March 26, 2025 • 40 mins
Feeling overwhelmed by stress and anxiety with Parkinson's? You're not alone. In this episode of Live Parkinson's - Live an Exceptional Life, we dive deep into practical mindfulness techniques to help you find calm and regain control. Discover how to manage the emotional challenges of Parkinson's and improve your overall well-being.
- Key Topics Covered:
- Understanding the connection between Parkinson's symptoms and anxiety.
- Practical mindfulness exercises for daily stress relief.
- Breathwork and body scan techniques to help promote a sense of calm.
- Tips for overcoming challenges to mindfulness practice.
- Resources to support your mindfulness journey.
Learn actionable strategies to navigate the emotional landscape of Parkinson's and cultivate inner peace. Whether you're dealing with symptom fluctuations, social anxiety, or worries about disease progression, this episode provides valuable tools to enhance your quality of life.
Calls to Action:
- Visit liveparkinsons.com for more resources and information.
- Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter for ongoing support and tips.
- Get your copy of the "Building Your Parkinson's Care Team Resource Guide" and workbook to help build the best care team for your needs.
- Support the podcast and our mission to help people live a great quality of life with Parkinson's at Ko-fi.com/liveparkinsons.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a certified mental health specialist or your health care professional if you feel overwhelmed with anxiety, depression, or hopelessness.
Resources: These include affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through the link, the company pays me a small commission at no cost to you.
Wherever You Go, There You Are, Mindful Meditation on Everyday Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD.
Mindfulness for Beginners - Reclaiming the Present Moment of Your Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD.
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Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only is not intended to treat or diagnose Parkinson's Disease. Please ensure that you are following the treatment plan developed by your doctor. Please ensure before starting anything new you get approval from your doctor. The information being provided is based on my own personal experiences and does not guarantee that it will benefit everyone.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Hello and welcome to Live Parkinson's Live an
Exceptional Life.
I'm your host, chrisKastenbader, and I've been
living an exceptional life withParkinson's for the past 15
years.
The mission of this podcast isto help as many people as
possible living with Parkinson'sto lead a great quality of life
.
Today's topic is theParkinson's Anxiety Toolkit
Mindfulness Strategies that Work.
(00:31):
Are you feeling on edge?
Parkinson's is challengingenough without anxiety making it
worse.
I know this firsthand.
I struggle with anxiety andpanic attacks, not realizing
they may be linked toParkinson's, but I find my way
through to the other side and nolonger experience panic attacks
or anxiety that made me feelnervous or anxious all the time.
Mindfulness techniques andcognitive behavioral therapy
(00:55):
help me regain control andfinally take back my life, and
these techniques can do the samefor you, can do the same for
you.
In this episode, we'll uncoversimple, powerful mindfulness
strategies to reduce tension,quiet racing thoughts and help
you focus on living your bestlife with Parkinson's.
Stay tuned to learn how theycan help you too.
As I mentioned in the opening,I've struggled with anxiety and
(01:18):
panic attacks, so I understandhow life-altering it can be.
My hope is, by sharing commonanxiety triggers and discussing
the benefits of mindfulness andgiving you specific strategies
to use that you can put anxietyin the rearview mirror and live
the life you want to live.
Now am I telling you you'llnever be anxious again?
(01:38):
Absolutely not, because we allexperience stress and anxiety in
our lives.
But the key is is how do wereact to it?
So in this episode we're goingto build an anxiety toolkit that
can help you manage anxiety.
So let's take a look at whatwe'll be covering today.
We'll lead it off withunderstanding stress and anxiety
(01:59):
in Parkinson's.
We'll examine the connectionbetween how Parkinson's motor
and non-motor symptoms cancontribute to stress and anxiety
.
Then we'll transition to commonanxiety triggers and how
anxiety can manifest physically,having an impact on our quality
of life.
Now, as part of our discussion,you hear me reiterating several
times that if you're beingoverwhelmed with anxiety or
(02:22):
depression, it's important tosee a certified mental
specialist who can help youdevelop a treatment plan
specific to your needs.
So it's imperative that if yourissue doesn't seem to be
improving, contact yourhealthcare professional.
Then we're going to transitionto mindfulness and what it is.
We'll debunk some of the mythsand common misconceptions about
(02:42):
mindfulness and then we'lldiscuss some of the specific
benefits of mindfulness and howthey translate into helping you
live your daily life.
Then we'll get into the meatand potatoes of the discussion
and explore practical mindfultechniques and cover guided mini
meditation, mindful movement,mindful daily activities and
mindful breathing techniques.
(03:03):
Then we'll transition intoovercoming some of the common
challenges people have withmindfulness practices and
discuss some tips for buildingconsistent practice.
Then we'll wrap it up byproviding some resources that
you can use to help you overcomeanxiety using mindfulness
techniques.
So that's the roadmap of wherewe're going.
So if you're ready to putanxiety on the shelf so it's not
(03:24):
controlling your life, thenstay with me as we start our
journey to learn how mindfulnesscan be a constant friend on
keeping anxiety at bay.
And let's begin our journey byfirst understanding the
connection between stress andanxiety and Parkinson's, and
then we'll talk about how ourmotor and non-motor symptoms can
play a role.
So what exactly is anxiety andParkinson's?
Non-motor symptoms can play arole.
(03:47):
So what exactly is anxiety andParkinson's?
Well, anxiety is a commonnon-motor symptom of Parkinson's
, affecting up to 40% of peoplewith Parkinson's, and that's
according to the article Anxietyand PD by the Parkinson's
Foundation.
People can experience differentforms of anxiety, including
generalized anxiety disorder, orGAD, which is characterized by
excessive, persistent and oftenunrealistic worry about everyday
(04:07):
situations.
People with generalized anxietydisorder may feel a constant
sense of fear which I learned isfalse evidence appearing real
or they can experience dread,especially when there's no
apparent reason for concern.
Gad can interfere with aperson's daily life and often
limit what they do.
Panic attacks are another formof anxiety in Parkinson's which
(04:30):
I can personally attest to.
Panic attacks, if you've neverhad the opportunity to
experience them, are suddenepisodes of intense fear or
discomfort that can happenunexpectedly or in response to
some type of trigger and, basedon my experiences and what I've
seen in the literature, theyusually last for a few minutes
and you often hear people say Idon't know what caused the panic
(04:52):
attack, it just seemed to comeout of nowhere.
They have some very distressingand uncomfortable symptoms, but
they aren't typically lifethreatening.
Now, a person suffering frompanic attacks may experience
rapid heartbeat, chest pain,shortness of breath, dizziness,
sweating and shakiness, andthat's why a lot of people may
end up in the emergency roombecause maybe they think they're
having a heart attack.
(05:12):
Now I remember when I would getpanic attacks my palms would
get sweaty, my heart would raceand then I would feel the need
to get out of where I was andget to a quote safe place.
And I would often hear peoplethat had panic attacks say the
same story.
They would talk about howthey'd experienced a panic
attack and then they would haveto go to their safe space.
(05:33):
And then another form of anxiety, besides panic attacks, which
is common in Parkinson's, issocial anxiety.
People are often embarrassed togo out in public because it
could be their tremors.
They're having difficultywalking and getting around,
difficulties with speech, sothey may withdraw from going to
social gatherings with friendsand family, and that can lead to
social isolation and theneventually cause loneliness and
(05:57):
depression.
So it's important to note thatanxiety and Parkinson's isn't
just a reaction to the diagnosisbut it's linked to changes in
brain chemistry caused by thedisease.
All right, now that weunderstand that anxiety and its
different forms in Parkinson's,let's look at how Parkinson's
motor and non-motor symptoms cancontribute to stress and
anxiety.
(06:17):
And we'll lead it off withmotor symptoms and we'll start
it off with tremors, becausemost people with Parkinson's
have tremors and we all knowthat.
It's the visible shaking of ourhands, legs and it can cause
people to get social anxietybecause they're embarrassed of
the tremor and that can lead tosocial isolation, stress and
(06:37):
loneliness.
Clinic social anxiety disorderor social phobia.
Bradykinesia, or slowness ofmovement, can cause difficulty
doing everyday tasks, which cancreate frustration and a sense
of helplessness, which canincrease anxiety.
So a lot of times if you becomefrustrated with I can't do this
anymore, then you start tobecome anxious and worry about
(07:00):
what am I going to be able to doother things as well?
Postural instability and a fearof falling can cause
significant anxiety in peoplewith Parkinson's, which can
limit the activities theyparticipate in.
And then, finally, dyskinesias,which, if you haven't
experienced them, they'reinvoluntary movements which are
often unpredictable and can bedistressing and make the person
(07:22):
with Parkinson's feel sociallyawkward, and that can cause
anxiety, especially socialanxiety.
So, in terms of non-motorsymptoms, some of the key
players leading to stress andanxiety include cognitive
changes.
Problems with your memory,concentration and
decision-making can causeanxiety.
You become frustrated that youcan't remember things the way
(07:44):
you used to or make decisions.
