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 #  Emotional & Mental Health 

 Maintaining emotional health is essential to living well with Parkinson's, and can help manage movement symptoms.

 

 

 

 ![Adult daughter holding to senior mom's shoulder](/sites/default/files/styles/1902x600/public/images/emotionalmentalhealth.jpg?h=83615a45&itok=Q7hNQN1h)  

 

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  ## 💡 Quick Summary 

 - Emotional health is essential for managing Parkinson’s and coping with stress, grief and changing symptoms.

- Nurture relationships, focus on strengths.

- Embrace healthy behaviors like [exercise](/living-with-parkinsons/treatment/exercise "Exercise"), nutrition and spirituality.

- Spirituality can include prayer, meditation, volunteering or other practices that provide peace and connection.

 

 Just as exercise and medications are key to living well with Parkinson’s disease (PD), maintaining emotional health is essential to your physical health. A Parkinson’s diagnosis, and what can feel like ever-changing symptoms as PD progresses, can bring on a flood of emotions for you and your loved ones.

Accepting and successfully navigating those feelings, whether anger, sadness, grief or even denial, is important. Stress can make PD symptoms worse. Focusing on your strengths, nurturing caring relationships, sharing your concerns, embracing healthy behaviors and your spirituality, can help you better cope with the potential challenges of PD.

 - ###   Working Through Feelings   
    
    PD symptoms and treatments can affect your mood. Depression and anxiety affect up to 50 percent of people living with PD. These mood changes can bring on worsening function, leading to a decreased quality of life. Tending to your emotional health keeps this cycle at bay.
    
    
    - ***Be open and honest*** *about what you are going through. Talk about your emotions with someone you trust, rather than isolating yourself.*
    - **Talk to your doctor** if you are having difficulty regulating your emotions. Healthcare professionals can recommend medical treatments.
    - **Consider counseling** for you and your loved ones. Counseling sessions — alone, as a couple, family or in a group — can provide support, understanding and education. There are a lot of different types of counselors. Find the one that works for you.
    - **Join a PD support group**. A support group can offer a venue to share your experience with those on a similar journey. This can lift stress, foster new friendships and prevent isolation. Contact the Parkinson’s Foundation [Helpline](/resources-support/helpline "Helpline") 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to find a local support group, or join [PD Conversations](https://www.pdconversations.org/s/), our online network of support.
- ###   Embracing Hope   
    
    Taking a deep look at the positive aspects of your life and nurturing them so that they grow can change your emotional outlook. Embracing these positives — family, friends or a new or favorite hobby — can offer respite when things are difficult.
    
    
    - **Trust yourself to handle any challenges** that a PD diagnosis may bring. Reflecting on difficult past experiences can give you confidence in your ability to withstand any future tests.
    - **Simplify your daily schedule.** Understanding what you are able to accomplish in a day and getting help with more challenging tasks can help you enjoy the present moment.
    - ***Focus on what you can control.*** *Taking control of situations when possible will help you minimize stress.*
- ###   Building a Network   
    
    A strong support network is a powerful tool. It is important to share your feelings and needs with people you trust. Members of your support network may include:
    
    
    - Family
    - Friends
    - Neighbors
    - Coworkers
    - Therapist/counselor
    - Medical team
    - Support group
    - Faith community
    
    The bigger your aid network, the better. Having people and groups to emotionally support you and those who can help with basic needs, such as transportation or meal preparation, prevents any one person from taking on too many responsibilities and becoming overwhelmed.
    
    Remember to communicate your needs to the members of your support network! Family, friends and neighbors often want to help, but may need your direction in navigating how they can be most useful.
- ###   Nutrition & Exercise   
    
    Healthy behaviors, including attention to [diet](/living-with-parkinsons/management/diet-nutrition "Diet & Nutrition"), meal planning and regular moderate [exercise](/living-with-parkinsons/treatment/exercise "Exercise") can also improve emotional well-being.
    
    
    - **Have a meal plan in place**. The foods you eat and when you eat them can impact how you feel. Sticking to a meal plan can reduce worry and ensure healthy eating.
    - **Exercise regularly**. The [Parkinson’s Outcomes Project](/advancing-research/our-research/parkinsons-outcomes-project "Parkinson’s Outcomes Project") found that exercising for 2.5 hours each week can help slow the decline in quality of life for people with PD.
    - **Set short-term fitness goals.** Trying out different forms of exercise is a fun way to boost motivation and keep you moving. Exercises like Yoga, Tai Chi and non-contact boxing classes can improve PD symptoms and mental health.
- ###   Spirituality   
    
    Focusing on the deeper meaning of your life and embracing faith or moral-based core values can offer comfort. Placing your trust in the belief in a greater outside influence or plan, may ease the acceptance of things you cannot control and free your mental energy to focus on the things you can control.
    
    Spirituality means something different for everyone. Prayer, meditation and acts of service, such as volunteering, are some ways people with PD find strength, inner peace, happiness and a deeper connection to the divine or to their community.
 
 Explore our [PD Health @ Home Mental Wellness Series](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDGRDRM479GsTghKCjXGVTCxkaCPC0nLG) to learn how others with PD navigate mental health. This series includes candid virtual conversations with people living with Parkinson’s and PD experts. Every episode is accompanied by a blog with tips to help boost your mental wellness.

 [WATCH THE SERIES](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDGRDRM479GsTghKCjXGVTCxkaCPC0nLG) 

 [READ THE ARTICLES](https://www.parkinson.org/resources-support/blog?_page=1&keywords=&_limit=6&blog_category=25&blog_topic=5) 

 

 *Page reviewed by Dr. Tracy Tholanikunnel, Assistant Professor of Movement Disorders at the University of Florida, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence.*

  ##  Related Materials 

   Videos & Webinars 

###  [ Expert Briefing: Mental Health and PD ](/library/videos/mental-health) 



 [Watch Now](/library/videos/mental-health)

   Podcasts 

###  [ Episode 118: Managing Mental Health Problems with Parkinson’s Disease ](/library/podcast/118) 



 [Listen Now](/library/podcast/118)

   Fact Sheets 

###  [ Stress Management for PD ](/library/fact-sheets/stress) 



 [Read Now](/library/fact-sheets/stress)

  

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###  [ How Stress and Stress Management Impact Parkinson’s ](/blog/science-news/stress-management-impact) 

 

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