Why Stress Matters for Parkinson’s—and 12 Simple Ways to Calm Your Mind and Body

If you’ve noticed that your Parkinson’s symptoms seem worse on stressful days, you’re not alone. Research suggests that stress is one of the most significant—yet often overlooked—contributors to increased motor symptoms such as tremors, muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, freezing, and gait issues. But stress doesn’t just affect movement. It can also exacerbate symtoms such as pain, anxiety and depressed mood, sleep disturbances, memory issues, and loss of focus. This makes it even harder to navigate your daily life and feel like yourself.

Why is understanding stress so important to our health? Stress directly affects the nervous system, and chronic stress can put the nervous system under constant strain, disrupting nearly every system in your body. This ongoing burden can also upset the delicate balance of dopamine (the very neurotransmitter depleted in Parkinson’s), further intensifying symptoms and making them even more challenging to manage.

But there's hope! By understanding how to manage daily stress, you can also improve your symptoms and overall well-being. Learning how to regulate your nervous system and ease stress can lead to fewer symptoms and a greater sense of ease, energy, confidence, and control in your daily life. And taking small, meaningful steps can help you feel better and more empowered in your health.

Let’s explore some of the best ways to reduce stress for Parkinson’s, including one simple stress-releasing nervous system technique you can try today.

Simple Strategies for Stress Management with Parkinson’s

For people living with Parkinson’s, where the nervous system already feels strained and stuck in a chronic state of stress and overload, bringing in tools to soothe and regulate can open the pathway to healing and make a meaningful difference in your daily quality of life.

It's important to know that there’s no “one right way” to ease stress and regulate your nervous system. In fact, feeling like you have to do it a certain way can feel stressful in itself! The goal is to explore techniques that feel safe, doable, and grounding for you.

There are many gentle, evidence-based ways to support nervous system balance and guide your body back toward healing. Below, you'll find a variety of practical, science-supported methods to help ease stress, support symptom management, and most importantly, help you feel better.

If you find just a few that feel good in your body, you’ll be well on your way to creating long-lasting benefits for both your mind and your body.

➤ Movement & Exercise
Physical activity is one of the best ways to combat stress and support Parkinson’s symptom relief. Studies show that people with Parkinson’s who engage in regular movement (such as walking, stretching, or dancing) report less anxiety and better overall function.

➤ Healthy Nutrition
Chronic stress depletes essential nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, and omega-3s, which are crucial for brain health. Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables helps support your body’s health and nervous system resilience.

➤ Time in Nature
Studies show that spending time in green spaces can lower cortisol levels and improve mood. Even looking at pictures of nature has been shown to speed up stress recovery.

➤ Social Support
Staying connected with friends, family, or support groups can help build emotional resilience. Spending even a short amount of time together with others can boost your mood and reduce stress. This includes beloved pets too!

➤ Music for Stress Relief
Music can help lower stress, boost mood, and promote relaxation. Studies show that listening to calming or rhythmic music can regulate breathing, reduce cortisol, and enhance well-being. Whether it’s classical, nature sounds, or your favorite songs, music is a simple way to easy stress daily.

➤ Breathing Exercises
Deep, intentional breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to reduce stress and calm the body. A simple technique: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, and exhale for 6.

➤ NeuroFit Stress Release and Nervous System Reset
NeuroFit's simple stress-release exercises go beyond just relaxation. Using gentle sensory input with touch, movement, and breath, these practices help reset your nervous system at the root level, addressing the underlying patterns of tension and imbalance that keep stress stuck in the body. One of my all-time favorites is Arm and Leg Squeezes. It's perfect when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to feel more grounded and centered.

Arm and Leg Squeezes: Simply squeeze the muscles in one arm, moving up and down with gentle pressure, then repeat with the other arm and both legs. Focus on the sensation and remember to breathe, continuing for 3 minutes or as long as it feels good. Notice how your body feels afterward—more present, connected, and at ease.

This simple practice signals safety to the nervous system, helping the body release stored tension and stress so you can feel better.

➤ Guided Meditation
Research suggests that meditation can reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. Try starting with a few minutes of focused breathing or a guided meditation from Insight Timer, which offers free guided meditations.

➤ Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Yoga
These gentle movement practices reduce stress and improve mobility. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Tai Chi’s health benefits for people living with Parkinson’s included improvements in stress reduction, balance, and posture. If you are just getting started, there are many free and low-cost opportunities online to explore what feels good for you. Yoga with Adriene is great, as is Lee Holden for Qi Gong.