That can all can cause anxiety.
You become frustrated that youcan't remember things the way
you used to or make decisions.
That can all lead to anxiety.
Social disturbances and that'sone of my top non-motor symptoms
, and that would include thingslike insomnia and sleep
fragmentation, where you keepwaking up in the middle of the
night, and that can causeanxiety.
So if you think about when youdon't get enough sleep, you may
(08:06):
seem like you're anxious.
The next day you may be alittle bit shaky, you may feel a
little lightheaded or dizzy andoff balance.
So not getting enough sleep canbe a trigger for leading to
anxiety.
Depression is another one whichoften goes hand in hand with
anxiety and Parkinson's, andit's often due to the effect of
changes in brain chemicals thatregulate our mood.
(08:28):
Chronic pain is another sourceof anxiety.
And then, finally,communication issues like
changes in your speech softspeech, for instance, which I
often experience, can lead tosocial anxiety, because you may
get anxious when people arealways saying to you speak up, I
can't hear what you're saying.
So a lot of times people becomefrustrated that they have to
(08:49):
keep repeating themselvesbecause of their soft voice and
they just decide they getanxious and say I'm not going to
go out and go out into public,and then that can lead to social
anxiety.
All right, now that we see howmotor and non-motor symptoms can
cause anxiety, how does thisaffect or impact our quality of
life.
Anxiety can worsen sleepdisturbances, cognitive
(09:10):
difficulties and pain.
Anxiety can also cause peoplewith Parkinson's to reduce
social participation orinteraction because you know
they're just embarrassed to goout because of their motor
symptoms.
Whether it be tremor, slownessof movement, it could be fear of
falling of their motor symptoms.
Whether it be tremor, slownessof movement, it could be fear of
falling.
Another reason that they getsocial anxiety is just
(09:31):
navigating in public.
If you have to go through abusy store or you're in a busy
airport or train station, thatcan all lead to anxiety.
Anxiety can be a big cause forreduced independence.
People may be worried about therisk of falls and sometimes
they're afraid that they can'tcomplete their daily tasks,
which can lead to anxiety.
Anxiety and chronic stress canlead to depression, hopelessness
(09:52):
and a diminished sense ofwell-being, because you don't
feel like the person that youused to be.
And maybe you say to yourself,well, I can't do what I did
before.
And then you start to think,well, if I can't do this, what
else am I not going to be ableto do?
And what I did before?
And then you start to think,well, if I can't do this, what
else am I not going to be ableto do, and then that makes you
anxious.
And then, finally, anxiety canmake it harder to focus on tasks
required for daily living.
These can all lead to anegative cycle of anxiety and
(10:14):
fear, which I like to call thedoom loop, which, once you get
stuck in it, it's difficult tobreak the doom loop unless you
have the tools to do that.
Let's turn our attention to someof the common anxiety triggers
which can lead us into thisnegative anxiety loop, and what
I mean by that is you get anegative thought and then you
start building on that, youbecome anxious about something
(10:36):
and then pretty soon it's well,my palms are getting sweaty, oh,
my heart's beating faster, I'mhaving difficulty breathing, and
then you just keep feeding thatloop and around and around you
go, and until you have afull-blown anxiety problem.
So let's try to give you someof the tools that can help us
break the cycle, and to do thatlet's look at some of the
(10:56):
triggers that can set offanxiety, and the first is
fluctuation in our symptoms.
Often the unpredictable natureof our Parkinson's medications
can cause a sudden shift in oursymptoms.
Maybe you're feeling prettygood and then your medication
starts to wear off and then allof a sudden you have off periods
or breakthrough tremors, oryou're having difficulty with
(11:18):
your balance or walking, and sothe medication isn't controlling
the symptoms as well, and thiscan cause anxiety because we
worry about how long ourmedication will work, especially
if we're going out, or how wellis it going to control our
motor symptoms.
And this uncertainty about ouron and off periods can be a
constant sense of anxiety forsome people.
(11:38):
Now another common trigger thatrelates to is tremors, gaits and
dyskinesias, which all lead tosocial anxiety.
You know, being embarrassed bytremors or problems walking can
cause anxiety.
Just in getting around inpublic, fear of falling and
having difficulty again inpublic places that are often
crowded, and dyskinesias canmake people feel embarrassed and
(12:01):
cause them to withdraw fromsocial activity.
So all three of those togethercan be big drivers for social
anxiety.
Now, another major trigger, andone I assume many of us
experience, is concerns aboutdisease progression.
The fear of the unknown, notknowing how your disease will
progress or how fast or how slow, can lead to constant worry and
(12:23):
anticipatory anxiety.
Now there are a couple ofthings I've lead to constant
worry and anticipatory anxiety.
Now there are a couple thingsI've used to help me manage
anticipatory anxiety and to putthis in perspective for me and
help me reduce the fear of thistrigger.
And I think one of the thingsthat's easy to do with this
trigger is what if?
Thinking.
What if I can't walk?
What if I become dependent onsomeone?
(12:44):
What if my tremors become sobad that I can't walk?
What if I become dependent onsomeone?
What if my tremors become sobad that I can't pick things up
and feed myself?
So you can probably think of amillion other more what ifs?
And one of the things I'velearned early on is and I
learned it from my grandmother,who was blind and she could do
pretty much anything she wantedthat a person with sight could
do she cooked, she did gardeningwith my grandfather and she
(13:05):
always told me why worry aboutthings that you think are going
to happen?
Because most of the time theydon't happen or they don't go
the way you think they're goingto happen.
So why not enjoy your life anddeal with the problem as it
happens?
So, 50 years later, I still useher advice and I don't worry
about how the disease is goingto progress.
I deal with each step and stageas it comes and I just live my
(13:28):
life on a day-to-day basis.
Now, another thing I alwaysthink of is a scene from one of
my favorite movies, and it wasthe movie Jack, and it starred
Robin Williams and he plays aboy who has progeria, which is a
rare genetic disorder thatcauses children to age rapidly,
starting their early years.
So Jack is giving a speech athis high school graduation where
(13:51):
he's the valedictorian and heappears to be about 80 years old
.
As part of his graduationspeech, he says we start to
worry about our life and ourfuture.
Where am I going to be in 10years?
But I say to you I'm going tobe in 10 years.
Please don't worry so much.
Time is fleeting.
If you're ever distressed, castyour eyes to the summer sky and
(14:13):
the stars are strewn across thevelvety night.
And when a shooting starstreaks across the blackness and
turns night into day, make awish Make your life spectacular.
I know I did and that reallyhit home to me and that's how I
try to live my life Not worryand make my life spectacular.
(14:33):
And my wish is that you can dothe same and just live.
I try to live my life day at atime and try not to worry about
what's going to happen in thefuture, because I can't change
it anyway.
So those are some of the commontriggers for anxiety.
So hopefully you can recognizethem and keep them from causing
you to get into that negativecycle or doom loop.
(14:56):
All right, now let's close outour understanding of anxiety and
Parkinson's by looking at someof the ways anxiety can affect
us physically muscle tension andrigidity.
It can cause rapid heartbeat,shortness of breath, dizziness,
(15:20):
sweating and sleep disruptions,just to name a few.
So that's why it's so importantthat we have strategies for
managing our anxiety, whichleads us nicely into how we can
use mindfulness techniques andstrategies for managing our
anxiety.
So let's first get anunderstanding of what
mindfulness is and how it canhelp us before we dive into
specific strategies.
All right, mindfulness,essentially it's a practice of
(15:41):
paying attention to the presentmoment, intentionally, without
judgment.
Okay, curious.
What does that mean?
All right, it means you becomemore aware of your thoughts,
feelings and bodily sensation asthey arise, without really
giving much thought to them, sowithout judging them.
So you're staying in thepresent moment.
You may have some oh, myheart's beating faster, and so
(16:03):
you don't concentrate on that.
So essentially, let me give youthat as an example.
So rather than you're sittingthere and you say my heart's
beating faster, so rather thanfocusing and dwelling on it and
saying to yourself, my heart'sbeating faster is something
wrong, what's causing my heartto beat faster?
And then we're continuallybuilding on this until anxiety
(16:23):
sets in and the next thing youknow we might be having a panic
attack.
So instead you say, oh, myheart seems to be beating faster
, and then you move on.
You don't fixate or dwell onwhy your heart's beating faster,
you just notice that it'sbeating a little bit faster.
So you use this type ofnon-reactive awareness as a
powerful tool, and we can usethat as part of our Parkinson's
(16:45):
toolbox for helping us manageour stress and anxiety and
improve our overall well-being.
Now, I know it all sounds great,but how can mindfulness help us
in our day-to-day living withParkinson's?
Well, first, mindfulness canhelp maintain a sense of calm
and help us control our emotionswhen we start to worry about
symptom fluctuations, diseaseprogression or being out in
(17:07):
social situations, again bystaying in the present moment
and concentrating on somethingyou see, or just acknowledging
the thought and letting it moveon.
