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Keys

A recent visit to the Lock and Key Shop on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin got me thinking about keys as they relate to a life with Parkinson’s: keys to managing our symptoms; keys to living well with this illness; keys to coping with the challenges that Parkinson’s brings. I find it helpful to remember that keys do at least a couple of things. They provide access and they offer security, letting us into spaces we desire to inhabit and keeping out what threatens us in those spaces.

When I consider the keys to living with Parkinson’s, several come to mind.

  • Acceptance. Having Parkinson’s requires acknowledging the losses that come with it and accepting that life will be different going forward. A lack of acceptance or living in denial of our losses makes intrusions by things like depression, anxiety, anger, or bitterness more likely. Finding peace should be our focus, and this requires accepting our illness. But as Michael J. Fox has noted, “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.”
  • A positive outlook. Having Parkinson’s stinks, no doubt. I have yet to meet a person who says they’d sign up for it. But life can still be good with Parkinson’s—very good. Illness and wellness can go together. Discovering or rediscovering what brings us joy and meaning is the key. Many aspects of life can be affected by how we approach them. If we approach life with a negative, pessimistic, downer attitude or outlook, that will color our experience. But the same is true when we have a positive outlook. I try to surround myself with positive, hopeful people, too. It helps.
  • Gratitude. I try to begin each day by asking, “What am I thankful for?” and taking note of the abundance in which I live: family, friends, work, resources, health (yes, despite Parkinson’s), interests, talents, the Parkinson’s community, and more. Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” It’s stunning how helpful it can be to start the day in a posture of thanksgiving and gratitude.
  • Community. Another key may be found in identifying the family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors you can rely on and who offer support and encouragement. I am convinced that how we fare in a life with Parkinson’s, really, in any life, is directly related to the community we have around us. We cannot do this illness alone or in isolation. Many of us have discovered this the hard way. Find your people as quickly as you can, lean on them, invite them to lean on you, and you’ll likely find it helps you feel better and live with greater satisfaction and calm.
  • Education. “Knowledge is power,” observed Francis Bacon, the 16th century English philosopher, recognizing that with greater awareness and understanding comes greater control. Learning as much as we can about the illness with which we live is a key to living well. Greater understanding helps us not only gain more resources for managing Parkinson’s, but it makes us feel better and helps us live as if we have more power over Parkinson’s, which we do.

Later this week, I’ll post on additional keys that I find essential for living well with Parkinson’s. In the meantime, I hope you’ll be thinking about your keys and share them with me on Twitter: @pdwise. I’d love to hear from you.

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[1] https://facilitiesservices.utexas.edu/divisions/support/lock-key-services

Photo courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin

Allan Cole is Deputy to the President for Societal Challenges and Opportunities at The University of Texas at Austin, where he also serves as a professor in The Steve Hicks School of Social Work, and, by courtesy, as a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Dell Medical School. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2016, at the age of 48, he serves on the Board of Directors at Power for Parkinson’s, a non-profit organization that provides free exercise, dance, and singing classes for people living with Parkinson’s disease in Central Texas, and globally via instructional videos. He also serves as a Community Advocate for ParkinsonsDisease.net, and as a regular guest contributor to the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Team Fox Blog, writing columns about living well with Parkinson’s. He is the author or editor of many books on a range of topics related to bereavement, anxiety, and spirituality. His latest book is Counseling Persons with Parkinson’s Disease (Oxford University Press). His next book, Discerning the Way: Lessons from Parkinson’s Disease (Cascade), will be published in 2021. He is also working on a book of poetry titled In the Care of Plenty: Poems (Resource Publications), which will be published in 2022. Follow him on Twitter @PDWise.