➤ Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique)
Tapping, or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is a simple stress-relief method that involves gently tapping on specific acupressure points while focusing on a stressful thought or emotion. This helps calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and shift the body out of a stress response. The Tapping Solution offers resources and guided sessions to help you get started.

➤ Guided Imagery for Parkinson’s
Guided imagery uses mental visualization to promote relaxation, and research has shown it can help with anxiety, stress, and pain in hospital and clinical settings. Therapist Belleruth Naparstek offers a guided imagery for Parkinson’s to support both the body and mind in coping with symptoms, as well as a free session for relaxation and general wellness.

➤ Do More of What Brings You Joy
Spending time doing something you love—whether it’s gardening, painting, playing with a pet, or listening to your favorite podcast—can reduce stress, elevate mood, and activate your body’s natural calming pathways. Joyful activities help shift your nervous system into a more balanced state, making it easier to feel connected, calm, and more like yourself. Take a little time to notice what truly brings you joy. It’s different for everyone, and even small moments of enjoyment can have a big impact on how you're feeling.

Final Thoughts: Finding Your Path to Greater Peace and Well-Being

Life will always bring stress. But how we respond to it can shape everything, from how we feel physically to how we think, move, and connect emotionally.

For those living with Parkinson’s, managing stress wisely isn’t just about feeling better in the moment (though that’s a powerful first step). It’s also about creating meaningful, lasting changes in how your body and brain respond to the challenges of everyday life. Over time, these small shifts can lead to greater resilience, improved symptom management, and a deeper sense of ease.

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to stress relief. You might feel drawn to gentle movement, deep breathing, time in nature, or guided imagery. The key is to begin where you are. Start small. Choose what feels safe, supportive, and sustainable for you. Even one tiny shift, done consistently, can lay the foundation for deeper healing and greater well-being.

And if you’re looking for a simple way to reset your nervous system and release stress at its core, NeuroFit exercises can be a great place to start. Even one gentle 3-minute balance exercise can help you ease stress in the moment, support your brain’s health, and become a turning point in your day!

As a psychologist, Health and Wellness Coach, and Certified NeuroFit Stress and Nervous System Balance Coach, Meret Keller, PhD, is dedicated to empowering people in the Parkinson's community with the knowledge and tools to transform their stress and anxiety. She shares simple, science-backed tools to reset and balance the nervous system to help people feel more calm, grounded, and connected to their body’s natural ability to heal.

Meret is the founder of the Pacific Center for Parkinson's Health and Healing. She's had several family members living with Parkinson’s over the years, so she's seen the challenges that come from living with this chronic health condition.

She loves sharing simple, practical, science-backed tools that empower people to take an active role in managing their stress so they can feel better!

For more information on the powerful benefits of nervous system balance for people living with Parkinson’s, visit her website at pacificcenterphh.com.

If you enjoyed this article and want to take the next step in reducing your stress, I invite you to explore our free 3-Day Stress Reset Starter Kit to discover additional simple tools and tips to balance your nervous system and reduce stress whenever it arises!

If you’re looking for ways to take your stress relief to the next level, the NeuroFit app is a great next step. It's filled with simple, science-backed somatic exercises that help you that help you feel more grounded, reset faster, and bounce back from stress—anytime, anywhere. Try it out and experience the difference for yourself:

REFERENCES:

Van der Heide, Meinders, Speckens, Peerbolte, Bloem, & Helmich (2021). Stress and mindfulness in Parkinson’s disease: Clinical effects and potential underlying mechanisms. Movement Disorders.

Van der Heide, Speckens, Meinders, Rosenthal, Bloem, & Helmich (2021). Stress and mindfulness in Parkinson’s disease—A survey in 5000 patients. npj Parkinsons Disease.

Bloomfield, McCutcheon, Kempton, Freeman, & Howes (2019). The effects of psychosocial stress on dopaminergic function and the acute stress response. eLife.

Fields (2024). Can exercise help people with Parkinson’s disease? 4 things to know. Yale Medicine.

Mandal (2012). Tai chi could benefit Parkinson’s disease patients. News-Medical.

Collins & Moawad (2021). The power of music to reduce stress. PsychCentral.

Skinner (2023). How guided imagery can boost your health – and performance. Experience Life.

Church, Stapleton, Vasudevan, & O’Keefe (2022). Clinical EFT as an evidence-based practice for the treatment of psychological and physiological conditions: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology.