@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member On coping with trying to be a perfectionist : My daughters' 'friend gave me a pin to wear that states : " WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS LOWER YOUR STANDARDS"

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A MyParki...

I agree that stress does play a part but it largely works through sleep disturbance( decreased quantity and depth of sleep.) Sleep increases dopamine level in the brain , hence the recommendation for having a quick 1/2 hr to 45 min afternoon "Siesta". daily. , it recharges my batteries.
Also don't forget muscle stretching at least once if not more often, particularly the hamstrings, calves and quads in the legs and the lower back and thoracic spine ( do the prostate prayer position 5-6 times staying there for 15-20 seconds( as long as it does not aggravate your abck) and judicious use of massage are all which I find very helpful. and finally the real mantra---"PACE AS YOUR BODY DICTATES"
AND KEEP LONG AND BIG STEPS GOING, DO GET OUT OF THE BED EVERY MORNING. ALL THE BEST Jay

I write a lot , so the other day I wrote a note in my journal to Mr. Parkinson's. I told him that I know he wants to take a lot away from me but I am a handful and he will have too wait for a long time before he takes me down. I go to physical therapy 3 times a week to maintain what I have. I also have started back up with my belly dancing, yoga and zoomba class's. I am not going to let Mr. PARKINSON'S take my life over yet. Then I ripped the paper out of my journal and put it in the fire place and let it go right up in smoke. I am feeling in control again and love myself. Keep moving my friends. Love too all .💃🚣‍♀️⚽️⚾️🏀😚

@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member: I do not think that she has never heard the expression that "You don't kick a man when he is down." I have had my share of conversations where someone says, "You don't look sick." My standard reply is, "Funny, you don't look like a doctor." I firmly believe that you are never given a burden that you cannot bear. The statement from the doctor that the tests reveal that you conclusively have Parkinson's Disease causes one to enter the Five Stages of Grief. Conduct a Google search on the five stages so you will better understand your feelings. When I received my diagnosis and having worked in the funeral industry, I had an inkling that I might be undergoing grief. When I did my due diligence, I was able to plot where I was in the stages and actually jumped ahead so as not to drag them on and be a bigger problem to my wife.

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me via this medium or by email to (Email address can only be seen by the question and answer creators) (did you see what I did there; yswords= wise words. If you have a Facebook account, you can find me at my real name which will appear in parentheses at the bottom of this post. If you need someone to dump on and let you speak without interruption, I am like "Fraser Crane" when he says, "I'm listening."

Dadums56 (Bill Yardley)

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A MyParki...

Yes, stress is at the top of the list. For me, being overstimulated is another source of stress -- crowded stores, riding in a car on a crowded freeway, anything that overloads any of my senses. I also find that I am more reactive to normal or low levels of stimulus like lights, sounds, textures, temperatures, when my meds are wearing off or haven't kicked in yet in the morning.

I am relieved to hear other people mention the effect of weather! When a storm front is moving in, my symptoms get worse, along with what for years I called a 'weather headache,' the only treatment for which was a cold pack on top of my head and on my face and back of my neck.

Insufficient sleep is also exacerbates my symptoms. Whatever sleep does, I definitely need that!

Thanks, everyone, for sharing about this. :-)