A Blue Day

My mom was an amazing person. She was smart and wise and she always knew the right thing to say when I had a bad day. Mom passed away many years ago, but I think about her daily. When I have a not-so-great day, I think about Mom’s words of wisdom and can hear her say,  “just give yourself permission to be blue and then move on”. As usual, Mom was right.

I have had times when I was down or sad or just not myself. When there is something specific bothering me, I identify the problem, and then fix it, if I  can. But sometimes, I can’t even put my finger exactly on the cause.  Usually a good rest, some play time and a cup of tea does a world of good and the blues leave me.

Then there are those spells when I  cannot get out of my own way. I tell myself to count my blessings, don’t feel sorry for myself, and others have it much worse than I do. True, true, true. But I still feel badly. I don’t want Parkinson’s any longer. I am tired of shaking. I want my sense of smell to return (a classic symptom of Parkinson’s), and I do not want the fatigue anymore. I just want it all to stop and go away.

Ok, that’s enough. I give myself permission to feel sorry for myself and then its time to move on. The energy and time I spend feeling sorry for myself is not helpful in any way. I do not like to be unhappy so I switch the switch and choose to be happy. This means deleting the negative and installing the positive. I find aspects of my life to be thankful for, my family, my friends. I remind myself that Parkinson’s is not the worst disease. It is not life threatening and it is very doable. My attitude adjustments work.  I feel better and now I concentrate on what I can do for others. The best fix for me to feel better is to help someone else who needs some care. The gift of giving to others is really a gift to me. 

My blue days pass and  I survive, even thrive, by channeling the self-pity into something different, something positive. Try it and see what happens when you choose happy.