The holiday season can be filled with joy…or not. The season is full of goodwill and optimistic hope for the coming year. When we find ourselves doubting brotherly love or having negative thoughts about the coming year, we may feel out of step with those around us.
The simple act of acknowledging things to be grateful for can change our thoughts, actions, and mood. According to Emmons and McCullough, gratitude is the “forgotten factor” in happiness research. Their research suggests that those who participate in gratitude daily are more likely to make progress toward important personal goals, are more optimistic, and feel better about their lives as a whole. The College of Executive Coaching notes that gratitude is one of the top five strengths most highly related to overall life satisfaction.
Just as you add physical exercise to your routine to improve physical health, there are activities you can do to exercise your brain to help keep it sharp. Studies show that problem solving games, puzzles and reading can help make you smarter, boost your memory, even help fight dementia. Work a crossword, Suduko or […]
Isolation and health problems put older adults at risk, but few receive the help they need.
Aging is not easy, especially in our youth-obsessed society. For millennia cultures have made room for older adults in family and community; yet American adults face isolation from social networks and often end up in care facilities that meet […]
4/22/13 well.blogs.nytimes.com
Marvin Tolkin was 83 when he decided that the unexamined life wasn’t worth living. Until then, it had never occurred to him that there might be emotional “issues” he wanted to explore with a counselor.
“I don’t think I ever needed therapy,” said Mr. Tolkin, a retired manufacturer of women’s undergarments who lives in […]
When I was young, I was frequently approached with the question, “Who are you going to be when you grow up?” As I’ve grown older, I am often struck by the fact that after age 60 people seem to stop asking this question. Do we unconsciously embrace old images of “aging” and accept that any more becoming is long past. However, the reality is that presently “seniors” are living much longer and age 60 is probably now the new 40.
Everywhere we turn these days we are confronted with information about the poor economy and present recession. If we are not careful, this constant exposure has a way of evoking anxiety and increasing our stress levels. As I have talked with people about our situation over the past few weeks, I am reminded of some simple principles.
As a culture, we tend not to value the inner knowing and wisdom of our bodies. Perhaps the following method is one way to improve this relationship: A good friend shared with me recently that before she puts anything into her mouth, she asks the following questions: What am I really hungry for? What foods do I need to function better? Well, I’ve started using this approach and am finding it to be a wonderful tool. If you can really listen to the inner intuitive knowing of your body it will tell you what it needs at this moment! As a result I am discovering I have more energy throughout the day and just plain feel better. Try it---see if you find this routine to be beneficial.
As the baby boomer generation moves into senior citizen status they carry with them habits and patterns of drinking that may be putting them at greater risk for both legal and health problems. One study based at the University of Florida, showed that adults aged 50 to 74 who drank the equivalent of two drinks took five seconds longer to complete a task than adults 25 to 35 who had the same amount to drink. Meanwhile, adults in the same age groups who had no alcohol to drink completed the task in about the same time.
Many men have spent their lives learning to be self-sufficient and teaching their sons this independence. I wonder why we think that men would reach out when they begin feeling depressed. It goes against the grain of the fabric that makes up their lives to ask for help for every little thing – and sometimes very large things.