Second, mindfulness can help usregulate our emotions, because
we become more aware of ourresponse to how we're reacting
and how our emotions come intoplay, and we can use mindfulness
(17:28):
to reduce how we react to them.
And then, third, mindfulnesscan make us more self-aware of
our body sensations, liketremors and rigidity, for
instance.
Otherwise, it allows us torealize that we can control how
we react to these symptoms.
So we realize we're havingsymptoms, we can focus on it and
say, oh my gosh, these symptoms, they're embarrassing me, how
(17:50):
can I stop this?
Where's my medication?
And then you start to getanxious, and then that just
keeps building on each other.
Now, I've often heard it saidthat the difference between
someone who's anxious andexperiencing anxiety symptoms
like rapid heartbeat, sweatypalms and shortness of breath
and a thrill seeker is that theanxious person sees these
symptoms as a sign of dread anddiscomfort, while the thrill
(18:13):
seeker sees these samesensations as a sign of
excitement and joy.
So oftentimes it's how we reactto body sensations that
determines the outcome we have,and mindfulness can help us with
managing our body sensations aswell and help us react in a
more positive manner.
Now, pain management is anotherway.
(18:34):
Mindfulness can help Manypeople with Parkinson's
experience pain, and mindfulnesscan help individuals shift
their attention away from pain,helping to reduce the intensity
that we might be experiencing interms of pain.
And then mindfulness can helpwith our sleep by promoting
relaxation and help us to reduceour racing thoughts, which can
(18:54):
improve our sleep quality,because one thing I hear a lot
of people say is oh, it takes meforever to fall asleep because
my mind's racing.
So we can use mindfulnesstechniques to help us reduce
those racing thoughts.
Mindfulness can help us gainincreased sense of control and
promote overall sense ofwell-being by helping us feel
(19:14):
more grounded and in control ofour experiences, allowing us to
better accept our experiences.
So, instead of why is thishappening to me?
We're changing our thinking andsaying, oh, I'm enjoying this
because All right.
Now that we have a solidbackground on what mindfulness
is and how it can benefit us onour Parkinson's journey, let's
take a look at some specificmindfulness techniques and
(19:35):
strategies that we can use tohelp us manage our anxiety.
As we cover these strategies, Ithink it's important to debunk
the myth that mindfulness isonly for meditation experts.
This couldn't be further fromthe truth.
Anyone can learn thesetechniques and strategies and
apply them to their daily life.
And let's start out with ourfirst mindfulness technique, and
that's mini meditation.
(19:56):
Say what, chris?
Yes, I said mini meditation,and we'll walk you through an
example in a minute.
But many people you think ofmeditation.
You think of a monk in somemountain, a chalet, sitting
there, meditating all day long.
But meditation has many formsand a lot of times it can be
just focusing on certain things,like focusing on your breathing
, focusing on a specific mantraor word, so it doesn't have to
(20:20):
be this psychic thing that youdon't understand.
So let's go through an examplethat you can use, and then you
can go online to find others aswell, and there are books
available as well on meditationif you're looking to build more
meditative practices.
So in this short meditation,we'll focus on general breath
awareness and we'll do a lightbody scan.
(20:43):
So this is how it would go.
Please find a comfortableposition.
You can sit in a chair, liedown, whatever feels comfortable
for you.
There's no right or wrong way.
Just allow yourself to settlein, adjusting your position as
needed.
If closing your eyes iscomfortable, you can gently
(21:04):
close them.
If not, you can keep themsoftly open, gazing downward.
Now let's take a moment tosettle in and arrive just as we
are.
Now let's bring our attention toour breath.
I want you to notice the senseof your breath as you breathe in
and out Breathe naturally.
(21:27):
You don't need to change yourbreathing naturally.
You don't need to change yourbreathing, just observe it.
You might notice the rise andfall of your chest and abdomen
or the cool sensation of airentering your nostrils and the
warmer sensation as it leaves.
If your mind wanders, that'sperfectly normal.
(21:48):
Just guide your attention backto your breath.
There is nothing to accomplishhere, just gentle noticing of
your breath.
If your tremors or other motorsymptoms are there, notice them
as part of your present momentand gently bring your attention
(22:09):
back to your breath.
Now let's gently shift ourattention and our awareness to
our bodies.
Start by noticing the sensationin your feet.
Notice the contact of your feetwith the floor or a footrest.
You don't have to judge oranalyze any of the sensations,
(22:32):
just observe them.
If it's uncomfortable to focuson a specific body part, move on
to the next.
Gently move your awareness upto your legs.
Notice any sensations ofpressure, warmth.
If you feel any tension, simplyacknowledge it without judgment
(22:54):
.
Notice any sensations ofpressure, warmth.
If you feel any tension, simplyacknowledge it without judgment
.
Move your awareness now to yourhips and torso.
Notice any sensations in yourback and abdomen.
Allow your shoulders to relax,noticing any tension.
(23:14):
Move your awareness to yourhands and arms.
Notice the sensations in yourfingers.
Finally, bring your awarenessto your neck, face and head.
Notice any sensation oftightness and relaxation.
(23:35):
Allow your entire body to bepresent just as it is Now.
Take a few deeper breaths,allowing yourself to gently
return to the present moment.
Begin to wiggle your fingersand toes and then, when you feel
ready, gently open your eyes ifthey are closed.
(23:56):
Take a moment to notice how youfeel.
Remember this is a practice.
There's no right or wrong wayto do it.
You can make this meditationshorter or longer to fit your
own needs, focusing on differentbody parts or simply focusing
on your breath.
The most important thing is tobe gentle and kind to yourself.
(24:17):
Thank you for partnering withme.
Now, how did that make you feel?
I hope you noticed that bystaying in the present, focusing
on your breath or body partwithout judging, can be a
calming and relaxing experience.
So staying in the now can bevery calming and help keep
anxiety at bay.
All right, our next strategy inour mindfulness toolbox is
(24:42):
mindful movement, and that canbe a powerful tool in your
mindfulness toolbox because itcombines the physical benefits
of exercise with the mentalclarity of mindfulness.
By focusing on sensations andmovement, you can enhance your
body's awareness, reduce stressand improve your mental
well-being.
Reduce stress and improve yourmental well-being.
(25:05):
Now let's look at how we can usegeneral practices, like ones
used in Tai Chi and walking, andhow they can be used to
practice mindful movement,starting with the present moment
.
Awareness, as we discussed, thecore of mindfulness is bringing
our attention to the presentmoment as you're moving, your
focus in the sensations in yourbody rather than letting your
mind wander.
Next is non-judgmentalobservation.
(25:26):
So avoid judging your movementsor comparing yourself to others
.
Simply observe your body'ssensations, without criticism.
And, in paying attention tosensations, notice the feelings
of your feet on the ground, thestretch in your muscles, the
rhythm of your breath, and payclose attention to any pain,
(25:46):
tightness or other sensations,acknowledging them without
fighting them and, in generaland intentional movements, form
movements, slowly anddeliberately, focusing on the
quality of each movement.
Be mindful of your posture andbalance, making adjustments as
needed.
So those are some of thecomponents of mindful movement.
(26:11):
Now, some mindful movementpractices for Parkinson's would
include Tai Chi.
Tai Chi's flowing movementspromote balance, coordination
and flexibility.
Mindfully perform each movement, paying attention to the
shifting weight and yourconnection to the ground.
Focus on the breath as you doeach movement.
(26:32):
Walking, even a simple walk,can be a mindfulness practice.
Focus on the sensation of yourfeet touching the ground, the
rhythm of your steps and themovement of your arms.
Notice the sights and sounds,the smells around you, bringing
your attention to the presentmoment.
Pay attention to how your bodyis moving and how your balance
(26:53):
is feeling.
Now a couple of considerationsto mention with mindful movement
that I wanted to mention aresafety.
First, choose movements thatare appropriate for your current
physical abilities, and thenlisten to your body.
Pay attention to any discomfortand any pain and if you have
(27:14):
those, stop immediately.
Modify your movements, adaptyour movements to accommodate
any limitations you have, and ifyou need support things like a
cane walker wall, use those aswell.
And then focus on smallmovements.
Even small, gentle movementscan be practiced mindfully.
(27:35):
And then consistency is key.
Do short, regular sessions, andthey're actually more
beneficial than doing infrequentlong sessions.
Already, next up in ourmindfulness toolbox is mindful
daily activities.
Yes, you can incorporatemindfulness into our daily
activities, focusing on sensoryawareness.
(27:57):
Now let's look at a fewexamples, and we'll start with
mindful eating.
So, starting with our senses,before you start eating, take a
moment to notice the colors andtextures of your food, smell the
aromas as you take each bite.
Pay attention to the taste, thetexture on your tongue.
In terms of movement, be awareof the movement of your hands as
(28:20):
they bring the food to yourmouth.
Notice the coordination that'srequired to move your arms to
your mouth while opening yourmouth at the same time.
Mindful dishwashing Using yoursenses.
