Maintaining Positivity For Seniors
Old age and man have had a running feud since time immemorial. This struggle against time has provoked us to seek modern solutions for the same problem. It becomes agitating for seniors who struggle to find hope against all odds when they’re constantly seeing their life in an hourglass.
However, medical science has proved that persistent negative thoughts and an unhealthy attitude can weaken your immune system. Stress is a primary cause of chronic medical problems that can strain on your health and wellbeing. Staying positive is the best defense against a range of diseases that you might have contracted in case of ineffective immunity.
Therefore stay happy, stay healthy is not just an old-age adage but rather a reality that you can’t run away from. At a time in your life, when weak bones and cracking joints are already making life difficult, it’ll be a favor on yourself to seek whatever bits of positivity you can find.
Here are a few suggestions that may help maintain a positive mindset and lifestyle among seniors.
Stay In Touch With Things That Make You Happy
Think back to the time when simply letting your imagination guide your paintbrush on a blank canvas, or reading a book while the hammock swayed lazily on an afternoon was enough to help you unwind. You don’t need major life changes to make you happy; it’s the simpler things in life that make the best memories.
Regardless of how your physical condition has suffered due to age, you can still find things that make you happy. Making them a part of your routine is really what you need to get out of your blue phase. These things are unique to every person and reflect an aspect of their personality that revives the best in them. However, they can also be unproductive acts which are detrimental for your health, so care should be taken to keep the bad habits at bay.
Avoid Sitting Idle and Stay Busy
An idle mind is the birthplace of negativity and you don’t want to drown in bouts of depression just because of lack of things to do. Many a times seniors struggle with finding ways to kill time. Once you retire from work, and no longer have the physical prowess to plan adventurous activities for the day, all you have an abundance of time at your hands. Instead of letting it go to waste, make use of it to do something that engages your interest and skills.
Forgetfulness and slowed brain activity are two major symptoms of age taking a toll on your cognitive functioning. However your brain health suffers more due to inactivity than age or disease. The brain works like a machine which is useful as long as it’s used but if left to sit idle for too long, it starts to rust. The goal is to prevent your brain from rusting. Solving crosswords, Sudoku and tricky quizzes is a good way to keep your mental engine running.
Practice Positivity until Your Perfect
A spiral of negative thoughts can get started by the most insignificant triggers like stubbing your toe against furniture or living with a hangnail. During the latter half of your life, the minutest of inconveniences can irk you. Even though such occurrences can’t be eliminated, the vexation and anger is only a response to the problem which can easily be curtailed with better emotional management.
In order to instill positive thinking in yourself, you need to analyze the problem and mentally list down two opposite reactions—one positive and one negative—that you’re most likely to do. For instance, you can either let out a curse on breaking a nail or rush to seek first-aid if it’s severe.
Many people use humor as a safe cover for pain and it helps them focus on the bright side of things. You can also look around at people in worse living conditions and medical complications and feel grateful for your position. The aim is to find whatever hints of positivity you find in the most uncomfortable of experiences and thrive on it.
Our doors are open for all kinds of seniors and we do our best to accommodate every set of interests and special requirements. We offer senior housing for the elderly in Woodland Hills and would love to welcome you to your new home!