Life is happening. Parkinson’s is happening. How you deal with your Parkinson’s symptoms has much to do with your recovery. Your attitude is a major factor in your recovery. Attitude, attitude, attitude!
I will begin today’s discussion with a quote from Jack Sparrow, that is, Captain Jack Sparrow from the Disney movie series Pirates of the Caribbean: “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Do you understand?”
I would imagine that Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow) had no idea he was talking about Parkinson’s recovery. I will paraphrase so you will understand my point better:
“The problem is not your Parkinson’s symptoms. The problem is your attitude about your Parkinson’s symptoms. Do you understand?”
Your symptoms are happening. Your attitude about what they mean can dramatically change your recovery. If you can view your symptoms with a positive attitude from your heart instead of a negative attitude from your mind, then you have the greatest opportunity to move forward in your Parkinson’s recovery.
Here are some examples of how a shift in attitude changes your recovery.
Event: An increase in tremors while doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery™.
Mind: Oh no, I am getting worse. Better stop the Recipe and look for something else.
Heart: Excellent, I am getting better. I am generating more internal electrical impulses and they temporarily cause me to tremor more while they are opening blockages in my system.
Event: An increase in stiffness while doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery™.
Mind: Oh no, I am getting worse. Better stop the Recipe and look for something else.
Heart: Excellent, I am getting better. I am generating more internal electrical impulses and they temporarily are shocking the muscles more as they look to open new energy passageways, causing me a little more stiffness in my system.
Event: An increase in slowness while doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery™.
Mind: Oh no, I am getting worse. Better stop the Recipe and look for something else.
Heart: Excellent, I am getting better. I am generating more internal electrical impulses and they temporarily are shocking the muscles more as they look to open new energy passageways, causing me a little more stiffness in my system, and this stiffness is making me move slower.
Attitude, attitude, attitude.
The mind views an increase in a symptom as “getting worse, only getting worse.” The mind follows the current medical model for Parkinson’s, you will be “getting worse, only getting worse.” With your mind’s attitude following the “only getting worse” medical model, your Parkinson’s symptoms get worse because your mind is filled with fear, anxiety, worry, anger, frustration, and stress…all of the things that helped bring your Parkinson’s symptoms to the surface in the first place. If you stay in your mind, you defeat your own recovery because an attitude filled with this outlook and these emotions, feeds the Parkinson’s symptoms and ultimately makes you stop doing the Recipe and quit your recovery.
The heart views an increase in a symptoms as “progress in recovery, everything is progress in recovery.” The heart follows the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery™ model for Parkinson’s, if you are doing the Recipe you are making “progress in recovery, everything is progress in recovery.” With your heart’s attitude following the “everything is progress in recovery” Recipe model, your Parkinson’s symptoms eventually get better because your heart is filled with faith, hope, love, joy, happiness, gratitude, contentment, vulnerability, and forgiveness…all of the things that get your dopamine flowing and rid you of your Parkinson’s symptoms. If you stay in your heart, you enhance your recovery because an attitude filled with this outlook and these emotions keeps you doing the Recipe and ultimately defeats the Parkinson’s and leads to your full recovery.
Attitude, attitude, attitude.
I will finish with another quote, one I have mentioned before. This time from Socrates in Dan Millman’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior: “Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you come to your senses.”
Lose you mind…find your heart…have your recovery.
You are worth it!
All my best,
Howard
Thanks, Howard!
My heart says “Thanks Howard!”
Dearest Howard…I’m consistently grateful for your caring of us all… it is so obvious to me that your purpose is to contribute to life… and in so doing, to support all of us to realize optimum health and joy in our lives. So, knowing how much you care and also how much I value your insights, I wondered why the word “attitude” had me feeling such resistance. Then I looked up its meaning in the dictionary and read ” a settled opinion or (also attitude of mind) a way of thinking”. And I thought, how paradoxical. Here I am working to get “out of my mind” (disconnected and often frenetic thinking and doing) and “into my heart” ( joy, life, unconditional love, compassionate being) and I’m invited to reflect on my attitude (way of thinking). So now the question remains, do I have the ingredients within me to notice my attitude with full heart presence and compassion… to shift from an awareness of being so the two (heart and mind) become one? The affirming answer flows from a little voice within becoming ever stronger. “Yes,” it says, “Yes, yes, YES!”
This is just what I needed now, Howard, many thanks. I’m gradually getting it!
I just reread your blog on attitude – what a different message I heard today. when the mind is ready to let go then the heart can take over. Thank you for personalizing the message for me – every day is a new learning experience and I am so grateful. Marilyn
A very powerful message and a great reminder!
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