Everyone knows, negative stress is a killer. And for folks like me with Parkinson's disease, it can make the symptoms worse and there's some belief that prolonged stress can actually hasten the progression.
That's why, every now and then, we should all take the advice of my 3-year old German Shepherd, Shiloh. Jump on the couch, bury your face in a pillow and just tune everything out!
And if the things that are causing you stress FOLLOW you and disturb your sense of tranquility?
Get up, relocate, and do your best to avoid it. Of course, it's not always possible to completely avoid the things that are causing you stress...
In cases like that, all you can do is just take a deep breath and realize SOME stress is GOOD stress.
I hope we all learned something today.
POSTSCRIPT: When Shiloh's older sister, our 5-year old border collie Raven, saw me taking pictures of Shiloh, she jumped up on the recliner and posed, as if to say "I'm adorable TOO!"
And yes, she is.
(Hey, not EVERYTHING is about politics...)