WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS FOR SENIORS
WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS FOR SENIORS
Life is a gift from nature. The life we have and the body we have is undoubtedly the most sophisticated system that we know. Distress is inevitable in this and it's a proven fact that our biological system’s ability to cope with it declines as age progresses. Stress is hard to manage for everybody. It is even harder for older adults. During stress, anxiety or tension, our body secretes certain hormones like cortisol which is the body’s mechanism to “flight or fight.” This will evoke actions that can help us cope with the situation, but in a long run, an increased amount of stress hormones can seriously harm our health. care home investment In aged people, it also takes more time for the hormone levels to become normal. Thus, stress is an undesired outcome of a situation that can be more harmful to seniors. We of course do not wish this situation to happen but it will certainly come up in some situations in life. Let’s look more at this issue and some ways to tackle it scientifically so that our seniors can have a long, healthy and happy life.
Reasons for Stress:
Situations around us may not all go well as expected. This can be really ‘stressful’ sometimes. Most of the seniors are bound to conditioning around us more than younger people. If they find a breach in it, it will be hard for them to manage. After retirement, the considerable decline of income can add up to the misery. They seem to develop concern over this. Lifestyle change can also be another big factor that can cause stress in seniors. After retirement, lifestyle changes a lot and there are many sub-factors associated with the same. For example, a retired person usually is not as engaged as a working person in his daily life. This situation can arise not only for retired employees but for people who stopped working due to senility or people who rely on their investments to lead the old age life. The tremendous amount of free time they have may not be a boon for everyone. Getting involved in activities that engage the mind positively is a necessity for good mental health. The ability of our faculties declines as age progresses. This cannot be generalised as it varies from person to person. care home investment Some aged people have good cognitive and non-cognitive abilities even in the 80s but most of them face a decline of such abilities. Deterioration of health, faculties and sufferings from old age diseases are some prominent reasons for stress in seniors. Researches show that they develop a concern of institutionalisation & lack of freedom. This can be a really big cause of stress and anxiety in seniors. However, care homes in Liverpool & around the UK are doing exemplary service in providing utmost care to older adults.
Common Symptoms of Stress in Seniors:
Symptoms of stress in older adults are to be taken seriously. The increased response of stress factors for a prolonged period damages their health. As in reasons for stress, the symptoms also vary from person to person. The common symptoms of stress in older adults include insomnia, the decline of cognitive abilities, anxiousness, upsetness, mood swings, chronic illness, heart diseases… etc. Muscle tension or jaw clenching and problems in digestion are also some of the physical symptoms of stress. Panic attack and depression can sometimes be an emotional symptom of stress. Stress is subjective and clinically diagnosing it requires expertise from a physician or psychologist. The person experiencing stress, thus knows it better than anyone else.
Ways to Relieve Stress for Seniors:
Stress will certainly come to almost everyone among us at some point in life. The way we manage it and move on with our life is important. As discussed primarily in this blog, it will be hard for older adults to cope with this. It is to be noted that stress not always depends on external factors & people who are exposed to the same situation react differently. So, we can have some healthy practices in our life that help to alleviate stress or to manage it efficiently with the least effect.
Exercises:
Involving in some kind of physical activity like exercise can help improve our overall health. Aerobic exercises, martial arts, sports…etc are proven to have quite a good impact on health and help in reducing stress. These activities stimulate the secretion of neurochemicals like endorphins. Etymologically, endorphins mean that which is created from the body itself and act like morphine. Endorphins are responsible for the body’s inhibitory response to pain, “feeling good” & euphoria. “Runner’s high” is due to the secretion of β-endorphin. Physical activities that trigger the secretion of endorphins should be made part of seniors’ lifestyle. This will keep them stress-free, happy & healthy. Workouts or sports are not just the activities that boost the secretion of endorphins, even laughter can! Let’s discuss more on this.
(b)Yoga & Meditation:
Studies show that yoga & meditation help in relieving anxiety, stress & depression. Making it a practice of our lifestyle will be beneficial. This has positive effects on our brain health & overall health as well. This can regulate activities of the sympathetic nervous system & boost that of the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the “flight & fight” response & its calm down mechanism, respectively. In this modern lifestyle, chances for an increased response from the sympathetic nervous system are high. Thus, it becomes dominant and results in insomnia, hypertension, tachycardia, less appetite, headache… etc Yoga has aerobic exercises involved in it and thus enhances endorphins also. Yoga & meditation keeps the body and mind healthy, stress-free, calms down heart rate & blood pressure and brings sound sleep. mental health care homes uk Make this a practice of your life, say good-bye to stress & tension.
(c)Cognitive Puzzles
Puzzles help in involving both hemispheres, the left and the right hemispheres of the brain, to the activity that we are doing. Our left brain carries functions related to logical and rational thinking and the right brain is responsible for creativity. A puzzle, like a jigsaw puzzle, requires both of these abilities and thus working on it provides exercise to both hemispheres of the brain. Researches show that dopamine secretion is also involved in the successful placement of the puzzle pieces. Dopamine has many functions to do with the body and one of its important functions includes the pleasure of rewarding. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that can influence our mood. Puzzles also help in improving our cognitive and problem-solving abilities. Some studies show that puzzle-solving can shift our brain to the alpha state which is a conscious and relaxing state and create a meditative effect as the concentration is focused on one activity. Older adults can make puzzle-solving their hobby. It is a healthy practice for both elderly and younger people for brain & mental health. Spending time to solve puzzles is an effective way to alleviate stress for older adults.
(d)Cognitive Reframing:
Cognitive Reframing is a technique of changing the way people perceive a stressful situation or event to develop a physical and psychological response that can benefit the person to cope with it. Cognitive Reframing or Cognitive Reconstruction is a group of therapeutic techniques to change the attitude towards a stress-inducing situation to a challenging situation that has to be met with confidence and courage. It develops a positive attitude towards dealing with a situation and can be made an opportunity to learn as well. This has become a widely followed method for stress management. Stress does not always depend on external situations. Our attitude matters. It is how we perceive the situation. Changing this very attitude is the idea behind this therapy. Cognitive Restructuring includes techniques like the observation of our thinking pattern, realizing the way we think, changing the way we take it & replacing it
(e)Listening to Music & Reading Books:
Listening to music is a well-known practice for attaining peace of mind and a pleasant mood. Studies these days show that music influences our health, mood and even cardiovascular functions. Older adults are advised to pick up some songs of their choice or instrumental music that they feel good and listen to them. This can enhance their mood. Listening to music of around 60 beats per minute will help to synchronise the brain waves to alpha state. Reading books also has effects akin to listening to music. Reading books helps to keep the focus and is considered a good exercise for the brain. Reading fiction has more effect on relieving stress than other types of books. Older adults should pick up fiction or books of their interest and make reading a habit of their life. From the above discussion, it is clear that stress does not just come from external situations but from the way we perceive it and can be changed to a great extent. Life can sometimes be challenging and at old age, this can get more annoying. Our conscious effort can make a difference in it. Retirement life is a great opportunity to explore more within ourselves, a time to turn inward. We must take steps to make maximum fruitful usage of this time, to make it relaxing, calmful and blissful. Old age is not always miserable. Let's develop a mentality to see it as an opportunity to turn from mundane to subtle and to know more about ourselves. ____________________________________________
