Our Ask An Angel correspondent is Arlene Petersen, Certified Senior Advisor and Life Care Navigation Specialist in the area of senior home care.
Q. I have no family nearby and I don’t know how to deal with all the uncertainty around me. I focus on the bad news and the turmoil in our world. How can I fight the down feelings I have?
A. It is very natural to focus on the things that bring us worry. Our world is filled with many challenges and concerns these days. Worrying doesn’t fix anything and it doesn’t help. As a matter of fact, worry hurts us in many ways.
There have been numerous studies that show the ill effects of worry on our health. There have also been studies that report how a positive attitude and outlook provide good health to our lives. So, let’s focus on that.
We cannot control many of the circumstances around us, but we can control how we react to them…and that is good news! If we bring positive behaviors into our lives, our focus and attitude will improve.
Simple things like exercise, good nutrition, socializing, and participating in things that will improve our overall health will impact our health. It is important to keep good company as well.
Many senior centers offer positive programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. And remember, a healthy lifestyle does include your mental attitude. Some positive things you can do are very simple. Start by keeping good company.
Rearrange your schedule so that you can be with good friends, reading good books (or listening to audiobooks), positive videos and the like. It is good to stay informed on what is going on in the world, but not consumed by it. These resources can contribute to a positive attitude.
Finally, get active. Exercise can divert your fears into good physical energy. Call a friend and exercise together. Take in a movie or go for a walk together.
If the weather is bad, walk indoors at the mall! Make sure you focus on good conversation that will keep you upbeat. We all know that being active keeps us mentally healthy, so go for it.
Make some small and simple changes so that the gloomy news that surrounds you doesn’t consume you! Your upbeat attitude will help you and may actually help someone else who struggles with the same emotions as you do.
Have a question for our angel correspondent? You can send our angel an email to AskAnAngel@att.net or send your question via mail to Ask An Angel, 65 Woodbury St., South Elgin, IL 60177.