Feel the warmth of the water onyour hands, the smoothness and
slipperiness of the soap, thetexture of the dishes and then
the clanking of the dishes.
(28:40):
Listen to the sound of runningwater over the clanking dishes
and then the clanking of thedishes.
Listen to the sound of runningwater over the clanking dishes
While you're moving.
Pay attention to the movementof your hands as you wash each
dish.
Notice the rhythm that you use.
And then, mindful dressing Feelthe texture of the fabric
against your skin.
Notice the weight of theclothing.
Pay attention to the fine motormovements required to button
(29:02):
the shirt or zip a zipper.
Notice the movements of theclothing.
Pay attention to the fine motormovements required to button
the shirt or zip a zipper.
Notice the movements of yourhands and arms.
Now, some key things to rememberwith mindful movement is to
start small and tryincorporating mindfulness into
one to two activities a day,whether it be eating or
dishwashing or dressing any ofthose.
There's a bunch of differentmindfulness techniques you can
(29:24):
use.
And then be patient Mindfulnessis a practice and it does take
time to develop.
And then try to use the sensoryfocus when you can Emphasize,
bringing your attention to thesensations that each of the
activities brings.
And then, don't judge, justnotice.
Notice the sensations you know,without judging oh, this is, I
(29:44):
don't like this sensation, Justacknowledge it and then let it
move on.
And then our final mindfulnessstrategy that I wanted to
discuss is mindfulness breathing, and this is a great tool for
high stress and anxiety.
Now, the nice thing about themis they're simple, accessible
and you can practice themanywhere.
(30:05):
And let's start with what theycall box breathing, which is
also known as square breathing,and the way to do box breathing
is inhale slowly and deeply fora count of four, hold the breath
for a count of four, and thenexhale slowly and completely
through your mouth for a countof four.
(30:26):
Hold your breath for a count offour and then repeat the cycle
for several rounds.
So that's in for a count offour.
Hold for a count of four.
Exhale for a count of four, andthen hold your breath for a
count of four.
Exhale for a count of four andthen hold your breath for a
count of four.
Now, the benefits of boxbreathing is that it helps
(30:48):
reduce stress and anxiety byregulating your autonomic
nervous system.
So, by you controlling yourbreathing, it promotes calmness
and relaxation and helps improveyour focus and concentration by
focusing on your breath.
Next up is diaphragmaticbreathing, or belly breathing,
and what you want to do is startby placing one hand on your
(31:10):
chest and the other on yourabdomen, or belly Inhale slowly
and deeply through your nose,allowing your abdomen to rise
while keeping your chest still,exhale slowly through your mouth
, allowing your abdomen to fall,and then you want to repeat
that several times.
Now, the benefits of bellybreathing is that it promotes
(31:30):
relaxation and reduces stress.
It improves oxygen intake andlung capacity, and it can also
help to alleviate some muscletension.
Help to alleviate some muscletension and then, finally, is
4-7-8 breathing.
So start off by exhalingcompletely through your mouth,
(31:51):
making a whooshing sound, andthen you want to close your
mouth and inhale quietly throughyour nose for a count of four.
Hold your breath for a count ofseven and then exhale
completely through the mouth,making a whooshing sound, a
count of eight, and then youwant to repeat that cycle four
(32:11):
times.
Now this breathing techniquepromotes deep relaxation and
sleep, reduces stress andanxiety and helps calm the
nerves.
So use these breathingtechniques whenever you become
anxious or stressed.
Box breathing or squarebreathing was in for four, hold
for four, breathe out for fourand then hold for four and then
(32:35):
the four, seven, eight breathingis another one I've used and
participated with, and that'sagain.
You exhale completely and thenyou breathe in through your nose
for a count of four, hold itfor a count of seven and then
exhale completely through yourmouth for a count of eight.
So use these breathingexercises when you become
anxious or stressed and be awareof the early signs like
(32:59):
increased heartbeat, shortnessof breath, dizziness, etc.
If you start feeling these, gofind a quiet place and focus on
your breathing.
Focus the breath by bringingyour full attention to the
sensation of your breath.
So slow down your breathing andthen your breathing quality
will quickly and rapidly startto diminish.
(33:19):
Because if you start to breatheheavily and quickly, then your
body knows that something'swrong and if it feels
uncomfortable, it's going tostart to release adrenaline and
then you're going to getyourself more excited.
So you want slow, intentionalbreaths and you want to focus on
the breath.
So stay away from the quick,rapid breaths.
(33:39):
Focus on the breath.
So stay away from the quick,rapid breaths.
And if you feel comfortable,you can use a mantra like I'm
calm, I am peaceful, whateveryou want you can use as your
mantra.
So some people focus on amantra instead of the breath.
So it's up to you on how youwant to apply it.
(33:59):
Okay, these are the techniquesyou can apply to your normal
daily living to help you reducestress and anxiety and stay calm
.
Now let's briefly discuss someof the common obstacles that you
may run into, leading off withdifficulty concentrating due to
symptoms.
Now you can use short sessions,starting with one to two
minutes, and gradually increasethe time.
So that can be the breathing,it could be the mini meditation,
(34:24):
and you can use guidedmeditations like the one I just
shared with you to help as well.
Next up is finding the time forpractice due to daily
challenges.
So first try to integrate theminto your daily activities, like
eating and walking, and thenset reminders.
Use alarms or apps to remindyou yourself to practice.
Hey, I want to practice mymindful techniques, so I got to
(34:46):
go do that.
And then remember, do them insmall time increments.
Even a minute of mindfulness iseffective.
Now, dealing with negativethoughts.
Acknowledge thoughts withoutjudging them, just letting them
pass like clouds.
Use compassionate self-talk,practice kind and gentle
self-talk.
Consider therapy or counselingto address underlying emotional
(35:07):
issues.
And then, finally, medicationfluctuations.
Practice during your on times,when symptoms are better managed
than during off times.
And then remember to focus onsimple breathing exercises.
All right, here's some tips forbuilding consistent and mindful
practice.
Start with short sessions,again no more than five minutes,
and then gradually increase theduration, and then find a quiet
(35:30):
, comfortable space that's goingto help you focus especially on
your breath, or a mantra, andthen use reminder apps.
And then, finally, is bepatient.
Remember it is a practice andbe compassionate with yourself.
So realize finally, is bepatient.
Remember it is a practice andbe compassionate with yourself.
So realize it does take time.
All right, before we wrap up,let's provide some resources
that you can reference to learnmore about how mindfulness can
(35:53):
help you manage anxiety on yourParkinson's journey, and let's
start with foundations that andwe'll lead it off with the
Parkinson's Foundation andthat's at parkinsonsorg, and
they have resources and programsrelated to mental wellness,
including mindfulness, so checktheir website for local chapters
, online resources andeducational materials.
(36:14):
And then you have the Michael JFox Foundation or
michaeljfoxorg, and whilethey're primarily focused on
research, they do haveinformation on mental health
strategies, and their webinarsand online forums can be very
beneficial as well.
And then you have the Centerfor Mindfulness at the
University of MassachusettsMedical School.
It was founded by JohnKabat-Zinn, and this center is a
(36:38):
leading resource formindfulness-based stress
reduction.
And you can find them atumasseducfm Mindfulness apps for
various needs, including stressand anxiety.
Headspace offers guidedmeditations and mindfulness
exercises.
Calm provides guidedmeditations, sleep stories and
(37:01):
relaxing music.
Insight Timer features a vastlibrary of free guided
meditations from variousteachers, and then 10% Happier.
This provides guidedmeditations and mindfulness
courses with a focus onpractical application.
Now, websites like Coursera andUdemy offer online mindfulness
(37:22):
courses that can be taken atyour own pace.
And then, finally, books FullCatastrophe Living by Jon
Kabat-Zinn is a classic book onmindfulness-based stress
reduction, and the book Whereveryou Go, there you Are, by Jon
Kabat-Zinn, and this is abeginner-friendly introduction
to mindfulness, and I'll putlinks for these books in the
(37:45):
podcast description.
Now I want to share with youthat you should consult your
health care provider beforestarting any new mindfulness or
exercise program to ensure theymeet your specific needs and
limitations.
And that brings us to the endof today's episode.
I hope you found thesemindfulness techniques and
insights helpful in your journeyto managing stress and anxiety
(38:07):
with Parkinson's.
Now remember, mindfulness is apractice and it takes time and
patience, so be kind to yourselfand celebrate every mindful
awareness you can.
Now, before we go, I wanted toemphasize that I'm not a
healthcare professional or amental health specialist.
The information shared in thispodcast is for educational and
informational purposes only andshould not be considered medical
(38:29):
advice.
If you're feeling overwhelmedwith anxiety, depression, fear
or hopelessness, please reachout to a certified mental health
specialist and they can provideyou with personalized support
and guidance to address yourspecific needs.
Now, if you want to learn moreabout living your best life with
Parkinson's, please visitliveparkinsonscom.
(38:50):
There you can subscribe to thefree monthly newsletter filled
with valuable tips, resourcesand community stories.
