There’s been a lot of David Bowie music in our house this past week as we remembered the great all round performer. And some of his songs are great dance tunes as well.
I have observed that since my diagnosis of PD some six years ago, my appreciation of great music has grown considerably. Doesn’t matter what kind – rock, jazz, classical – as long as it is good! For some of the music I just sit and really enjoy at a deeper level than I used to, and for other music, it might fire me up to start dancing and feeling great! It’s all about the dopamine I guess.
If you’re not yet into music as a therapy to make you feel great each and every day, my recommendation is first to make sure you have a good music playing set up – iPhone, headphones, speakers etc and then to sign up for a music streaming service such as Spotify or iTunes. I use Spotify and can easily make new playlists as I come across either new music (like the latest Rolling Stones album) or re-discover older music from years gone by. I consider the monthly cost to be well worth the vast music library at my disposal.
Also in a similar pleasure zone is laughter. How many times a day do you really laugh? What makes me laugh may not make you laugh and vice versa, but find your zone and make sure to have a daily dose, either supplied by friends and family or by video (TV, movies, YouTube).
When I’m on a good laughing roll not only do I forget all about my PD symptoms, I experience a positive all around high. YouTube has an amazing collection of comedy videos, from the USA and the UK (along with other countries) so maybe start there!
Type in you favourite performer and let the fun begin. I usually start with Louis CK and Michael McIntyre and go from there!
And to end Brian’s blog number 4 on a high note – watch and listen as 1,000 musicians play Bowie ;).
