Emotional wellness has been an important topic for the past few years. You may be wondering, what is emotional wellness? Similar to physical wellness, emotional wellness takes work. Emotional well-being requires positive lifestyle choices, coping skills, and a strong support network. As a senior adult, it can become challenging to continue to care for and improve emotional health and well-being, similar to physical health and well-being.

How do you begin improving your emotional wellness as a senior adult? You can take a couple of easy steps to begin this journey.

Stay connected to your community. Social interaction and staying connected to the community around you is one of the best ways to help improve and maintain your emotional health. Isolation and the feeling of loneliness often lead to depression and can cause other health issues as well. Being intentional about staying connected to your community and maintaining relationships positively impacts your emotional health and wellness.

Keep on moving. Regular exercise and physical activity are closely linked to emotional health in senior adults, and physical activity has been proven to help reduce feelings of depression and stress. Furthermore, regular physical activity may help with chronic pain. There are many ways senior adults can work on increasing physical activity that is safe and enjoyable. Many of our communities at Grace Management, Inc. work with partners to help nurture a healthy and active lifestyle.

Begin learning coping skills that work for you. Learning coping skills that help you manage feelings of stress and improve your resiliency during difficult times is an important part of emotional health and wellness. Take time to learn what works best for you, or even consider talking to a professional such as a therapist or spiritual advisor.

Keep a consistent routine. Sticking to a routine isn’t something everyone does. However, for many senior adults, sticking to a routine can increase activity and motivation, positively impacting your emotional health and wellness. Having a consistent routine throughout each day helps create structure. Try creating a morning and evening routine to help start and end your days. A consistent routine will also help develop good habits, including a sleep schedule which also has a positive impact on your emotional health.

Did you know living in a senior living community can be beneficial to your emotional health and wellness? Learn more about these benefits by visiting www.whereyoulivematters.org, a resource hosted by ASHA – the American Senior Housing Association.

Interested in learning more about how our communities can be beneficial to your emotional health? Find a community near you and give them a call today!

It’s not like home. It is home. ™