It’s estimated that between 1% and 5% of seniors living in the general community struggle with depression. This goes up to 13.5% for those who need home health care. If you live in a senior living center, it may start to impact your mental health. A senior living community is quite a change, and it takes time to adjust. One great way to adjust to this lifestyle change is with meditation. There are many benefits you can find with meditation if you are in assisted living. Keep reading to find out how meditation can benefit your senior living lifestyle.
Enhances Mental Stamina
A very important part of Inspired Living’s goal is improving senior living. When it comes to an assisted living community, this is unlike any other community. This is because we have a strong focus on mental stamina and wellness. That is why meditation is something encouraged throughout the community. A big part of senior wellness depends on mental stamina. As you age, your mental abilities are not going to be what they used to be. This can be upsetting if you don’t have a way to counteract it. The good thing is that meditation is able to help increase your focus and understanding.
The mind is like a muscle and needs to be exercised to build its strength. Meditation is able to do this, helping you to maintain faster thinking and problem-solving skills. Keep in mind that this is something that needs to be done on a regular basis. You can’t just meditate one or two days a week and expect to see results. For best results, seniors should meditate at least once every single day. It is even better if they are able to do this two times a day when they first start out.
Reduces Depression
Many seniors have seen great results using meditation on a daily basis. It is no secret that many seniors start to develop and struggle with depression. Much of this has to do with all the life changes they are going through. If you are a senior, you may be living in a senior living facility. Losing some of your independence is difficult, and you may feel a bit left out and isolated. These are all emotions that most seniors will go through at some point. The good news is that meditation is a gentle way of treating depression. Meditation for seniors can help overcome the symptoms of depression much like medications would.
Although this is not a fix-all for everyone who uses meditation. Like anything, meditation affects each individual in a unique way. You may need to meditate for a longer period of time before you see this result. Or you may need to combine it with other wellness habits to combat feelings of depression.
Improves Sleep
Those living in the memory care community at Inspired Living may struggle with sleep. This is not uncommon, as you may have certain physical issues that bother you at night. You may have pain in your hip or you may struggle to get comfortable. Stress and the general effects of aging can also start to take a toll on your sleep habits. One way to counteract this is to do meditation daily. Meditation has been shown to promote better sleep habits that allow you to sleep deeply.
Meditation works by releasing tension from your body and clearing your mind. This creates a more peaceful state of mind that is ideal for sleeping. That is why experts recommend that people meditate shortly before they go to sleep. This is also a great solution if you are kept up at night from an overactive mind.
Improves Emotional Wellbeing
It is not uncommon for seniors to struggle with anxiety and stress as they age. These are the emotions that everyone starts to feel if they are going through life changes. You may feel like your life is out of control, which can cause emotional discomfort. Meditation has long been used as a way of treating emotional issues.
It is able to promote better emotional well-being on a longer scale. Unlike other solutions, meditation is something that will give you long-term results. It also helps to promote mindfulness, allowing you to focus on being thankful. Instead of focusing on your stressors and worries, your mind will go to a positive place. This is important since our mind tends to spiral out of control. Life changes may seem extreme at first, but you just need to gain perspective.
Helps With Memory
A study showed that meditation is able to help slow memory loss. It is able to increase gray matter in the hippocampus, which controls memory and learning. This is a huge breakthrough when it comes to seniors since memory loss is a huge problem. You may be able to counteract the symptom of aging by meditating 30 minutes a day. This can be used as a preventative measure to help keep your mind sharp and focused.
Senior Living: Mediation for Seniors
If you are living in a senior living community, you may have heard about meditation for seniors. This is a great option if you want to have more mindfulness and better memory. At Inspired Living, meditation is something that is strongly encouraged. This is used to improve emotional well-being and help everyone to better adjust to their new lifestyle.
Are you interested in taking a tour of the Inspired Living community? Contact us today at Inspired Living to schedule a tour.
