Frustration often comes when I am trying to get something done in a hurry. If I can just slow down and catch my breath, think about what I am trying to do, and then act, it always goes much better.

One thing that my husband says about his diagnosis is “the hurrier I go, the behinder I get”. He understands that PD slows down all of his movements and if he tries to fight against that, it simply becomes more difficult. The same holds true for me when I am trying to help him. If I push or rush him, he gets flustered and I get frustrated. Instead, we need to remember to allow adequate time for tasks and take our time to do them right.

I told someone once that I thought I was put on this earth to learn patience and it has been a challenging lesson. Whenever I begin to feel frustrated with my husband because things are not moving as quickly or in the way I want them to, I need to stop and remember that he is the one with the disease and he is doing the best he can. I need to take a breath and remember that his is the real battle, I can only support from the sidelines and do it with love and patience.