Self Help Tips for Holiday Blues

                                                               
Women of all ages experience holiday blues. We are blasted with "perfect people" on commercials. with "Perfect families. We may look back on past holidays, longing for those times again. We may look back on past sad holidays ... all of it can be a roller coaster ride!

I am not an expert, I do know what I experience in my own life. 

Some things that help me:

* Listening to "white noise" through earphones. I do this throughout the day. "Using earplugs or a white noise machine may also help drown out noise from outside the bedroom that could be keeping you awake. Not only do these behaviors promote sleep, but they can also helpease depression." (according to sleep.org)

* Watching youtube videos. I love watching short videos : funny pets, funny kids, people. I will take time to listen to music videos. I am amazed there are current artists out there who have some awesome music!

* Time Out. I have a childhood friend that I talk to at least once a week. We are more like sisters. She has always been kind of hyper. When I hear it in her voice, I remind her to take time out. Time to do nothing. Time to just be. I really find that it helps me. We are so overloaded with information, constant...just taking a few minutes each day to focus on being still is so important.

Below are some more suggestion. I will post the link to the full article below.

Self-help tips

1: Reach out and stay connected

If you’re depressed, you may not want to do anything or see anybody. But isolation only makes depression worse. On your own, it can be difficult to maintain perspective and sustain the effort required to beat depression. That’s why support matters—so make an effort to connect to others and limit the time you’re alone. If you can’t get out to socialize, invite loved ones to visit you, or keep in touch over the phone or email.

But remember: digital communication isn’t a replacement for face-to-face contact. Do your best to see people in person on a daily basis. Your mood will thank you! And remember, it’s never too late to build new friendships.

Get out in to the world. Try not to stay cooped up at home all day. Go to the park, take a trip to the hairdresser, have lunch with a friend, visit a museum, or go to a concert or a play.

Volunteer your time. Helping others is one of the best ways to feel better about yourself and expand your social network.

Join a depression support group. Being with others facing the same problems can help reduce your sense of isolation. It can also be inspiring to hear how others cope with depression.

Take care of a pet. A pet can keep you company, and walking a dog, for example, can be good exercise for you and a great way to meet people. Dog owners love to chat while their pets play together.

Take a class or join a club to meet like-minded people. Try joining a senior center, a book club, or another group of people with similar interests.

Create opportunities to laugh. Laughter provides a mood boost, so swap humorous stories and jokes with your loved ones, watch a comedy, or read a funny book.

Self Help Tip Guide

Senior Moments: How big of a problem is social isolation among older adults?

             
                                                                                     

Senior Moments from H.O.M.E.

How big of a problem is social isolation among older adults?

Bigger than you might think. One just has to look at some of the news articles to know that social isolation is a trend that is only getting worse.

I had the pleasure of presenting Rush Generations members last month, where both Dr. Alexander Sasha Rackman and I both addressed social isolation from our individual perspectives: Dr. Rackman being a geriatrician and myself being a gerontologist and social worker.

Let me first start by saying that social isolation is not just a problem experienced by older adults. It can occur among younger and older people alike.

So, I hope that the take-aways you get from this post will help you initiate a dialogue with friends or family or a primary care physician that helps get someone on the path of either reducing or even preventing social isolation from happening.

I have found that people who are socially isolated often do not even recognize it is happening to them, before it is too late.

Dr. Rackman made a very important distinction between isolation and loneliness.

He described loneliness as subjective in that it is how people perceive their situation and whether they feel isolated.

Hence, one might feel lonely but not be isolated.

Someone who is isolated lacks meaningful and unfulfilling relationships in their lives, has a minimal number of social contacts, and doesn’t feel like they belong.

Some of the risk factors for social isolation include:

a decrease in mobility that limits engagement in social activities
less exposure to opportunities for building relationships
fear of falling or unmanaged incontinence that causes one not to leave their home
limited family or friends, family or friends who live at a distance, being unmarried, and living alone

These risk factors may come as no surprise, but what is surprising is that social isolation is on the rise. Yet, these risk factors have the potential to be addressed if only people were aware of the issue and addressing the issue.

The challenge is that social isolation can go unnoticed if no one is paying attention.

Reports vary with the number of older adults who are social isolated. Some numbers have been as high as forty-three percent (Nicholson, Molony, Fennie, Shellman, & McCorkle, 2010; Smith & Hirdes, 2009).

The Administration on Aging reports that about twenty-nine percent of older adults live alone. Well, since we know that living alone is a risk factor, we, as a society should be thinking of ways to engage and connect these individuals.

If the previous numbers don’t “jump start” you to begin paying attention to yourself and those around you, perhaps the following findings will:

Social isolation is twice as likely to cause premature death in older adults. The mortality rate of socially isolated older adults is comparable to that of smokers.
Social isolation is both bad for one’s health and is costly. AARP and Stanford University found that that the lack of social contacts among people with Medicare cost an estimated $6.7 billion in additional Medicare spending. 
Forty percent of adults admit to being lonely. Reducing isolation could possibly reduce loneliness and vice versa.

intergenerational_theresnoplacelikehomeHere are a few resources to help an older adult stay connected:

CJE SeniorLife’s Virtual Senior Center

H.O.M.E.’s Good Life Senior Residences

Mather Lifeways Telephone Topics

Little Brother’s Friends of the Elderly

H.O.M.E.'s Intergenerational Housing Program is designed to offer engagement that reduces isolation and increases quality of life. As a result, our residents often report that their health improves after they move into our buildings. Residents are also offered opportunities to attend community outings including movies, museums, and shopping. In many instances, our residents refer to residential managers, coordinators, and neighbors as the “H.O.M.E. family,” an extension of their own family and support system.

Posted by Tricia Mullin on Sep 3, 2018 3:06:00 PM

About H.O.M.E.

Founded in 1982, has helped thousands of low-income seniors in Chicago maintain their independence by providing a home repair service, shopping bus, moving program, and three affordable apartment buildings where seniors can live comfortably in an intergenerational environment.

Focus: Youthful Look or Healthy, Mind, and Body Spirit?

                                               

I find myself going through "growing pains." I find myself dealing with the "battle of the bulge." Coping with "love handles" that I hate. I think I've lost weight, only to find it's just "rearranged" itself.

My closet and drawers are divided into, "fits now," "may get back into," "hope to get into again", "Big time" and "fat chance."

It's really a struggle. When I was younger, I never had to worry about my weight. With age, nothing's the same. It doesn't help to be bombarded with media signals that I should want to look 20 years younger, and what I should buy to achieve that look.

I don't want to look 20 years younger. I just want to feel good about myself, be healthy and not be self conscious about what I look like.

Our society focuses on youth ... Me, well, I am focusing on a healthy mind, body and spirit. How about you?