Practical Tips for Managing Your Emotions( continued) 2 of 2
Build Emotional Management Muscles
Dig deeper. Look for what’ s behind your feelings. If you often feel irritated, ask why. Is it a lack of sleep? Stress? Not feeling well in general? Journaling or talking with others can get to the root cause.
Practice mindfulness.
Seek professional or peer help.
Mindfulness is awareness, without judgment, of the present: your thoughts, feelings, sensations and environment. In one research study, nine weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a program that teaches mindfulness tools and skills, raised awareness in care partners and improved patients’ quality of life. You and your loved one can practice together. Five minutes of a guided breathing or body-scan exercise can steady you both
Virtual support groups, classes in which you learn mindfulness and other skills or counseling sessions can provide tools for emotion understanding and regulation and reduce any sense of isolation.
Check in with your loved one.
Make checking in on emotions a habit. Ask something like,“ On a scale of one to five, how do you feel?” Ask what’ s behind their answer, and don’ t shy away from the“ big” emotions. Many care partners keep grief, guilt or overwhelm to themselves for fear their loved one might feel responsible. Your loved one may have similar feelings, even if for different reasons, and discussing them can bring you closer
This resource is part of Facing Parkinson’ s Together: A Guide for Care Partners, created by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson ' s Research. To download the full guide, please visit michaeljfox. org / care-partners or scan the QR code.