grow older better

Tag: stress

  • Who Experiences The Most Stress?

    stress
     
     
    I'm not sure there is a "correct" answer – but one might guess that at any given time, some age group will say "MINE WINS."
    And this may not a good thing to "win" as stress is not good for our bodies…[well lots of stress is not good – some stress can be energizing.]
    According to a few psychological theories, such as Erikson's, each age or stage has tasks to manage and how one manages those tasks may, or may not, cause stress.
    A young child who has homework to do may say: " I can't wait until I am a grown-up and I have no more homework to do. Then I can play!"
    A teenager [and this is a whole other culture] may be stressed out by most anything and everything.
    A young adult just about to graduate from college was heard saying: " I can't wait til graduation is over. Then the most stressful part of life will be behind me."
    Young adults with young children will say they are the most stressed. "We have to work, find day care or baby sitters, get the kids to their activities and still find time for ourselves and our friends. It's stressful."
    Working adults with school-aged children will say they are more stressed than anyone. "We need to save more for our retirement and what if the kids need financial help as they age? We need a new car; the kids need braces; my kid wants a computer, etc."
    Older adults in their 60's may say, "It's hard for us; we still worry about our kids [and maybe grandkids,] and we worry about our own housing and finances as we plan for our retirement."
    And even older adults, in say their 70's 80's or even 90's, may say they are now stressed about any or all the above mentioned stressors, plus their own current or potential health issues.
    So which age is the most stressed?
    Probably most will say it is the age they now are! Because that is the age you are living and know best.
    You can look back and see that you survived the earlier ages you thought were the most stressful at the time.

    And although you might look ahead and think about your own aging – no one really plans to have a stressful future –

    And – so we tend to not want to project our current stress too far into our future.

    This article, a bit modified, is also available at:

    Age and Stress

  • 5 Stress Busters

                             Are you stressed?

     

    Or are you among the rare 25% of Americans who are not greatly stressed at least once a week?  [A number down from 45% about 25 years ago.]

    Why we have so many more people feeling stressed these days has been attributed to factors such as job concerns, crime, changing societal and religious practices, etc.

    I am not sure what stresses you, but I do know that the two reasons most people do not sleep well at night are worries about their health and their finances.

    And I also know that lack of adequate sleep is one major cause of stress and that stress is a major cause of health problems.

    A caveat – some stress is good for us – it can be motivating.  This is about that great stress that can be harmful.

    Stress takes one on a cycle of – well – more stress.

    The cycle goes like this:

    • worry about health and money
    • sleep less well
    • get more stressed
    • get stress-related illnesses
    • worry more about health
    • sleep even less well
    • get even more stressed
    • and so on…..

    Here are 5 ways to start reducing your stress:

    1 – you must get adequate sleep

    How?

    • going to bed at the same time every evening
    • not watching TV in bed
    • not having an argument before bedtime
    • not reading murder mysteries at bedtime
    • no late night eating – except maybe a glass of warm milk

    2 – you must exercise

    I know it's harder to exercise when you are stressed. So think of daily small things you can do that make your body move.

    • stairs instead of elevators
    • walking more
    • jumping jacks.
    • hopping or running in place in your house while watching TV or listening to the radio

    3 – you must eat properly

    4 – you have to socialize

    5 – And the hardest for many – you must earn more income

    To read the specifics for stress busters 3, 4 and 5  – please read my article 5 Stress Busters and return here to chat about it and the stress busting methods you use.

     

     

  • Stress and Women

    If you are a woman, you are most likely not getting enough sleep – or enough exercise.

    Why?  Because, in spite of any changes in our cultures, women still have the most responsibilities.  And when pinched for time, women forgo sleep and exercise.  I know – because I do this too – for me it's the exercise….if I get busy, I don't go to the gym – knowing full well that any intention of "working out" at home – is really a feeble excuse to skip the work out entirely.

    From a National Sleep foundation Study we learn:

    "… that when pressed for time, one half of women responded that sleep (52 percent) and exercise (48 percent) were the first things sacrificed.

    But when women were tired or ran out of time, 39 percent also reduced the time they spent with friends and family, 37 percent stopped eating healthily and 33 percent stopped having sex with their partner. '

    Read the full article Stress and Women

    and return here to comment and discuss

    Thank you

  • Seniors Needing Soup Kitchens: An American Disgrace

    [This was previously published on http://lynnsrants.com but it needs to be here as well.]

    Thanks to the wonderful previous administration the ongoing economic woes here in the USA, we, in a country of used-to-be plenty,  are now forcing our senior citizens into soup kitchens.

     

     

    The number of seniors living alone who seek help from food pantries in the U.S. increased 81 percent to 408,000 in 2008, compared to 225,000 in 2006, according to the U.S.D.A……

    The New York City Coalition Against Hunger released a report on the city's soup kitchens and food pantries that found that 68 percent of responding agencies were seeing an increase in senior citizens. Hunger Solutions Minnesota said this month that food-shelf visits from older people increased 26 percent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2008.  Seniors and Soup Kitchens

    And some who were once volunteers at the soup kitchens are now clients at those same places.

    With no increase in Social Security in 2010 and with the mess of Wall Street still lingering, I expect the statistics will increase over the coming year.  Yes we all got a more than average increase in social security last year but that has already been eaten up by normal costs – the prices of lots of things went up a larger percentage than the social security amount.

    Shame on us! 

    If you have family eating at soup kitchens or in lines to get surplus food – please please help them.  Like all living creatures, seniors need good nutrition – and maybe they need good nutrients more than others.

    And if oyu know of a senior wanting or needing to supplement their income as well as their diet, I associate with a company that provides nutritious supplements and has a plan that can help increase one's income. 

    Help a senior today – spread the word about this…  learn more at being healthy.

  • Holidays and Family = ?

    Holidays PLUS family equals [what] for you?

    Holidays can be very,  and I mean VERY,  stressful for grown ups who are spending that time with family of origin [those you had around when you were little.]

    Why?  People tend to have difficulty with change.  If you go back to the house and family you grew up with – it is often hard for them, and you,  to act differently than when you were all younger. 

    Parents tend to treat grown children as children and siblings tend to display all those not-so-lovely sibling rivalries.  As you want to be, or try to be an adult – there is a human tendency to revert to that lowest common denominator – family snipping.

    Can it be changed?  Difficult, but not impossible.  Change requires that all acknowledge that change has occurred and that we are all very different now.  Harder still at the old homestead.

    Solutions?  Neutral territory helps – meet NOT at the home of a family member but at a place no one has history with.  I admit this takes away from the idea of "family" holiday – but is it really going to be a pleasant one if your are at your parents or siblings home thinking STRESS  now – even before going?

    Your solutions? Please leave a comment