Reducing dis-ease (dis-comfort, dis-stress): I try to focus on today and what I can do and how to use my skills and sensibilities differently. Focusing on what I can't do just stresses/distresses me. I can't change the fact that I have PD, but I can try not to make it feel worse by Should statements, What-Ifs, and Awfuls.

I also try to accept PD rather than fighting it. For me, acceptance doesn't mean giving up or giving in, but instead

• Going with what IS rather than what Should be
• Looking for ways to counter new symptoms, to reduce them, or to live better with them. Massage and yoga help me, but that's not for everyone. We need to find what suits our lifestyle and helps us cope.
• Acting out of practical adaptive thinking about what will help me most, rather than out of anger and embarrassment. The focus is on thinking, not on upset feelings, because the latter tear a person up.
• Changing what I can change, and letting go of the Need to change what I cant. (Serenity Prayer).

Lindy is right that PD makes us look at ourselves a lot. One way I try to avoid that is to focus on giving back to others...mostly through my music, but in other ways too.

Note: Indigogo had asked us to post tips/strategies for maintaining a positive attitude. I had posted a rather lengthy, and somewhat "preachy" response. As I looked at it a day later, it seemed like a good idea to just pull out the key points and let the rest go.

J:-)