Aging comes with lots of stress irrespective of all the sectors of your life and it is natural. It is really very painful to accept the newer you by losing your younger age beauty and charm, your energy level, stamina and your stable physical, mental and emotional health.
No doubt aging affects all these areas and corners of life which one needs to deal with perhaps they are unwilling to face. However, with some smart and professional recommend tricks and ideas one can make this journey much easier and comfortable one by managing stress of the senior years, with some positive approaches.
As you get older the natural ability of your bones, muscles and other different body organs started to deteriorate in this process. This actually happens due to the weakness of the internal body defense mechanism or the immunity power of your body. Moreover, your body reduces to produce many vital vitamins, protein, calcium, iron etc. in enough quantity which previously exists and produced in abundance.
Hence it affects your health both internally as well as externally, leading to the growth of aging signs such as fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes, dryness, etc. on your skin. Also, certain health issue risks such as diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, dementia, depression, anxiety, osteoporosis, arthritis, etc increase a lot with time.
This requires your active intervention in your life because what nature has gifted you free of cost in your youthful age or time, you are not going to get it in the same level. You need to put extra effort to maintain your overall health in balance and healthy position.
It is quite obvious to get stressed with all these aging-related concerns which are no doubt inevitable completely. However, it can be well managed with some healthy lifestyle changes which will not only manage the senior years stress level but will also ensure that you live longer, pleasing and satisfactory life.
12 Tips to Reduce Your Stress in Senior Years
Exercise Everyday
Exercise or physical activities are considered as the best stress booster method for people of all ages. However, its importance increases in your senior years. It helps to make your bones strong and reduces your dependency on others.
Also it keeps away all aging-related health issues by keeping you fit internally. A fit person not only look well externally but they remains pleasing from inside as well. Regular exercise gives a more positive and refreshing start of the day, which keep your mood pleasing and body enthusiastic throughout the day.
It is medically proven that exercises directly impacts your stress level by reducing the production of cortisol or stress hormone in body. It is found in researches that physically fit men and women aging 50 plus found more fulfilled and happy in their life than the people of aging 20.
This happens because the later group of people were physically unfit as well as there were no room of exercises and other physical activities in their life. Exercise helps to boost your brainpower, and improves your mental, physical and emotional health in your senior age which is a vital factor for de-stressing your mind.
However while planning any exercise routine you must consider your physical fitness or your capability otherwise your risk of injury will increase if you will exercise beyond your capability. You can take the help of experts to select right forms of exercises for you to keep your older age journey stress free and healthy enough.
Practice Meditation
The benefit of meditation is for everyone at every age including your senior years as well. Meditation is a great natural technique to deal with your day to day life stresses especially those which are associated with aging. This mindful ancient age spiritual practicing has different forms so as per your suitability you can choose any one of them or can try all of them at some or other point to find which one is best for you.
Meditation in one word is a way to make your mind feel eternal peace that you can hardly attain in any other way. It makes your senses calm and changes your thinking pattern towards the positive direction which indirectly helps to stay stress free and enjoy every moment of life.
Start your day with meditation practice to keep you calm and pleasing throughout the day. Other than that you can practice meditation at any other point in time of the day also whenever you will feel agitated, stressed and sad. It will work as instant healer to heal all these negative emotions and mental issues.
Moreover it is good for your physical health as well because now it is scientifically proven that meditation impacts your overall health positivity and helps to relieve different physical health concerns with its highly potential effect on your body and mind.
Yoga
Practicing yoga has immense amount of health benefits. It works as an effective stress-relieving tool by increasing the blood circulation in your brain and reducing the level of cortisol or stress hormone in body.
It helps to keep you strong and independent even in your older age by nourishing and boosting every organ of your body for ensuing your well being. Hence automatically reduces and prevents many stress triggers of older age.
It keeps your bone strong even in your older age and prevent fragile bone or bone loss issues. Also it enhances your body’s flexibility which is often gets obstructed due to stiffness in bones and muscles.
However certain yoga poses are quite difficult and contain the risk of twist and injury in muscles and bones. So it is safe to avoid them. Instead you can practice only those yoga poses in which your body feels comfortable so that you can only benefit with this physical practice.
Include it as a vital part of your daily life and reserve at least 10 minutes of the day for yoga practicing. Some yoga postures are known for its spiritual benefits which helps to relax your brain cells and keep it stress free and cool all the time.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are another effective technique to soothe and calm your agitated mind. It will work as immediate distraction method from all the stress and tension causing elements of your mind also will develop more peace into it.
You just need to focus on your breath. Close your eyes and take deep breaths for at least 2 minutes. It will relax your mind and body and will develop more positive feelings in your brain by reducing the production of cortisol, the stress-causing hormone in the body.
The best part of breathing exercise is that you can practice it anywhere. It doesn’t have any time or location boundary. Include it as a regular part of your older day’s routine and enjoy every next day of your life.
Express Your Feelings through Writing
Don’t carry the burden of those painful and stress-causing thoughts of your life. This you can do by expressing or releasing these negative thoughts and feelings via writing or journaling which is the most reliable method.