And if you're unsure about howto build your best Parkinson's
care team for your Parkinson'sjourney, be sure to get a copy
of our Building your Parkinson'sCare Team Resource Guide and
Supplemental Workbook.
It's available for a nominalfee and is designed to help you
(39:14):
navigate the collective naturesof Parkinson's care so that you
can live your best life withParkinson's.
Lastly, if you would like tosupport the podcast and the
mission to help people withParkinson's lead a great quality
of life, I would greatlyappreciate your support, which
helps me develop more resourcesand supports the podcast.
You can visit my Ko-fi page atko-ficom slash liveparkinsons to
(39:35):
make a donation.
Every little bit helps todevelop valuable content.
Thank you for listening andremember even with Parkinson's
you can find moments of calm andpeace.
Until next time, take care andbe mindful.
Stay healthy, stay strong andlive your best life with
Parkinson's.
Thank you.
Hello and welcome to Live Parkinson's Live an
Exceptional Life.
I'm your host, chrisKastenbader, and I've been
living an exceptional life withParkinson's for the past 15
years.
The mission of this podcast isto help as many people as
possible living with Parkinson'sto lead a great quality of life
.
Today's topic is theParkinson's Anxiety Toolkit
Mindfulness Strategies that Work.
(00:31):
Are you feeling on edge?
Parkinson's is challengingenough without anxiety making it
worse.
I know this firsthand.
I struggle with anxiety andpanic attacks, not realizing
they may be linked toParkinson's, but I find my way
through to the other side and nolonger experience panic attacks
or anxiety that made me feelnervous or anxious all the time.
Mindfulness techniques andcognitive behavioral therapy
(00:55):
help me regain control andfinally take back my life, and
these techniques can do the samefor you, can do the same for
you.
In this episode, we'll uncoversimple, powerful mindfulness
strategies to reduce tension,quiet racing thoughts and help
you focus on living your bestlife with Parkinson's.
Stay tuned to learn how theycan help you too.
As I mentioned in the opening,I've struggled with anxiety and
(01:18):
panic attacks, so I understandhow life-altering it can be.
My hope is, by sharing commonanxiety triggers and discussing
the benefits of mindfulness andgiving you specific strategies
to use that you can put anxietyin the rearview mirror and live
the life you want to live.
Now am I telling you you'llnever be anxious again?
(01:38):
Absolutely not, because we allexperience stress and anxiety in
our lives.
But the key is is how do wereact to it?
So in this episode we're goingto build an anxiety toolkit that
can help you manage anxiety.
So let's take a look at whatwe'll be covering today.
We'll lead it off withunderstanding stress and anxiety
(01:59):
in Parkinson's.
We'll examine the connectionbetween how Parkinson's motor
and non-motor symptoms cancontribute to stress and anxiety
.
Then we'll transition to commonanxiety triggers and how
anxiety can manifest physically,having an impact on our quality
of life.
Now, as part of our discussion,you hear me reiterating several
times that if you're beingoverwhelmed with anxiety or
(02:22):
depression, it's important tosee a certified mental
specialist who can help youdevelop a treatment plan
specific to your needs.
So it's imperative that if yourissue doesn't seem to be
improving, contact yourhealthcare professional.
Then we're going to transitionto mindfulness and what it is.
We'll debunk some of the mythsand common misconceptions about
(02:42):
mindfulness and then we'lldiscuss some of the specific
benefits of mindfulness and howthey translate into helping you
live your daily life.
Then we'll get into the meatand potatoes of the discussion
and explore practical mindfultechniques and cover guided mini
meditation, mindful movement,mindful daily activities and
mindful breathing techniques.
(03:03):
Then we'll transition intoovercoming some of the common
challenges people have withmindfulness practices and
discuss some tips for buildingconsistent practice.
Then we'll wrap it up byproviding some resources that
you can use to help you overcomeanxiety using mindfulness
techniques.
So that's the roadmap of wherewe're going.
So if you're ready to putanxiety on the shelf so it's not
(03:24):
controlling your life, thenstay with me as we start our
journey to learn how mindfulnesscan be a constant friend on
keeping anxiety at bay.
And let's begin our journey byfirst understanding the
connection between stress andanxiety and Parkinson's, and
then we'll talk about how ourmotor and non-motor symptoms can
play a role.
So what exactly is anxiety andParkinson's?
Non-motor symptoms can play arole.
(03:47):
So what exactly is anxiety andParkinson's?
Well, anxiety is a commonnon-motor symptom of Parkinson's
, affecting up to 40% of peoplewith Parkinson's, and that's
according to the article Anxietyand PD by the Parkinson's
Foundation.
People can experience differentforms of anxiety, including
generalized anxiety disorder, orGAD, which is characterized by
excessive, persistent and oftenunrealistic worry about everyday
(04:07):
situations.
People with generalized anxietydisorder may feel a constant
sense of fear which I learned isfalse evidence appearing real
or they can experience dread,especially when there's no
apparent reason for concern.
Gad can interfere with aperson's daily life and often
limit what they do.
Panic attacks are another formof anxiety in Parkinson's which
(04:30):
I can personally attest to.
Panic attacks, if you've neverhad the opportunity to
experience them, are suddenepisodes of intense fear or
discomfort that can happenunexpectedly or in response to
some type of trigger and, basedon my experiences and what I've
seen in the literature, theyusually last for a few minutes
and you often hear people say Idon't know what caused the panic
(04:52):
attack, it just seemed to comeout of nowhere.
They have some very distressingand uncomfortable symptoms, but
they aren't typically lifethreatening.
Now, a person suffering frompanic attacks may experience
rapid heartbeat, chest pain,shortness of breath, dizziness,
sweating and shakiness, andthat's why a lot of people may
end up in the emergency roombecause maybe they think they're
having a heart attack.
(05:12):
Now I remember when I would getpanic attacks my palms would
get sweaty, my heart would raceand then I would feel the need
to get out of where I was andget to a quote safe place.
And I would often hear peoplethat had panic attacks say the
same story.
They would talk about howthey'd experienced a panic
attack and then they would haveto go to their safe space.
(05:33):
And then another form of anxiety, besides panic attacks, which
is common in Parkinson's, issocial anxiety.
People are often embarrassed togo out in public because it
could be their tremors.
They're having difficultywalking and getting around,
difficulties with speech, sothey may withdraw from going to
social gatherings with friendsand family, and that can lead to
social isolation and theneventually cause loneliness and
(05:57):
depression.
So it's important to note thatanxiety and Parkinson's isn't
just a reaction to the diagnosisbut it's linked to changes in
brain chemistry caused by thedisease.
All right, now that weunderstand that anxiety and its
different forms in Parkinson's,let's look at how Parkinson's
motor and non-motor symptoms cancontribute to stress and
anxiety.
(06:17):
And we'll lead it off withmotor symptoms and we'll start
it off with tremors, becausemost people with Parkinson's
have tremors and we all knowthat.
It's the visible shaking of ourhands, legs and it can cause
people to get social anxietybecause they're embarrassed of
the tremor and that can lead tosocial isolation, stress and
(06:37):
loneliness.
Clinic social anxiety disorderor social phobia.
Bradykinesia, or slowness ofmovement, can cause difficulty
doing everyday tasks, which cancreate frustration and a sense
of helplessness, which canincrease anxiety.
So a lot of times if you becomefrustrated with I can't do this
anymore, then you start tobecome anxious and worry about
(07:00):
what am I going to be able to doother things as well?
Postural instability and a fearof falling can cause
significant anxiety in peoplewith Parkinson's, which can
limit the activities theyparticipate in.
And then, finally, dyskinesias,which, if you haven't
experienced them, they'reinvoluntary movements which are
often unpredictable and can bedistressing and make the person
(07:22):
with Parkinson's feel sociallyawkward, and that can cause
anxiety, especially socialanxiety.
So, in terms of non-motorsymptoms, some of the key
players leading to stress andanxiety include cognitive
changes.
Problems with your memory,concentration and
decision-making can causeanxiety.
You become frustrated that youcan't remember things the way
(07:44):
you used to or make decisions.
That can all can cause anxiety.
You become frustrated that youcan't remember things the way
you used to or make decisions.
That can all lead to anxiety.
Social disturbances and that'sone of my top non-motor symptoms
, and that would include thingslike insomnia and sleep
fragmentation, where you keepwaking up in the middle of the
night, and that can causeanxiety.
So if you think about when youdon't get enough sleep, you may
(08:06):
seem like you're anxious.
The next day you may be alittle bit shaky, you may feel a
little lightheaded or dizzy andoff balance.
So not getting enough sleep canbe a trigger for leading to
anxiety.
Depression is another one whichoften goes hand in hand with
anxiety and Parkinson's, andit's often due to the effect of
changes in brain chemicals thatregulate our mood.
(08:28):
Chronic pain is another sourceof anxiety.
And then, finally,communication issues like
changes in your speech softspeech, for instance, which I
often experience, can lead tosocial anxiety, because you may
get anxious when people arealways saying to you speak up, I
can't hear what you're saying.
