To Blog or not to Blog that is the question…

Why do I Blog? What inspired me to take the step to put my thoughts and feelings down for others to see?

I know that feelings are complicated things. Sometimes talking about how we feel to an actual person can be difficult. We feel exposed, we risk judgement, we lay ourselves bare to others’ opinions.

In my journey with Parkinson’s – especially in the initial stages after diagnosis – I had many emotions swirling around in my brain. Fear, anxiety, distress…. I didn’t know what to do with them…. how to manage what I felt. How to understand what I felt and if I understood what next?

So, I started my Blog. I started it to give me an opportunity to work through the thoughts and feelings I had about my diagnosis and what it meant for my life. Then – and this is where the Social Worker in me comes out – I thought that perhaps in sharing my own journey that I might be able to help others going through a similar path to my own. If I can help just one or two people to deal with and understand what is happening for them, then this Blog is worthwhile. In the interim, if it just helps me, then that is enough.

So, if I have learned anything in these past few months it is this. If you can, find someone you can talk to. Really talk to. Share your thoughts, your feelings, your fears. Get the support that you need to get through. If you can’t talk to anyone in person, write someone a letter, write a journal or write a Blog. Take those feelings you have and rather than ignoring them or bottling them up, send them somewhere and in doing so, you will find a way to work through those feelings.

The feelings and fears we have will not go away, so we must find a way to deal with them. For me, this Blog is my therapy, my outlet. Find a way to express what you feel. Ignoring those thoughts and feelings leads to negative outcomes.

We can’t change the course of this condition, but we can manage how we react to it and find ways to understand ourselves and how we integrate this thing called Parkinson’s into our lives.