Tip for Healthy Aging: Adjust the Stress in Your Environment
The more we age the more our neural functions can be slowed. One of the major contributors to the rate at which we age could be the prolonged stress we deal with during the course of life. While in some cases we can eliminate this stress, in other cases we must simply learn how to deal with it effectively for the sake of our health. After all, unless you vegetate in a room all day, life has stress. It is how you adjust to the stress in your environment that determines whether you accelerate the aging process or promote healthy aging.
You might think that maybe vegetating in a room somewhere is a good idea. But the truth is that having no stress may be even worse for your health than having too much stress. We are social beings that need social interaction to fully develop our minds. Even though it is usually society that is a source of stress, good social interaction can also help you deal with your stress as well.
Most importantly, if you leave severe stress untreated for several years, it can cause premature aging and a variety of mental and physical health issues. Heart disease is one of the worst physical conditions associated with stress. Depression is perhaps the most debilitating mental condition associated with stress. As we get older it is much harder to recover from the aging damage done by stress.
Taking Control of Your Stress
Exercise is a very important part of good health, particularly in regards to your body's ability to handle stress. Taking a 20-minute walk each day out in some sunshine will make a big difference in your health. The added benefits of Vitamin D and light exposure can improve your health and mood. If you have trouble staying motivated, get exercise partners to walk with you and make the walk more fun.
The social interaction, combined with exercise and sunshine, will provide you with three stress management controls out of one short 20-minute experience. Don't overlook how important it can be to have friends to interact with and talk to about things. You may also be able to gain new insights from the thoughts and experiences others have to share with you.
If you find that depression is setting in, be sure to contact a doctor. Depression is a very serious mental health condition. It should be treated with the same seriousness with which you would treat any other serious health condition.
Limiting Your Exposure to Stressful Environments
If you live in a rough neighborhood with a lot of violence, you probably face daily stress, whether you are aware of it or not. Even constant varieties of noise have been shown to cause us inner stress. However, confronting the people causing your stress can be more stressful than the stress. It can be a very complex issue to deal with, especially if it starts interfering with your sleep. Losing sleep will make all of your small environmental stresses seem like major stress.
One of the largest stressors you can face is the feeling of being a victim, with no control over your life. You need to realize that you do have a say in what happens in your life. If you are being abused at work or where you live, or just being exposed to very stressful environmental factors, you need to take control of the situation in a responsible manner and work on a plan to solve the problem. Even just making the plan will restore your sense of control over your life.
Just because you are in control of your life doesn't mean you can't ask for the help and cooperation of others. Talk to others around you who may be going through what you are going through or at least witnessing what you go through. If necessary, get authorities involved in the situation to get things resolved.
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