According to the CDC, about 4% of American seniors over 70 experience depression. If this describes you or a loved one, investing in senior mental health tools is a great way to combine aging and emotional balance.
Here, we'll discuss mindfulness for depression and how it can help build emotional resilience. Read on to retake charge of your life and enjoy your golden years to the fullest in Gallatin, TN.
Age is a major risk factor for depression. There are several reasons for this, including:
Without a senior living community, social isolation is a near-inevitable issue that frequently leads to depression.
Seniors are also at risk because of:
Being in pain makes it easy to ruminate on bad thoughts and lose motivation, leading to depression.
Mindfulness is a practice in which someone is 100% present in their surroundings. The aim is for them to be aware of their current experiences. The aim is not to get lost in bad thoughts and prevent mental health spirals.
Mindfulness has several benefits. It reduces stress by stopping bad thoughts early. Seniors engaging in mindfulness activities get more insight into themselves and their needs, which lets them manage their emotions.
Being mindful enhances the mind-body connection!
Mindfulness in senior care is a critical part of reducing depression symptoms. It does this by:
Therapy is one of the best mindfulness activities that seniors can partake in. During these sessions, older adults meet with a licensed talk therapist to discuss difficult thoughts and feelings. The therapist will listen actively and offer depression relief tools with a professional understanding of how they work.
The National Institute on Aging reports the benefits of therapy as:
This enhances mindfulness because seniors will be more in touch with their emotions and how to deal with them.
However, you don't always need a lot of professional intervention to manage depression. Outside of your therapy sessions, you can also try mindful breathing exercises independently.
Deep breathing allows oxygen into the brain. This helps to clear your thoughts and open neural pathways.
It also provides an opportunity for depression sufferers to clear their minds of negative thoughts. Focusing on breathing grounds you in the present and stops excessive worry spirals.
The belly breathing technique is one of the best exercises to try. You should:
Focus on the feelings you're experiencing in your chest and hands during this exercise.
Meditation and yoga clear the mind and decrease depression.
Learning how to meditate and do yoga exercises can be challenging. This is especially true for seniors. Mobility may be more limited, which makes certain sitting positions and stretches challenging.
Luckily, the best Gallatin senior living community offers yoga and meditation classes tailor-made for older adults. Sessions are led by those specifically experienced in working with seniors, so activities are possible for those who struggle with flexibility.
Plus, these on-site classes take place in community amenities. They're easy for residents to attend because of their proximity to their well-appointed apartments. Residents can also attend these classes together since they're community calendar events!
Mindfulness for depression isn't all about clearing the mind. It is also about better understanding your thought processes to contend with unnecessary negative emotions.
That's where mind mapping comes in!
All mind mapping requires is a piece of paper and a pencil. Seniors creating a written mind map should:
This is especially great for those whose depression comes with:
Those who spend time outdoors decrease depression by:
Walking is the best way to absorb natural surroundings. Taking regular walks:
It grounds seniors in the present as they enjoy nature, thus improving mindfulness.
The Capstone at Station Camp offers robust outdoor amenities. Our walking trails exist right outside of residents' doors. When living here, you can access this path at any time and take walks around calming, landscaped areas.
Now that you know some mindfulness for depression tips, it's time to create amazing wellness routines at a supportive senior living community. The Capstone at Station Camp offers a wide range of enrichment programs, from educational courses to therapeutic activities.
Our team is committed to getting to know each resident individually and helping them nip loneliness and depression in the bud. To get to know us better, schedule a tour of our Tennessee community to ask any lingering questions you may have!