“What a day!” we sometimes mourn, shrugging our shoulders despondently. Let’s be honest, sometimes things happen that are entirely out of our control; and some days they all seem to happen at the same time – making us wish we had chosen to remain in bed! Nevertheless, there are actually steps that all aging adults can take to turn those challenging days around, and even find purpose and meaning within our challenging experiences to improve quality of life for seniors.
The next time you are spiraling in pessimism on the circumstances of the day, try these guidelines:
Take it one task at a time. Multitasking is highly overrated! Quite often the sense of having an awful day ensues from being overwhelmed, from dealing with way too much at once. Setting some boundaries to concentrate on just one task at a time can in fact improve productivity and provide a feeling of achievement.
Try distancing. The art of distancing takes practice to perfect, but could be extremely useful in keeping things in the proper perspective. To begin with, look at the impact a specific frustration you’re experiencing may have four weeks from now – or one year from now. Then, think about the advice you’d offer to a friend in the same situation to come up with a target solution.
Be thankful. It’s hard to hold onto negative thinking when you make a conscious effort to realize the positives, no matter how seemingly unimportant they may be. End every day with a self-reminder of the top five things you encountered throughout the day. And keeping a log is an excellent solution to bring positives back to the forefront of your mind on particularly stressful days.
Carve out “me” time. While it can seem impossible to actually take some time for self-care with so many other priorities vying for our attention, it is crucial to both our mental and physical health. Schedule blocks of uninterrupted time for you to enjoy a calming activity, and abide by those times as you would every other important to-do on your agenda.
Still feeling overloaded? JFS Care, one of the most trusted providers of home care assistance in Beverly Hills and the surrounding areas, can help tremendously by partnering with busy family caregivers to provide safe, expert senior care that allows for enhanced quality of life for seniors. Whether the need is for just a few hours of respite care to provide some breathing room for family caregivers, full-time, around-the-clock care to incorporate maximum safety, or anything in the middle, contact us online by clicking here or call us at (213) 383-2273 to learn more. Click here to see our full service area.