting a positive attitude, managing our stress levels and taking an MAO-b Inhibitor, there is a good chance of at least maintaining our present condition, without it getting any worse. There is ample proof that certain exercise regimens can definitely slow down the progression of Pd. So!
Why is it really necessary to tell us there is NO HOPE?
NEGATIVE thinking generates negativity all around. This negativity spreads to others, and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. POSITIVE thoughts tend to generate positive actions. They also generate enthusiasm among other people, with whom we come into contact.
I have never met a successful person who constantly sends out negative vibes.
We all have the occasional negative thought. It is only natural, but we all have to guard against becoming negative in our outlook on life. If we do, then we can only become disillusioned and unhappy.
Adopting a negative attitude towards Pd is the worst possible approach to take. You cannot maintain or improve your quality of life if you believe that it is not possible.
Depression is part of Pd. I believe it to be the worst symptom of this disease, because it takes away our will to fight. It also does something else, equally as damaging, by making the lives of our caregivers very unpleasant. It is one thing for the caregivers to tend to our needs, but it is another, to have to put up with criticism and irritability, from the very people they are trying to help. Not only does depression make us irritable and uncooperative, it gives our caregivers the feeling that what they are doing is futile.
Imagine what difference it makes, to the lives of those wonderful caregivers, when we proffer a smile and a kindly word, even though we are feeling bloody miserable; instead of a complaint or a hurtful remark. There is no doubt that not only does a cheerful attitude make an enormous difference to the lives of those around us, it also makes a difference to our own lives.
It is so easy to drown in a sea of self-pity.
I firmly believe that, other than taking the prescribed medication, you, the patient, are the only person in a position to genuinely improve your own quality of life. In order to do this, you must:
'BELIEVE that you can do it’.
For more information on attitude and many other aspects of Pd, look at my website:
John Pepper.