Parkinson's Disease
Living purposefully with Parkinson's
It can feel like Parkinson’s disease changes your entire world, and these changes are often accompanied by feelings of grief, confusion, and sadness. Many people find strength in religious practices, such as prayer, while others experience spirituality in nature, through art or music, or meditation.
Spiritual resilience is being able to maintain a sense of who you are and your purpose in life, even through difficult life challenges. Researchers have shown that being spiritually resilient can increase your health-related quality of life, as it influences how you experience pain and suffering, whether you feel motivated to take your medications, and how you make sense of your diagnosis.
The flipside is that PD may impact your ability to connect to your sense of purpose or spirituality. You may find yourself skipping church services because you are worried about motor symptoms in public, or the drowsiness from medications may make it difficult to stay awake for your usual meditation session. Depression and anxiety, which are common occurrences in people with Parkinson’s, may decrease your motivation to engage in activities you once found fulfilling.
So two things may happen: your sense of meaning or purpose in life may change, but spiritual resilience can help you cope with your new reality. Developing your spiritual resources can help you navigate your disease in a way that feels meaningful to you.
Let yourself grieve
It is normal to experience grief, anxiety, or depression when life is changing so unexpectedly. What you had planned for life may no longer be possible, so you may struggle with a sense of loss of the future or even your own personal identity. Rather than suppressing them, seeing these feelings as what they are - normal responses to a sudden change - can make them feel more manageable. It is also important to know that healing is always possible, even when at times you feel unable to cope.
Reflect on what helps you cope
In the past, where have you found strength and resilience? How can you incorporate those activities more deeply into your life now? This will look different for everyone, but some examples might be spending time with family, spiritual or religious practices, volunteering your time, humor, journaling, nature, or art. There are many questions you can ask yourself to explore your own sense of meaning and purpose in life.
For most people, a sense of being connected to something bigger than themselves can bring a sense of comfort during difficult times. Living with an illness like Parkinson’s is an invitation to nurture those parts of your life that bring you joy, hope, and strength.
Reframe difficult questions
One of the most common questions people with Parkinson’s ask after the initial diagnosis is “Why did this happen to me?” But while this is a normal response, it is a difficult question to grapple with. No one can fully understand the why. Try shifting instead to a what or how question. For example, “What is happening right now? How do I want to respond?”
Consider your legacy
Identify your valuesParkinson’s often forces you to slow down physically - why not slow down the pace of your life on a broader level? Many people find satisfaction in reflecting on their contributions to the world and how they can continue investing in them. Looking through old photographs and sharing stories about them can help contextualize what matters to you most and bring feelings of pride, nostalgia, and awe. Recording your stories in a journal or videos can also be a rewarding project that also leaves a gift for generations to come.
Connect with others
Nurture your relationshipsLiving within a diagnosis that has an uncertain evolution can bring about feelings of isolation but connecting with others - either reaching out to trusted loved ones or new friends in Parkinson’s support groups, or helping others through volunteering - can help mitigate the loneliness. Personal relationships are deeply powerful aspects of wellbeing because they can ease depression, reduce stress, and even make us physically healthier. On a deeper level, a trusted friend in whom you can confide provides that feeling of connection that makes life feel more meaningful and worthwhile.
Try Something New
In Navigating Life with Parkinson’s Disease (2nd Edition), authors Parashos and Wichmann reflect on the ways that the disease offers an opportunity to turn loss into discovery:
“Exploring new activities promotes creative expression and enhances quality of life. Many people have been pleasantly surprised to discover a hidden talent for creative outlets such as painting, writing, sculpting, or photography that was unrecognized before their diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.”
This Parkinson's disease resource is made possible through funding from the Medtronic Foundation. Learn how people living with Parkinson's Disease are changing the world by visiting http://
Kwok, J.Y.Y., Choi, E.P.H., Chau, P.H. et al. (2020). Effects of spiritual resilience on psychological distress and health-related quality of life in Chinese people with Parkinson’s disease. Qual Life Res 29, 3065–3073.
Parashos, S.A., Wichmann, R.L. (2020). Navigating Life with Parkinson's Disease: 2nd Edition. American Academy of Neurology. New York: Oxford Press.
Reynolds, D. (2017). Spirituality as a coping mechanism for individuals with Parkinson's disease. J Christ Nursing; 34(3):190-194. doi: 10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000392. PMID: 28604530.