So a lot of times people becomefrustrated that they have to
(08:49):
keep repeating themselvesbecause of their soft voice and
they just decide they getanxious and say I'm not going to
go out and go out into public,and then that can lead to social
anxiety.
All right, now that we see howmotor and non-motor symptoms can
cause anxiety, how does thisaffect or impact our quality of
life.
Anxiety can worsen sleepdisturbances, cognitive
(09:10):
difficulties and pain.
Anxiety can also cause peoplewith Parkinson's to reduce
social participation orinteraction because you know
they're just embarrassed to goout because of their motor
symptoms.
Whether it be tremor, slownessof movement, it could be fear of
falling of their motor symptoms.
Whether it be tremor, slownessof movement, it could be fear of
falling.
Another reason that they getsocial anxiety is just
(09:31):
navigating in public.
If you have to go through abusy store or you're in a busy
airport or train station, thatcan all lead to anxiety.
Anxiety can be a big cause forreduced independence.
People may be worried about therisk of falls and sometimes
they're afraid that they can'tcomplete their daily tasks,
which can lead to anxiety.
Anxiety and chronic stress canlead to depression, hopelessness
(09:52):
and a diminished sense ofwell-being, because you don't
feel like the person that youused to be.
And maybe you say to yourself,well, I can't do what I did
before.
And then you start to think,well, if I can't do this, what
else am I not going to be ableto do?
And what I did before?
And then you start to think,well, if I can't do this, what
else am I not going to be ableto do, and then that makes you
anxious.
And then, finally, anxiety canmake it harder to focus on tasks
required for daily living.
These can all lead to anegative cycle of anxiety and
(10:14):
fear, which I like to call thedoom loop, which, once you get
stuck in it, it's difficult tobreak the doom loop unless you
have the tools to do that.
Let's turn our attention to someof the common anxiety triggers
which can lead us into thisnegative anxiety loop, and what
I mean by that is you get anegative thought and then you
start building on that, youbecome anxious about something
(10:36):
and then pretty soon it's well,my palms are getting sweaty, oh,
my heart's beating faster, I'mhaving difficulty breathing, and
then you just keep feeding thatloop and around and around you
go, and until you have afull-blown anxiety problem.
So let's try to give you someof the tools that can help us
break the cycle, and to do thatlet's look at some of the
(10:56):
triggers that can set offanxiety, and the first is
fluctuation in our symptoms.
Often the unpredictable natureof our Parkinson's medications
can cause a sudden shift in oursymptoms.
Maybe you're feeling prettygood and then your medication
starts to wear off and then allof a sudden you have off periods
or breakthrough tremors, oryou're having difficulty with
(11:18):
your balance or walking, and sothe medication isn't controlling
the symptoms as well, and thiscan cause anxiety because we
worry about how long ourmedication will work, especially
if we're going out, or how wellis it going to control our
motor symptoms.
And this uncertainty about ouron and off periods can be a
constant sense of anxiety forsome people.
(11:38):
Now another common trigger thatrelates to is tremors, gaits and
dyskinesias, which all lead tosocial anxiety.
You know, being embarrassed bytremors or problems walking can
cause anxiety.
Just in getting around inpublic, fear of falling and
having difficulty again inpublic places that are often
crowded, and dyskinesias canmake people feel embarrassed and
(12:01):
cause them to withdraw fromsocial activity.
So all three of those togethercan be big drivers for social
anxiety.
Now, another major trigger, andone I assume many of us
experience, is concerns aboutdisease progression.
The fear of the unknown, notknowing how your disease will
progress or how fast or how slow, can lead to constant worry and
(12:23):
anticipatory anxiety.
Now there are a couple ofthings I've lead to constant
worry and anticipatory anxiety.
Now there are a couple thingsI've used to help me manage
anticipatory anxiety and to putthis in perspective for me and
help me reduce the fear of thistrigger.
And I think one of the thingsthat's easy to do with this
trigger is what if?
Thinking.
What if I can't walk?
What if I become dependent onsomeone?
(12:44):
What if my tremors become sobad that I can't walk?
What if I become dependent onsomeone?
What if my tremors become sobad that I can't pick things up
and feed myself?
So you can probably think of amillion other more what ifs?
And one of the things I'velearned early on is and I
learned it from my grandmother,who was blind and she could do
pretty much anything she wantedthat a person with sight could
do she cooked, she did gardeningwith my grandfather and she
(13:05):
always told me why worry aboutthings that you think are going
to happen?
Because most of the time theydon't happen or they don't go
the way you think they're goingto happen.
So why not enjoy your life anddeal with the problem as it
happens?
So, 50 years later, I still useher advice and I don't worry
about how the disease is goingto progress.
I deal with each step and stageas it comes and I just live my
(13:28):
life on a day-to-day basis.
Now, another thing I alwaysthink of is a scene from one of
my favorite movies, and it wasthe movie Jack, and it starred
Robin Williams and he plays aboy who has progeria, which is a
rare genetic disorder thatcauses children to age rapidly,
starting their early years.
So Jack is giving a speech athis high school graduation where
(13:51):
he's the valedictorian and heappears to be about 80 years old
.
As part of his graduationspeech, he says we start to
worry about our life and ourfuture.
Where am I going to be in 10years?
But I say to you I'm going tobe in 10 years.
Please don't worry so much.
Time is fleeting.
If you're ever distressed, castyour eyes to the summer sky and
(14:13):
the stars are strewn across thevelvety night.
And when a shooting starstreaks across the blackness and
turns night into day, make awish Make your life spectacular.
I know I did and that reallyhit home to me and that's how I
try to live my life Not worryand make my life spectacular.
(14:33):
And my wish is that you can dothe same and just live.
I try to live my life day at atime and try not to worry about
what's going to happen in thefuture, because I can't change
it anyway.
So those are some of the commontriggers for anxiety.
So hopefully you can recognizethem and keep them from causing
you to get into that negativecycle or doom loop.
(14:56):
All right, now let's close outour understanding of anxiety and
Parkinson's by looking at someof the ways anxiety can affect
us physically muscle tension andrigidity.
It can cause rapid heartbeat,shortness of breath, dizziness,
(15:20):
sweating and sleep disruptions,just to name a few.
So that's why it's so importantthat we have strategies for
managing our anxiety, whichleads us nicely into how we can
use mindfulness techniques andstrategies for managing our
anxiety.
So let's first get anunderstanding of what
mindfulness is and how it canhelp us before we dive into
specific strategies.
All right, mindfulness,essentially it's a practice of
(15:41):
paying attention to the presentmoment, intentionally, without
judgment.
Okay, curious.
What does that mean?
All right, it means you becomemore aware of your thoughts,
feelings and bodily sensation asthey arise, without really
giving much thought to them, sowithout judging them.
So you're staying in thepresent moment.
You may have some oh, myheart's beating faster, and so
(16:03):
you don't concentrate on that.
So essentially, let me give youthat as an example.
So rather than you're sittingthere and you say my heart's
beating faster, so rather thanfocusing and dwelling on it and
saying to yourself, my heart'sbeating faster is something
wrong, what's causing my heartto beat faster?
And then we're continuallybuilding on this until anxiety
(16:23):
sets in and the next thing youknow we might be having a panic
attack.
So instead you say, oh, myheart seems to be beating faster
, and then you move on.
You don't fixate or dwell onwhy your heart's beating faster,
you just notice that it'sbeating a little bit faster.
So you use this type ofnon-reactive awareness as a
powerful tool, and we can usethat as part of our Parkinson's
(16:45):
toolbox for helping us manageour stress and anxiety and
improve our overall well-being.
Now, I know it all sounds great,but how can mindfulness help us
in our day-to-day living withParkinson's?
Well, first, mindfulness canhelp maintain a sense of calm
and help us control our emotionswhen we start to worry about
symptom fluctuations, diseaseprogression or being out in
(17:07):
social situations, again bystaying in the present moment
and concentrating on somethingyou see, or just acknowledging
the thought and letting it moveon.
Second, mindfulness can help usregulate our emotions, because
we become more aware of ourresponse to how we're reacting
and how our emotions come intoplay, and we can use mindfulness
(17:28):
to reduce how we react to them.
And then, third, mindfulnesscan make us more self-aware of
our body sensations, liketremors and rigidity, for
instance.
Otherwise, it allows us torealize that we can control how
we react to these symptoms.
So we realize we're havingsymptoms, we can focus on it and
say, oh my gosh, these symptoms, they're embarrassing me, how
(17:50):
can I stop this?
Where's my medication?
And then you start to getanxious, and then that just
keeps building on each other.
Now, I've often heard it saidthat the difference between
someone who's anxious andexperiencing anxiety symptoms
like rapid heartbeat, sweatypalms and shortness of breath
and a thrill seeker is that theanxious person sees these
symptoms as a sign of dread anddiscomfort, while the thrill
(18:13):
seeker sees these samesensations as a sign of
excitement and joy.
