Happiness and Mindset in Seniors
There’s no question that staying fit, following a healthy diet, and keeping the brain sharp impact your quality of life. Social wellness also plays a pivotal role in health and happiness. Mindset could trump all these factors because it either empowers or limits your ability to optimize your current situation.
By Joanie Yeomans
All phases in life, including your senior years, change how you live. While the challenges faced are unique to each stage of life, the constant is change. Some individuals, regardless of their age, choose to fight change in an attempt to remain in control. Unfortunately, this approach limits their ability to optimize their situation by blinding them to ways to adapt happily.
Many seniors fear the loss of their independence so much that they sabotage their happiness. Other seniors fear being disrespected for aging so much that they take unnecessary risks that eventually result in negative outcomes. All these seniors make themselves the victims of their ageism by focusing too much on the negative aspects of aging. Being willing to pivot your thinking about continuing to enjoy life and maintain your living standards is crucial to successful aging.
There is lots of good news about aging. The phrase “happy, golden years” turns out to be based on reality. Recent research shows that seniors are the happiest segment of the U.S. population. Moreover, research is revealing how to make sure you are one of the happy ones. As a senior, you have more control than you may realize, and that control springs from your mindset.
One example is that most people do not realize that social wellness is necessary and not just a “nice to have.” Unless seniors maintain a support system of friends and family, life can slowly spiral downward into loneliness, isolation, and even major depression. When you recognize this need as legitimate, you can choose to make social wellness a priority. You can focus on overcoming barriers to social wellness by looking for ways to adapt.
You can sustain a reliable social network by adapting how you nurture current relationships and taking steps to build new ones. That network can allow you to learn new skills, view life from different perspectives, and see how others effectively manage the challenges of aging. Likewise, it’s important to talk about the changes you are experiencing, just like you talked through changes in every other life stage. Those benefits cannot be reaped while sitting at home, lamenting that you can no longer access your social network like you did in the past.
The first step in creating happiness in your senior years is anticipating possible changes and your options for adapting to them. This mental strategy can prevent you from getting bogged down by strong emotional reactions like anger, fear, shock, and frustration when they do occur. Strong emotional reactions interfere with rational thinking and problem-solving.
The second step is to identify any barriers to sustaining social connections when they arise. Once identified, turn your focus to developing strategies to overcome them. Here are a few of the most common changes that form barriers in the senior years and effective strategies to deal with them.
Challenge | Adaptive Strategy |
Children moved out of state or are using technology you cannot understand to communicate | Acquire senior-friendly technology like the Grandpad to stay connected through video calls, family group texts, picture sharing, and safe social media. |
Friends & family passing away | Stay involved in community and church activities so you can meet new friends. Ask your pastor or group leaders to introduce you to some potential new friends. |
Reluctance to drive or loss of license | Hire a Lyft, Uber, or transportation services. They can be cheaper than owning your car and a wonderful way to meet interesting people. It eliminates night driving as a barrier. |
Hearing loss | Get and use your hearing aids! Remember that it takes your brain two weeks to relearn how to filter noise after you begin using them. Don’t be shy about telling people you cannot hear them. Ask to sit where you can best hear. Have tech-savvy family or neighbors help you pair your hearing aids with your phone. |
Loss of mobility and/or fear of falling | Keep moving so you don’t lose more. Join exercise classes for seniors. Hire a company that provides senior lifestyle services to help you get around safely. The staff can be a great source of friendship and more ideas for overcoming other barriers. |
Life is what you make it, which remains true in the senior years. Look for ways to stay engaged. Focus on the positives and seek ‘workarounds’ to any challenges. Make up your mind to roll with the changes; this is the best way to feel true happiness.
The old saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
References:
Psychology Today. “The Health Benefits of Socializing” by Angela K. Troyer, Ph.D. C. Psych. Web. 2018.
Everyday Health. “How to Stay Socially Engaged as You Age” by Krisha McCoy. Web. 2018.
How Stuff Works – Health. “Top 5 Ways for the Aging to Remain Socially Engaged” Web. 2018.
Joanie K. Yeomans and her husband, David, have operated their Comfort Keepers franchise in the Mid-Ohio Valley since 2004. They have provided 1.2 million+ hours of Senior Lifestyle Service to 1500+ families, including their own. They assist seniors to age happily in their homes, beginning with independent living services through full care.
