You’ve heard the African saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” I like to say, it takes a team of geniuses to get us through grief and loss. Or to get through life in general, truth be told. The good news is, each of us has our own personal team of smart senior advisors. And because …
The COVID pandemic has riddled our lives with uncertainty and loss. While we may be over the worst of the pandemic, the experience haunts us. Many of us may be struggling with mental anxiety over loss. Here’s how to manage the mental experience of grief.
...Once we learn to trust our emotions, we become more skilled at noticing and attending to our resistance. We relax a bit and find our balance more quickly. Pain and tension subsides. Our calmer mind translates the emotional message and figures out how best to respond to the situation at hand.
...Those of us with vulnerable elders have probably been on high alert since the beginning of COVID. The constant worry can really wear on you. This new approach to gratitude is a practice that can help you manage the anxiety and fear you have about COVID. It’s a must-read for anyone with a vulnerable elder in assisted living, who tested positive, or is just too ornery to take precautions.
...So many caregivers feel stuck. Like the weatherman Phil Connors from the movie Ground Hog Day, we feel claustrophobic. Resigned to living the same day over and over again. Nothing changing, at least not for the better. I want my life back! we moan. But a cardinal family living right outside my dining room window reminded me: life is right here. We just have to remember to visit it once in a while.
...This is my resilience pie chart. Each slice of pie shows a plot twist of my life story. The key experiences that made me more bendable and less breakable. You have them, too. It’s your own custom-made curriculum in resilience. My chart doesn’t have happy moments. I’ve had many of those. Earning my doctorate. Starting my first …