Expressing feeling through writing is a great way to deal with your senior years stress and tensions. Also it will make you independent as for this you do not requires anyone’s physical presence to listen and understand your feelings. Also there will be no judgmental look or view that some people give after listing our perceptions.
Apart from this, sometimes it is quite confusing to understand our own thoughts in this particular phase of life where we fail to decide what is causing the stress in our mind, In certain situations writing can make things more clear and even understandable to us. So include journaling as daily part of your lifestyle to manage the stress of your senior years.
Read Good Books
You must have heard this phrase somewhere “books are our best friend” which fits accurately in our practical life. Books can be your old age best-friends and the loyal one no doubt. It is an easiest mode to distract your mind from all the worries which is affecting you badly in the emotional, physical and mental level.
Books written by the great authors inspire us tremendously and teaches us the true meaning of life and how to cope up with all good and bad days of it. This enables us to live life more positively, happily and peaceful. Also it works as an easy distracting method whenever you feel stressed or annoying in your senior years.
Stay Connected with Friends and Family Members
Staying connected with your friends and family members in your senior years can work as a great stress managing technique. As per the American Psychological Association, socialization in the older age reduces the risk of many mental health concerns in older people such as Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Stress and Depression.
It will develop the feeling of worthiness when you can share your feelings with your own people to whom you trust so much. Also it releases your stress burden by slowing down the secretion of stress hormones in body.
Staying closer to your dear ones will help you to cope up with the older age health-related difficulties by facilitating you to get instant help and support whenever you need so. Staying in more peaceful environment increases your brain ability and memory power and ensures your longevity too by keeping you fit in all respect. You could also look at moving to a retirement complex such as Riddlevillage, where you can make new friends and enjoy their company.
Learn to Think Positive
Keeping a positive outlook for the life is a great way to manage stress in your senior years. The positive thinking pattern develops more positive behavior in your attitude and once you get accustomed to it you will be able to deal with your day to day life stress and worries in more smarter and positive way.
As per the health specialists people who have positive attitudes live longer than those who always thinks and feel negative in every other circumstances of their life. This particularly happens because positive approaches and thinking pattern develops the willingness of living and survival in the older adults.
Also it helps to boost your physical health and keep you fit and healthy even in your older age.
Spend Some Time in Midst of Nature
Nature plays the role of a natural healer for healing your emotional, mental, and physical health. So if you don’t want to get stressed in your senior years then spend some quality time in the midst of nature.
See the beauty of your surroundings environment, beautiful flowers, trees, birds and ponds. This also works as immediate distracting agent from all your worries and stress that is overwhelming your mind.
Also it will boost your physical health as well when you will be able to breathe in the fresh air. Other than that it will relieve you from the suffocating environment of your home for some time. Feel the peace of nature. As per your wish you can sit down at a fixed place or can roam around for a while whatever feels you better.
Keep Yourself Busy in Hobbies and Activities
Incorporate new hobbies in your life and participate in different activities to keep yourself busy most of the time. A free mind is quite likely to think more about stressful things and it becomes the usual pattern of the brain to think and indulge in negative and stressful thoughts.
Getting older doesn’t mean that you have to give up to all your younger age hobbies and activities involvement. So get involved in some old as well as some new hobbies. Discover new activities that can make and keep you feel happy and stress-free.
It can be anything that you think can keep you free from your stressful thoughts. Some common hobbies and activities that you can try in your senior years for managing the aging-related stress factors include crafting, music listening, playing carom board, or any other game, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.
Drink Enough Water
It is found in studies that dehydration gives a boost to the growth of cortisol, the stress hormones in body. So if you don’t want to suffer from those stressful and panic thought of your senior years then never give a chance to your body to get dehydrated at any point.
Drink plenty amount of water to keep yourself hydrated all the time as it is an easy de-stressing element. For the safety always keep a water bottle with you and drink it whenever you feel low or get overwhelmed with the stress and tension.
As per the health specialty for men drinking 3 liter water in a day is important to keep their body hydrated and healthy all the time. Whereas for women 2.2 liter water is must to drink in a day for staying cool and stress free at all ages of their life.
Eat Healthy
Foods that you eat not only impact your physical health but it equally impacts to your brain or mental health as well. So it is crucial to eat healthy everyday in your life especially in your older age when you are more prone to develop different diseases as well as senior year’s stress.
Healthy diets will keep your immunity system in boosted condition which will improve and benefit your overall health. Also, it will keep you emotionally and mentally strong which is vital for dealing or managing with the aging-related stress factors.
You can consult with a health specialist regarding a diet chart which will be healthy for you and according to your current health status. Never skip a meal even if you feel stressed at certain point in time of the day as because foods that you eat helps to reduce the level of cortisol in body hence releases stress and keep you in peace and pleasing state.
At the end we will suggest don’t overwhelm yourself with all the stress bursting techniques at the same time. Try them one by one to see the changes and effect on your stress level and then only decide the right trick for managing stress of the senior years which fits perfect in your condition.