Each year we make yearly resolutions and a common one that always pops up is having a healthier lifestyle. It’s very common for people to focus on healthy eating habits and exercise. Well, this should not come as a surprise with the increasing number of people suffering from terminal illnesses. What if in 2018, your loved one decides to go beyond these New Year resolutions and focus more on aging positively?
We present 3 important tips that will make your loved one look forward to a healthy and positive aging process.
1. Positive Thinking & Expression
The mind is a powerful tool and contributes 100% to your physical health. Most of us forget that we have control over our thoughts. This year, help your loved one make it an objective to only focus on positive thoughts and things. As your loved one ages, it will become more challenging. In order to overcome this challenge they will have to carefully discern which things matter to them the most and deserve their attention. In order to achieve positive aging your loved one will have to overcome worry, rigidity, regret and negativity. This means they will have to develop positive habits of gratitude, altruism and forgiveness. Positive mental health will in turn make them have a positive attitude and hence people will be naturally attracted to them. Each day, they should set a personal goal to have more positive thoughts. This is easy since people have the power to control their own thoughts. They should actualize these positive thoughts into actions like kindness, sharing, gratitude etc.
Expression involves the words we use each time we are communicating with other people. Words spoken have powerful impacts, in fact words are just as powerful as the thoughts we have. The topics you discuss will have a great impact on your thinking, relationships, self-development, mental and physical health. Just like thoughts, positive and optimistic words are just as powerful. Positive expression doesn’t mean sugar coating situations. Rather, it involves being realistic and focusing more on the solution instead of how big the problem is or the amount of damage done by the problem. Positive words are the 2nd step to actualizing a positive thought. Your loved one’s words should be used in selecting the best positive verbal response they can have when faced with any kind of challenge.
2. Interact more with people from different generations
In order to achieve positive aging, your loved one should not allow his or herself to be a victim of isolation and loneliness. The more time they spend with people, the lesser chance they will suffer from dementia. The brain will be active by constantly experiencing new memories that can relate to old memories. More physical interaction enhances better physical health, minimizes depression and offers greater life satisfaction. It’s also a good platform to express the positive thoughts into actual actions. Interacting with the younger generation (like grandkids) will not only enhance the family bond, but create a connection between the old generation and the new generation.
3. Developing a Purposeful Attitude
It’s very easy for one to develop a sense of uselessness when they retire or are growing older and are not as strong as they used to be. Your loved one is most likely not working, the kids are independent and in most cases they rely on them for help. In order to achieve positive aging successfully, your loved one needs to spiritually, intellectually and socially age positively. They have acquired a lot of knowledge in the many years of living. Find a platform where they can share the skillsets with the younger generations. The other thing to do is to frequently visit social forums where they get to interact with people your age and share life experiences. This is a good way of spending your leisure time. With time they will be able to balance leisure time with the other activities they have in their life. They can still work, volunteer and offer care to someone. Other aging people decide to start projects that they can focus on like gardening, light farming etc. Each week they should have a goal of finding ways of showing kindness and compassion to the community.
With positive aging your loved one will find happiness and fulfilment all around them. Encourage them to let 2018 be a year of positive thoughts and expression, purposeful positive attitudes and more social interactions. This approach will not only improve their health and longevity, but also improve the environment that they are living in.
Do you have a question about aging positively? Click here to contact Colonial Home Care Services today!