Fear is an emotion that everyone experiences, but for those who live with Parkinson’s disease (PD), fear can be a more common visitor, or an ever-present intruder, in daily life.

PD is a progressive disease, so once you know you have it, you know that the symptoms will worsen over time and new ones will appear. You just don’t know when, or exactly how they will impact your life. The disease progresses at a unique pace in each individual, so there’s no universal guideline to tell you what to expect.Between the known (the disease will progress) and the unknown (we don’t know when or exactly how in your case), there’s plenty of fuel for fear.

The Parkinson’s Disease in America 2017 survey found that people living with PD are as impacted emotionally by the disease as they are physically. When asked to describe Parkinson’s in one word, people with PD described their experience as scary, frustrating, annoying, life-changing, debilitating, and challenging, among others. Importance of attitude

Despite the real fears of living with PD, the majority of survey respondents said they recognize that their attitude plays a significant factor in their quality of life. Nearly all survey respondents (95%) said they leverage a variety of coping strategies to deal with the emotional effects of Parkinson’s on their life. Common coping strategies include:

Getting enough sleep or rest (69%)
Exercising (65%)
Using humor (57%)
Turning to prayer or spirituality (53%)
Visiting healthcare professionals (51%)
Talking with family or friends (46%)

Coping with the fear
Fear is a natural reaction to a scary situation, and living with a chronic, progressive disease like PD can be frightening. Emotions are our bodies way of processing information, and when we allow them to flow, they can be “e-motion” or “energy in motion.” Some tips to dealing with the fear of PD include:Acknowledge the fear. Recognize what you’re feeling and give it some space. Keeping fear locked inside can make it persist or get bigger.
Bring it out into the open by talking with a friend, a support group, or a healthcare professional. Shining light on your fear keeps it from being overwhelming.
Learn about PD. Knowledge can bring peace of mind and help you feel more prepared. Ask your doctor for more information or do your own research online.
Change your focus. Experts say our brains can’t focus on fear and gratitude at the same time, so shifting your attention to all that you are grateful for can help ease your fear. Focus on today and what you CAN do, rather than what you can’t.

Try mind-body techniques for stress relief. Many of the complementary therapies like meditation, massage, acupuncture, Tai Chi, or Qigong can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Find inner peace. When you notice your thoughts are spinning or you are overwhelmed with fear, try different thinking...

and TELL FEAR TO GO TO HELL..JOHN

I know many of us PD'ers Freeze and either can't move their feet, or get frozen in place...or God forbid, fall and get hurt...

My son got Dear ol'Dad a small laser used in a couple of board games etc...

SO I carry it around my neck on a Dragon-con lanyard and when i start to freeze or think i have to hang on to every square inch of drywall in my immediate walking area, i turn on the little red laser and try and either step over or on top of it...and voila i am almost feeling like a human being once again And for a split nano-second my body Doesn't feel like every cell in my body is churning cement!

Happy Valentine's Day to all MPT Friends and keep on fighting the good fight John

Yes it is. When I am anxious or frustrated my tremors have a field day. I just try to recognise that it is going to happen and try not to get too worked up about it and soon they will calm back down when the stress is relived.

Stress definitely brings on an increase in tremors for me. When I'm relaxed I can forget to take my meds and won't have tremors. Wierd

yes and remember that Friend PD is tied to your Brain, which of course, controls ALL OUR emotions and physical abilities JOHN