How to Thrive During Your Golden Years
By Donna Stark
There is one of two ways in which you will enter the golden years of your life. The first is that you will come skipping through, filled with good health, great memory, and lots of energy. The second is that you will be dragging your beaten up body, wondering why it always wants to pick a fight with you. When given the choice, most people would prefer the first scenario, and if you are like them, the best way to get that is to eliminate one of the most toxic things in your life: stress.
Why Is Stress so bad?
We can all identify the really big, stressful events in life, can't we? Divorces, deaths of loved ones, financial instability, and job loss are some of the most serious, and although they can certainly leave some damage behind, these types of moments fortunately don't last forever.
The stress that you really need to eliminate is the daily stress you experience, or in other words, the chronic stress. Stress that occurs over a long period of time will always become toxic, not only to your physical and mental health, but also to your "social" health, or the relationships with the people you love. It is imperative that you take the steps needed to reduce and control the levels of stress in your life because chronic stress can lead to inflammation and inflammation leads to pain and disease. Here are some suggestions.
- Keep a journal - Putting pen to paper and writing out your problems is an effective way to work through what is causing your stress. You may be surprised at how effective it can be!
- Get involved - Whether it is the people or the hobbies you are involved with, doing what brings you joy is a great way to relax and forget your worries. So go ahead and volunteer, catch up with friends, or pull those paints out of the closet.
- Exercise - Any form of exercise, from yoga to walking to high-intensity training will do your body good when it comes to stress relief. Consistent exercise encourages the regular release of endorphins which can go a long way toward stress management.
- Rest easy - Sleep can be difficult to achieve if you are filled with stress, worry, and anxiety, so make sure your room is dark and cool, turn off your electronic devices at least an hour before bed, and use a white-noise machine to drown out distracting sounds.
Thrive During Your Golden Years
With the suggestions above, you will be able to reduce and manage your stress so much better than you have in the past, and that will help you thrive and stay healthy during your golden years!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Arvada, Colo.