9 steps to a stress-free life with Parkinson's disease

In a familiar situation at many Parkinson's patients, my world fell apart or at least that's what I thought after I was diagnosed 13 years ago.

La Parkinson's disease is a central nervous system disorder. Yet I knew very little about it when I was diagnosed, and my only thought at the time was that I would inevitably become disabled and end up in a wheelchair.

So, I did a lot of research and one thing that came up constantly was that the symptoms are exacerbated by stress. Over time, I noticed that my symptoms were more pronounced during periods of stress. In fact, stress affects the body's ability to fight any disease.

But how do you reduce the amount of stress in your life when you are living with a chronic condition like Parkinson's? I began to make some changes in my life and today I am the strongest and healthiest I have ever been.

Here are my 9 simple steps to help you achieve a stress-free life.

Positive mantra. Create your own positive mantra for your mind, something meaningful and unique to you. It should take you to a place of conscious calm and tranquility, where you can go and elevate yourself at any time, especially when feeling feelings of negativity or stress. Choose to be positive. It may seem obvious, but surround yourself with people who are positive or bring positive messages into your life. Stay away from those who bring negativity and ego. For those you can't avoid, spend as little time with them as possible-it may sound harsh, but it is important. Dealing with stressful situations. If you notice that there is a potentially stressful situation, consider whether or not you can control it. If it is within your control, take action to relieve or remove the stress. If the situation is out of your control, let go of any stress without second thoughts. Meditation and visualizing where you want to be are also powerful in creating a sense of peace and calm. Practice an attitude of gratitude. It can be easy to forget all the wonderful things we have to be grateful for, especially when we are not feeling our best physically. Maintaining a positive attitude will soon become totally natural. Being grateful for all the wonderful things you have in your life maintains a positive state of mind. Practice - what I like to call - an attitude of gratitude. Know your boundaries. Begin to recognize the impact and negative effect that negative emotions such as anger and frustration have on your mind, body, and environment, including the people around you. If someone goes over the edge, resist them, but try to do so gracefully so as not to add negative energy to these already negative emotions.

Keeping an open mind. It may sound cliché, I always look for the bright side. If something negative happens, I look for what I can learn. If I can't immediately grasp what I have learned, I put it aside and think that maybe someone else will have learned something, or maybe someday the lesson will become clear and I move on. Take the time to really explore your thinking and mindset, which ultimately leads to your behavior and its actions. The way we think directs our behavior. Keep moving. I put this principle into practice through exercise and I absolutely love running outdoors is very good for my mind, body and soul. I know that not all patients are able to do regular activities or exercises, but we can all try something on a daily basis. Develop your sense of humor. Humor can be found in almost anything. Doing so requires keeping an open and playful mind, as long as the fun is not at the expense of others. We have a choice. We cannot control all events in life; what we can control is how we react.