So oftentimes it's how we reactto body sensations that
determines the outcome we have,and mindfulness can help us with
managing our body sensations aswell and help us react in a
more positive manner.
Now, pain management is anotherway.
(18:34):
Mindfulness can help Manypeople with Parkinson's
experience pain, and mindfulnesscan help individuals shift
their attention away from pain,helping to reduce the intensity
that we might be experiencing interms of pain.
And then mindfulness can helpwith our sleep by promoting
relaxation and help us to reduceour racing thoughts, which can
(18:54):
improve our sleep quality,because one thing I hear a lot
of people say is oh, it takes meforever to fall asleep because
my mind's racing.
So we can use mindfulnesstechniques to help us reduce
those racing thoughts.
Mindfulness can help us gainincreased sense of control and
promote overall sense ofwell-being by helping us feel
(19:14):
more grounded and in control ofour experiences, allowing us to
better accept our experiences.
So, instead of why is thishappening to me?
We're changing our thinking andsaying, oh, I'm enjoying this
because All right.
Now that we have a solidbackground on what mindfulness
is and how it can benefit us onour Parkinson's journey, let's
take a look at some specificmindfulness techniques and
(19:35):
strategies that we can use tohelp us manage our anxiety.
As we cover these strategies, Ithink it's important to debunk
the myth that mindfulness isonly for meditation experts.
This couldn't be further fromthe truth.
Anyone can learn thesetechniques and strategies and
apply them to their daily life.
And let's start out with ourfirst mindfulness technique, and
that's mini meditation.
(19:56):
Say what, chris?
Yes, I said mini meditation,and we'll walk you through an
example in a minute.
But many people you think ofmeditation.
You think of a monk in somemountain, a chalet, sitting
there, meditating all day long.
But meditation has many formsand a lot of times it can be
just focusing on certain things,like focusing on your breathing
, focusing on a specific mantraor word, so it doesn't have to
(20:20):
be this psychic thing that youdon't understand.
So let's go through an examplethat you can use, and then you
can go online to find others aswell, and there are books
available as well on meditationif you're looking to build more
meditative practices.
So in this short meditation,we'll focus on general breath
awareness and we'll do a lightbody scan.
(20:43):
So this is how it would go.
Please find a comfortableposition.
You can sit in a chair, liedown, whatever feels comfortable
for you.
There's no right or wrong way.
Just allow yourself to settlein, adjusting your position as
needed.
If closing your eyes iscomfortable, you can gently
(21:04):
close them.
If not, you can keep themsoftly open, gazing downward.
Now let's take a moment tosettle in and arrive just as we
are.
Now let's bring our attention toour breath.
I want you to notice the senseof your breath as you breathe in
and out Breathe naturally.
(21:27):
You don't need to change yourbreathing naturally.
You don't need to change yourbreathing, just observe it.
You might notice the rise andfall of your chest and abdomen
or the cool sensation of airentering your nostrils and the
warmer sensation as it leaves.
If your mind wanders, that'sperfectly normal.
(21:48):
Just guide your attention backto your breath.
There is nothing to accomplishhere, just gentle noticing of
your breath.
If your tremors or other motorsymptoms are there, notice them
as part of your present momentand gently bring your attention
(22:09):
back to your breath.
Now let's gently shift ourattention and our awareness to
our bodies.
Start by noticing the sensationin your feet.
Notice the contact of your feetwith the floor or a footrest.
You don't have to judge oranalyze any of the sensations,
(22:32):
just observe them.
If it's uncomfortable to focuson a specific body part, move on
to the next.
Gently move your awareness upto your legs.
Notice any sensations ofpressure, warmth.
If you feel any tension, simplyacknowledge it without judgment
(22:54):
.
Notice any sensations ofpressure, warmth.
If you feel any tension, simplyacknowledge it without judgment
.
Move your awareness now to yourhips and torso.
Notice any sensations in yourback and abdomen.
Allow your shoulders to relax,noticing any tension.
(23:14):
Move your awareness to yourhands and arms.
Notice the sensations in yourfingers.
Finally, bring your awarenessto your neck, face and head.
Notice any sensation oftightness and relaxation.
(23:35):
Allow your entire body to bepresent just as it is Now.
Take a few deeper breaths,allowing yourself to gently
return to the present moment.
Begin to wiggle your fingersand toes and then, when you feel
ready, gently open your eyes ifthey are closed.
(23:56):
Take a moment to notice how youfeel.
Remember this is a practice.
There's no right or wrong wayto do it.
You can make this meditationshorter or longer to fit your
own needs, focusing on differentbody parts or simply focusing
on your breath.
The most important thing is tobe gentle and kind to yourself.
(24:17):
Thank you for partnering withme.
Now, how did that make you feel?
I hope you noticed that bystaying in the present, focusing
on your breath or body partwithout judging, can be a
calming and relaxing experience.
So staying in the now can bevery calming and help keep
anxiety at bay.
All right, our next strategy inour mindfulness toolbox is
(24:42):
mindful movement, and that canbe a powerful tool in your
mindfulness toolbox because itcombines the physical benefits
of exercise with the mentalclarity of mindfulness.
By focusing on sensations andmovement, you can enhance your
body's awareness, reduce stressand improve your mental
well-being.
Reduce stress and improve yourmental well-being.
(25:05):
Now let's look at how we can usegeneral practices, like ones
used in Tai Chi and walking, andhow they can be used to
practice mindful movement,starting with the present moment
.
Awareness, as we discussed, thecore of mindfulness is bringing
our attention to the presentmoment as you're moving, your
focus in the sensations in yourbody rather than letting your
mind wander.
Next is non-judgmentalobservation.
(25:26):
So avoid judging your movementsor comparing yourself to others
.
Simply observe your body'ssensations, without criticism.
And, in paying attention tosensations, notice the feelings
of your feet on the ground, thestretch in your muscles, the
rhythm of your breath, and payclose attention to any pain,
(25:46):
tightness or other sensations,acknowledging them without
fighting them and, in generaland intentional movements, form
movements, slowly anddeliberately, focusing on the
quality of each movement.
Be mindful of your posture andbalance, making adjustments as
needed.
So those are some of thecomponents of mindful movement.
(26:11):
Now, some mindful movementpractices for Parkinson's would
include Tai Chi.
Tai Chi's flowing movementspromote balance, coordination
and flexibility.
Mindfully perform each movement, paying attention to the
shifting weight and yourconnection to the ground.
Focus on the breath as you doeach movement.
(26:32):
Walking, even a simple walk,can be a mindfulness practice.
Focus on the sensation of yourfeet touching the ground, the
rhythm of your steps and themovement of your arms.
Notice the sights and sounds,the smells around you, bringing
your attention to the presentmoment.
Pay attention to how your bodyis moving and how your balance
(26:53):
is feeling.
Now a couple of considerationsto mention with mindful movement
that I wanted to mention aresafety.
First, choose movements thatare appropriate for your current
physical abilities, and thenlisten to your body.
Pay attention to any discomfortand any pain and if you have
(27:14):
those, stop immediately.
Modify your movements, adaptyour movements to accommodate
any limitations you have, and ifyou need support things like a
cane walker wall, use those aswell.
And then focus on smallmovements.
Even small, gentle movementscan be practiced mindfully.
(27:35):
And then consistency is key.
Do short, regular sessions, andthey're actually more
beneficial than doing infrequentlong sessions.
Already, next up in ourmindfulness toolbox is mindful
daily activities.
Yes, you can incorporatemindfulness into our daily
activities, focusing on sensoryawareness.
(27:57):
Now let's look at a fewexamples, and we'll start with
mindful eating.
So, starting with our senses,before you start eating, take a
moment to notice the colors andtextures of your food, smell the
aromas as you take each bite.
Pay attention to the taste, thetexture on your tongue.
In terms of movement, be awareof the movement of your hands as
(28:20):
they bring the food to yourmouth.
Notice the coordination that'srequired to move your arms to
your mouth while opening yourmouth at the same time.
Mindful dishwashing Using yoursenses.
Feel the warmth of the water onyour hands, the smoothness and
slipperiness of the soap, thetexture of the dishes and then
the clanking of the dishes.
(28:40):
Listen to the sound of runningwater over the clanking dishes
and then the clanking of thedishes.
Listen to the sound of runningwater over the clanking dishes
While you're moving.
Pay attention to the movementof your hands as you wash each
dish.
Notice the rhythm that you use.
And then, mindful dressing Feelthe texture of the fabric
against your skin.
Notice the weight of theclothing.
Pay attention to the fine motormovements required to button
(29:02):
the shirt or zip a zipper.
Notice the movements of theclothing.
Pay attention to the fine motormovements required to button
the shirt or zip a zipper.
Notice the movements of yourhands and arms.
Now, some key things to rememberwith mindful movement is to
start small and tryincorporating mindfulness into
one to two activities a day,whether it be eating or
dishwashing or dressing any ofthose.
