Читать книгу Making The Right Move - Gillian Eades Telford - Страница 17

Although society is preoccupied with the effects of aging on bodies, gerontologists are discovering that a healthy mind and spirit are most important to successful aging. According to us statistics, 80 percent of elders in nursing homes have a significant mental health problem, with depression as the most common condition.

Your mind is your intellect and gives you the ability to learn, grow, and handle challenges. It provides you with the means to develop a purpose in life and to be happy. Having a healthy mind means you have the ability to establish and maintain intimacy with others and to tolerate and appreciate differences.

How to enhance your mental well-being

• Be a risk-taker. Life does not get better until you are willing to challenge yourself and do things that may be difficult. Accept the challenge. Take a trip.

• Be a student. Learn something new, such as computer skills. Your brain is as good as it ever was. Use it and rejoice in the knowledge that the ability to learn never dies. You live in an information age where there is ready access to infinitely new subjects.

• Be an opportunist. See difficulties as challenges that give you the opportunity to overcome them and experience success. Attend a lecture at the wellness center.

• Be aware of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

• Be confrontational. Be willing to confront people with issues that are important to you. Take responsibility for your part in the issue. Stand up for what you believe, and have your questions answered so you understand. Find a mutually satisfying solution.

• Be open in your communication with others. Tell people how you feel, and own your own feelings without blaming those feelings for your reactions. Listen to your grandchildren; within youth are many truths.

• Be open-minded. Be willing to hear another person’s point of view without judgment. It doesn’t have to agree with your own. Be willing to consider other possible facts, solutions to problems, and explanations.

• Expand the perimeters of your awareness. Accept that your children lead their own lives, and take an interest in what they are thinking. It’s a fast-changing world.

• Be positive about yourself. Surround yourself with family and friends who validate you. You need encouragement and positive feedback as well as honest concern.

• Be responsible for your life. Your actions create consequences. Find solutions without blaming others. Maybe you are lonely. Have a conversation with the person who delivers your mail. See people every day and talk to them. Join a temple or a church.