This short article on “Maintaining Hope” while living with Parkinson’s Disease was
published in the Fall 2005 APDA (American Parkinson Disease Association) Newsletter.
Though it’s about Parkinson’s Disease, the article certainly applies to any disorder.
Robin
http://www.apdaparkinson.org/data/NewsLetterUpload/APDAFal2005newest.pdf –> article on page 1
Maintaining Hope
by Linda O’Connor, LCSW
Coordinator APDA I&R Center, Los Angeles, CA
American Parkinson Disease Association
Fall 2005 Newsletter
In my work as the Coordinator of the Los Angeles APDA Information and Referral Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, I
have the opportunity to talk with people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their family members every day, and one of the most significant aspects of our contact often centers on the subject of “hope”. Sometimes it is spoken, and often unspoken, but the question of hope is always present in some way.
Living with PD is challenging, both physically and emotionally for the person who has been diagnosed, as well as for family members. In difficult times it becomes vital to have something to hold on to, and in my opinion, one of the best things is hope. Because having hope can be such a powerful tool to assist with coping, it is certainly worth
further exploration and understanding.
Defining Hope
According to the dictionary, hope is: “A desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment; also expectation of fulfillment or success.” Richard Lazarus, a psychologist who has done a great deal of study and writing on hope, defines it this way: “To hope is to believe that something positive, which does not presently apply to one’s life, could still materialize, and so we yearn for it. Although desire is an essential feature, hope is much more than this because it requires the belief in the possibility of a favorable outcome.”
The fact that having the diagnosis of PD brings with it so much uncertainty, and because you don’t know absolutely for sure what will happen next, this creates the possibility that something good may happen, and that possibility makes room for hope.
No one’s future is absolutely foretold, so while there may be reason to fear, there is also great reason to hope.
Hope as a Coping Process
Maintaining a hopeful attitude can be an extremely helpful coping strategy. First it produces action. Studies have shown that hope can galvanize efforts to seek improvement of an unfavorable situation. Without hope we are unlikely to act on our own behalf. Hope combines yearning for something better with the belief that our actions could help to bring about the outcome we want.
Hope is why people seek information about Parkinson’s disease and its treatment. Hope is why people become actively involved in getting the best treatment possible. Hope is why people exercise, concentrate on good nutrition and focus on stress management. Hope is why people connect with each other for support or do advocacy work or enroll in clinical trials. Hope is why people don’t give up, even in some of the most difficult situations. It keeps us engaged with life.
The second way that hope aids coping is that it serves as a vital resource against despair. The best defense we have against despair and the depression that accompanies it is hope.
Cultivating Hope
Because hope partly involves our thought process, it is possible to make very deliberate, conscious decision to be hopeful. Now this may not happen overnight, and it may not work every single day, especially if you’re having a particularly bad day, BUT… it is worth trying to focus on maintaining an overall hopeful attitude as much as possible.