By Cornelius J. Johnson
According to estimates, the global population of those aged 60 and over will have doubled by 2050. Advances in modern medicine have meant that people are living longer than their ancestors. And while these advances may prolong life, they don’t help promote a lifetime of wellness, stress reduction, or healthy aging. Unfortunately, today’s modern healthcare aims to combat disease once it has manifested, instead of preventing it.
While we may live longer, the effect of our chronically stressful lives leads to disease and physical dysfunction the older we get. And if we don’t prioritize regular self-care and general well-being today, our 70s and 80s will be filled with chronic pain, mental health problems, and never-ending visits to the doctor.
Toxic Chronic Stress
Our bodies and minds are meant to experience and regulate healthy levels of stress. This is maintained through self-care in the form of stress relieving activities that balance out stressful events. Without this balance, high levels of stress become chronic. This toxic stress wears our mind and body systems down leading to an overload of stress hormones that alter healthy blood glucose levels and leads to immune system disfunction–causing conditions like diabetes, heart disease, Lupus and more.
This wear and tear hits young people as much as it does older people. But, few of us consider the cumulative effect that a lifetime of this chronic toxic stress has on our bodies the longer we live.
Neuroscience has shown that engaging in social relationships actually spurs the much needed stress relieving properties of relaxation and connection.
A body that produces an overload of stress hormones on a regular basis (without relief), will either be stuck on high-alert leading to ongoing anxiety or it will shutdown resulting in feelings of fatigue, low morale, numbness, and even mental health problems like depression. Feeling “burnt out” is one of the tell tale signs that you have been under extreme stress for too long and need to look at ways to reduce your stress levels and integrate self-care into your life.
Occasional vs. Regular Self-Care
In American culture, self-care is seen as an indulgence. For those that can afford it, it looks like an occasional massage or pedicure as a “treat”. Instead, we must prioritize incorporating ongoing stress relieving activities into our lives. It is crucial to maintain a healthy social life and engage in physical activity through enjoyable activities like long walks with pets or friends, jogging, gardening, playing with our kids, exercising and so on. Forget about exercising rigorously to lose weight, focus on exercise to bring the health benefits that come with regular stress relief and mood enhancing endorphins and dopamine. Not only are these activities beneficial for our bodies, they are also beneficial for our minds.
Also, engage in activities you love such as hobbies or sports. You can do yoga, play basketball, read more, listen to music you love, play games, cook a yummy meal for others, write and so on. Traveling is another option if you can afford it that can lead to a better life quality now and later in life.
Healthy Aging
Part of the issue of retiring from work is that our bodies and minds are used to constant interaction with others, as well as physical activity. Our social world transforms suddenly and our level of physical activity likely decreases, which can mean pre-retirement worry and toxic stress that manifests as mental or physical illness.
Many older people fear that they will lose their independence because of illness or because of their financial state. Some families will do their best to support their older family members in being independent. Some families will immediately consider their older loved ones incapable of completing even the simplest tasks, which can lead to frustration, resentment, and anger. However, you can reduce your fear of losing your decision making abilities and independence in old age by preparing financially for anything that can happen and having honest and detailed conversations with your family on what you need and want.
By ensuring that you also take good care of your health and stress now, you will have more money to spend on things you enjoy.
Social Relationships
Neuroscience research shows that engaging in social relationships actually spurs the much needed stress relieving properties of relaxation. Having people who you can share your worries with and who you feel close to also relieves mental stress and worry. Make sure that those you surround yourself with are the people you enjoy and who bring you happiness instead of draining your energy with stressful drama.
Chronic stress and unfinished work can can make us feel we don’t have time for friends or family. This disconnection also affects our immediate circle. A lack of contact with the outside world may lead to the social anxiety that prevents us from seeking out those who were once very close. Communicating less often with our peer group or neighbors in person impacts our mental and physical health more than we think. In fact, the US has the highest number of people living alone. This isolation (and loneliness) leads to higher rates of death in the elderly, especially those who are divorced, widowed, retired, and ill.
Old age brings with it the distressing reality of loss and bereavement as those of our generation die with increasing regularity. This is what often leads to isolation in the first place.
And the truth is, having your friends and peers die is scary. But when this happens, it’s important to keep in mind that you are still alive and well and that you have more great times in front of you. Embrace life now more than ever–spend time with friends or meet new people. This can be as easy as going to the park, taking a class, or even joining a MeetUp group.
If you feel that you can’t handle this, you can talk to a therapist who will help you cope.
Financial Issues
The majority of us deal with financial stress. However, the elderly suffer greatly from financial worries since many factors lead to them no longer be able to bring in the money they used to. As the business world accelerates, new methods of commerce and technology prey on the elderly. They are more prone to evolving or unscrupulous sales techniques, which includes quite clever and indecipherable scams.
An older person might spend more money on establishing their independence–for example, on pricey medical or wellness treatments and very often, on scams that people use specifically to older people. Social isolation has a huge role in this as the person falling into a scam doesn’t have anyone to talk them out of it or explain that it is a scam rather than a well-meaning effort.
Financial issues can have a lot to do with cognitive and memory problems–an older person can spend too much money on unnecessary things or on buying the same thing over and over again. They might forget to pay their bills as well. Another problem lies with losing money to huge medical bills.
We may find banking difficult or keeping track of our spending an annoying chore, and this can lead to the stressful feelings of incapability and hopelessness. Online banking has made it much more difficult for older people–in some cases, even for younger people–to navigate their financials because the process can appear more complicated than before.
All of these elements of stress and aging may seem frightening. However, when you get there, it won’t be as scary if you take actions now and have a plan for what you want for your future.
Most importantly, never fear the unknown. Reduce your stress now, and don’t save self-care for when you retire. Prepare the best you can and enjoy every moment of your life.
Cornelius J Johnson specializes in marketing and entrepreneurship. He writes regularly on finance, start-ups, and marketing.