“We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.” Roderick Thorp
“Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.” Marianne Williamson
What does it mean to give yourself a break? A commitment to doing something kind for yourself. It matters not what you do, as long as it’s something positive and healthy. And it does not have to last a given time, it could be 10 minutes or the whole day, the decision is yours. Here are 9 things I came up with, you could easily come up with own list of 10-20 ways to give yourself a break.
My list includes:
•Have a Less Strenuous Exercise Day:
•Get Some Extra Sleep;
•Ecclesiastes 7:20;
•A Walk With Your Partner;
•Check Your Posture;
•Make a Gratitude List;
•Contact an Old Friend;
•Be More Aware of Your Surroundings;
•Reward Your Body, Mind, and Heart.
“To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now.” Alan Cohen
A Figure listing and describing the 9 ways to “Give Yourself a Break.”
Click here to download a PDF version of 9 ways; and
Click here to download a JPEG version of 9 ways.
“Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.” Louise Hay
What Does it Mean to Give Yourself a Break?
•It can be simply stated that Parkinson’s is relentless, ever present, and it will never take a break. You are confronted with a life-long presence of illness and ill-intent.
•Day in and day out, hour by hour, minute by minute, this consistent force called Parkinson’s will wear you down. It will also have the same effect on your care partner, family members, friends, and colleagues. Parkinson’s will create self-inflicted pain and insults to you and those around you.
•At times, Parkinson’s will overwhelm you and your support group. To get through this always-on process, you need self-compassion to evacuate your inner space and living sphere and to get away for a few moments.
•This is what I call the ‘escape clause’- a moment of respite from the constant demands of Parkinson’s. Whatever pleases you, whatever it is, go ahead and do it. Those around you also need this escape clause to help themselves.
•When Parkinson’s has brought you down, bring up your list of ‘Give yourself a break’ and practice self-compassion. Then, you’ll be ready to get back into your life’s battle against Parkinson’s.
•Because I am a science nerd, I have listed some reference material on this topic. The references provided are some of the experts on this topic; they are speaking their minds, giving advice on how to solve the problem.
“Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself.” Michel de Montaigne
References:
Chen, Serena. “Give yourself a break: the power of self-compassion.” Harv Bus Rev 96, no. 5 (2018): 117-123.
Fredrickson, Kim. Give yourself a break: Turning your inner critic into a compassionate friend. Revell, 2015.
O’Meara, Rachael. Pause: harnessing the life-changing power of giving yourself a break. Penguin, 2017.
Dispenza, Joe. Breaking the habit of being yourself: How to lose your mind and create a new one. Hay House, Inc, 2012.
Gruman, Jamie, and Deirdre Healey. Boost: The Science of Recharging Yourself in an Age of Unrelenting Demands. IAP, 2018.
“If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.” Barbara De Angelis
Cover photo Image by Syed Irfan from Pixabay
Journey with Parkinson's 