There's a bunch of differentmindfulness techniques you can
(29:24):
use.
And then be patient Mindfulnessis a practice and it does take
time to develop.
And then try to use the sensoryfocus when you can Emphasize,
bringing your attention to thesensations that each of the
activities brings.
And then, don't judge, justnotice.
Notice the sensations you know,without judging oh, this is, I
(29:44):
don't like this sensation, Justacknowledge it and then let it
move on.
And then our final mindfulnessstrategy that I wanted to
discuss is mindfulness breathing, and this is a great tool for
high stress and anxiety.
Now, the nice thing about themis they're simple, accessible
and you can practice themanywhere.
(30:05):
And let's start with what theycall box breathing, which is
also known as square breathing,and the way to do box breathing
is inhale slowly and deeply fora count of four, hold the breath
for a count of four, and thenexhale slowly and completely
through your mouth for a countof four.
(30:26):
Hold your breath for a count offour and then repeat the cycle
for several rounds.
So that's in for a count offour.
Hold for a count of four.
Exhale for a count of four, andthen hold your breath for a
count of four.
Exhale for a count of four andthen hold your breath for a
count of four.
Now, the benefits of boxbreathing is that it helps
(30:48):
reduce stress and anxiety byregulating your autonomic
nervous system.
So, by you controlling yourbreathing, it promotes calmness
and relaxation and helps improveyour focus and concentration by
focusing on your breath.
Next up is diaphragmaticbreathing, or belly breathing,
and what you want to do is startby placing one hand on your
(31:10):
chest and the other on yourabdomen, or belly Inhale slowly
and deeply through your nose,allowing your abdomen to rise
while keeping your chest still,exhale slowly through your mouth
, allowing your abdomen to fall,and then you want to repeat
that several times.
Now, the benefits of bellybreathing is that it promotes
(31:30):
relaxation and reduces stress.
It improves oxygen intake andlung capacity, and it can also
help to alleviate some muscletension.
Help to alleviate some muscletension and then, finally, is
4-7-8 breathing.
So start off by exhalingcompletely through your mouth,
(31:51):
making a whooshing sound, andthen you want to close your
mouth and inhale quietly throughyour nose for a count of four.
Hold your breath for a count ofseven and then exhale
completely through the mouth,making a whooshing sound, a
count of eight, and then youwant to repeat that cycle four
(32:11):
times.
Now this breathing techniquepromotes deep relaxation and
sleep, reduces stress andanxiety and helps calm the
nerves.
So use these breathingtechniques whenever you become
anxious or stressed.
Box breathing or squarebreathing was in for four, hold
for four, breathe out for fourand then hold for four and then
(32:35):
the four, seven, eight breathingis another one I've used and
participated with, and that'sagain.
You exhale completely and thenyou breathe in through your nose
for a count of four, hold itfor a count of seven and then
exhale completely through yourmouth for a count of eight.
So use these breathingexercises when you become
anxious or stressed and be awareof the early signs like
(32:59):
increased heartbeat, shortnessof breath, dizziness, etc.
If you start feeling these, gofind a quiet place and focus on
your breathing.
Focus the breath by bringingyour full attention to the
sensation of your breath.
So slow down your breathing andthen your breathing quality
will quickly and rapidly startto diminish.
(33:19):
Because if you start to breatheheavily and quickly, then your
body knows that something'swrong and if it feels
uncomfortable, it's going tostart to release adrenaline and
then you're going to getyourself more excited.
So you want slow, intentionalbreaths and you want to focus on
the breath.
So stay away from the quick,rapid breaths.
(33:39):
Focus on the breath.
So stay away from the quick,rapid breaths.
And if you feel comfortable,you can use a mantra like I'm
calm, I am peaceful, whateveryou want you can use as your
mantra.
So some people focus on amantra instead of the breath.
So it's up to you on how youwant to apply it.
(33:59):
Okay, these are the techniquesyou can apply to your normal
daily living to help you reducestress and anxiety and stay calm
.
Now let's briefly discuss someof the common obstacles that you
may run into, leading off withdifficulty concentrating due to
symptoms.
Now you can use short sessions,starting with one to two
minutes, and gradually increasethe time.
So that can be the breathing,it could be the mini meditation,
(34:24):
and you can use guidedmeditations like the one I just
shared with you to help as well.
Next up is finding the time forpractice due to daily
challenges.
So first try to integrate theminto your daily activities, like
eating and walking, and thenset reminders.
Use alarms or apps to remindyou yourself to practice.
Hey, I want to practice mymindful techniques, so I got to
(34:46):
go do that.
And then remember, do them insmall time increments.
Even a minute of mindfulness iseffective.
Now, dealing with negativethoughts.
Acknowledge thoughts withoutjudging them, just letting them
pass like clouds.
Use compassionate self-talk,practice kind and gentle
self-talk.
Consider therapy or counselingto address underlying emotional
(35:07):
issues.
And then, finally, medicationfluctuations.
Practice during your on times,when symptoms are better managed
than during off times.
And then remember to focus onsimple breathing exercises.
All right, here's some tips forbuilding consistent and mindful
practice.
Start with short sessions,again no more than five minutes,
and then gradually increase theduration, and then find a quiet
(35:30):
, comfortable space that's goingto help you focus especially on
your breath, or a mantra, andthen use reminder apps.
And then, finally, is bepatient.
Remember it is a practice andbe compassionate with yourself.
So realize finally, is bepatient.
Remember it is a practice andbe compassionate with yourself.
So realize it does take time.
All right, before we wrap up,let's provide some resources
that you can reference to learnmore about how mindfulness can
(35:53):
help you manage anxiety on yourParkinson's journey, and let's
start with foundations that andwe'll lead it off with the
Parkinson's Foundation andthat's at parkinsonsorg, and
they have resources and programsrelated to mental wellness,
including mindfulness, so checktheir website for local chapters
, online resources andeducational materials.
(36:14):
And then you have the Michael JFox Foundation or
michaeljfoxorg, and whilethey're primarily focused on
research, they do haveinformation on mental health
strategies, and their webinarsand online forums can be very
beneficial as well.
And then you have the Centerfor Mindfulness at the
University of MassachusettsMedical School.
It was founded by JohnKabat-Zinn, and this center is a
(36:38):
leading resource formindfulness-based stress
reduction.
And you can find them atumasseducfm Mindfulness apps for
various needs, including stressand anxiety.
Headspace offers guidedmeditations and mindfulness
exercises.
Calm provides guidedmeditations, sleep stories and
(37:01):
relaxing music.
Insight Timer features a vastlibrary of free guided
meditations from variousteachers, and then 10% Happier.
This provides guidedmeditations and mindfulness
courses with a focus onpractical application.
Now, websites like Coursera andUdemy offer online mindfulness
(37:22):
courses that can be taken atyour own pace.
And then, finally, books FullCatastrophe Living by Jon
Kabat-Zinn is a classic book onmindfulness-based stress
reduction, and the book Whereveryou Go, there you Are, by Jon
Kabat-Zinn, and this is abeginner-friendly introduction
to mindfulness, and I'll putlinks for these books in the
(37:45):
podcast description.
Now I want to share with youthat you should consult your
health care provider beforestarting any new mindfulness or
exercise program to ensure theymeet your specific needs and
limitations.
And that brings us to the endof today's episode.
I hope you found thesemindfulness techniques and
insights helpful in your journeyto managing stress and anxiety
(38:07):
with Parkinson's.
Now remember, mindfulness is apractice and it takes time and
patience, so be kind to yourselfand celebrate every mindful
awareness you can.
Now, before we go, I wanted toemphasize that I'm not a
healthcare professional or amental health specialist.
The information shared in thispodcast is for educational and
informational purposes only andshould not be considered medical
(38:29):
advice.
If you're feeling overwhelmedwith anxiety, depression, fear
or hopelessness, please reachout to a certified mental health
specialist and they can provideyou with personalized support
and guidance to address yourspecific needs.
Now, if you want to learn moreabout living your best life with
Parkinson's, please visitliveparkinsonscom.
(38:50):
There you can subscribe to thefree monthly newsletter filled
with valuable tips, resourcesand community stories.
And if you're unsure about howto build your best Parkinson's
care team for your Parkinson'sjourney, be sure to get a copy
of our Building your Parkinson'sCare Team Resource Guide and
Supplemental Workbook.
It's available for a nominalfee and is designed to help you
(39:14):
navigate the collective naturesof Parkinson's care so that you
can live your best life withParkinson's.
Lastly, if you would like tosupport the podcast and the
mission to help people withParkinson's lead a great quality
of life, I would greatlyappreciate your support, which
helps me develop more resourcesand supports the podcast.
You can visit my Ko-fi page atko-ficom slash liveparkinsons to
(39:35):
make a donation.
Every little bit helps todevelop valuable content.
Thank you for listening andremember even with Parkinson's
you can find moments of calm andpeace.
Until next time, take care andbe mindful.
Stay healthy, stay strong andlive your best life with
Parkinson's.
Thank you.
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