Resilient Mindset: A Powerful Tool for Managing Chronic Conditions in Aging
A resilient mindset means building coping mechanisms that allow you to maintain optimism even during times of trial. You'll need to practice goal-setting, lifelong learning, and self-kindness to make a positive impact on your mental fortitude.
This kind of mindset can even help protect you from future mental disorders, like depression or anxiety. With 14.1% of seniors suffering from at least one of these issues, it's important to learn how to guard yourself as much as possible.
The good news is that Greeley, CO, located 20 miles east of Loveland, makes this kind of lifestyle easy. Listed below is everything you need to know about resilience and emotional strength in care communities!
What Does Resilient Mindset Mean?
When we talk about mental resilience and seniors, it's a way to describe seniors who've learned ways to adapt to hardships and find attainable solutions without losing sight of their optimism. They can find something to be hopeful for, no matter the situation.
It's a kind of mindset that anyone can learn as long as they dedicate themselves to adjusting their current thought processes. Even going through some of our practice routines for ten minutes a day can help lead to benefits such as:
- Higher optimism
- Less stress
- Stabilized mood
- Better sleep
- Stronger cognitive skills
- Better chronic illness coping
Ways to Build Resilience
A good mindset and healthy aging are like two sides of the same coin. They can't exist properly without the other. That's why building a resilient mindset should be something all seniors commit time to during retirement.
Our favorite ways to practice resilience are beginner-friendly but adaptable enough that you can continue using them throughout your entire journey to better mental strength.
Create Goals
A resilient person almost always has some sort of goal or two in mind. They thrive when they're taking action to better something in their lives.
The key is to keep your goals small, detailed, realistic, and achievable. Trying to fill your list to the brim will only make the entire process feel overwhelming.
For example, if you want to lose weight, writing down "lose weight" can be too vague. It's difficult to feel accomplished even when you lose a fair amount of weight because you can't cross out that goal yet.
Instead, if you write "lose two pounds," that's an achievable goal that you can happily cross off. It clearly shows you the effort you're putting into your life, which can help strengthen your overall mental health.
Practice Mindfulness
How often do you practice mindfulness? There are many ways to be mindful throughout the day. Whether you're in your senior apartments or with your friends, mindfulness is a great way to help you feel grounded, no matter the situation.
- Look around you and take slow breaths.
- Find three things you can see, and think about them for a moment.
- Don't include judgments; keep your inner statements factual.
- Keeping your breathing steady, move on to finding 3 smells to focus upon.
- Then, move on to three things you can feel at the moment.
Try to notice pleasant things, like the warmth of a sweater or the smell of baking bread. These ground you in the current moment in a positive mindset.
Continue Learning
Aging with purpose is difficult to achieve if you don't add new knowledge to your repertoire.
Lifelong learning can help your cognitive skills remain strong as you age, and it also constantly expands your horizons. You'll learn new perspectives and ways of thinking to help you stay versatile throughout retirement.
Activities like learning a new language, skill, or hobby can make life more fulfilling and help guide you to a resilient mindset.
Be Kind to Yourself
As you work towards becoming more resilient, remember to be kind to yourself. Mistakes may happen, but that doesn't ruin the fact that you're trying.
Changing the way you process situations isn't an easy thing. It will take time and effort to achieve. Try not to belittle yourself when there's a setback on your resilience journey.
The main thing is to recognize when a mistake or missed opportunity happens and learn from it. Don't let it overwhelm or discourage you, and see it as an opportunity to approach a similar situation differently next time.
These are the steps needed for a resilient and vibrant life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Resilient Person Like?
When a person is practiced in resilience, they're more likely to be mentally flexible in all kinds of situations. They're the kind of people you'd think of as 'rolling with the punches'.
They don't shy away from trying to fix a situation. If they're unable to do this, they're often the first person to find the bright side of things.
This doesn't mean that they don't feel uncomfortable emotions. It only means that they've taught themselves how to adapt their focus away from adversities.
Are Resilient People Happier?
The act of holding firmly to optimism does help resilient people become happier during their lives.
It can be a common misconception that a resilient mindset requires a person to be happy at all hours of the day. A resilient person feels all the same emotions as seniors who don't practice resilience. The biggest difference is that the heavier emotions, like sorrow or anger, don't overwhelm or take over.
What Causes a Lack of Resilience?
Having difficulties with resilience can affect people of all ages and walks of life. However, common attributes that tend to lead to low resilience include traits such as:
- Poor self-esteem
- Stubbornness
- Easily overwhelmed
- Takes on too many things at once
Find Personalized Mental Support With The Lodge at Greeley
Living in a community that supports your goals can make a huge difference to your resilient mindset efforts. Trying to maintain an optimistic outlook can be tricky if you're unable to find assistance from your Greeley senior community.
When you join The Lodge at Greeley, we can help you achieve a Vibrant Life that allows you to achieve your goals with resilience. Our pet-friendly community offers residents supportive care and a wealth of beneficial programs, including activities, events, fitness classes, dining options, and more!
Make sure to contact us today to get the ball rolling towards a brighter retirement!