Health & Wellness
Seniors and Stress Guest Blog By Stacey Himler Owner, Caring Transitions, Millsboro, DE
S
tress seems to be an everyday thing.
This is why you need to figure out healthy
It doesn’t matter how old you are.
ways to deal with stress.
As we mature the causes of stress may change but certainly, they do not diminish. It could be different things like helping your children move into adulthood with adult responsibilities or moving up in your job because of your accumulated experiences, or facing change such as downsizing, moving, or helping with grandchildren. Or, unfortunately it may be losing a loved one or experiencing health issues of your own or a loved one, or worry over financial security. Research shows that people aged 50 to 65 are 17% more likely to experience stress than their counterparts in the 1990’s. What’s worse, the effects of stress are magnified as you age. A Harvard Health article about stress in the elderly details how your body can no longer fight off stress as efficiently as in your prime years because of the diminished state of your cells, heart, and lungs. As a result, stress can cause short-term memory loss, sleep problems, tension headaches, anxiety and irritability, indigestion, and heart palpitations — all of which can worsen over time.
10 Spring 2022 LOVE LIVING HERETM
“ ‘One small step at a time.’ This is the perfect mindset to start de-stressing. Trying to tackle stress is in itself stressful, so we also need to identify whether there are some mental, emotional and spiritual chains binding us up. First, are we stressed over things we
