Both my mother and my grandmother had problems walking in later life. One was disabled with arthritis, the other through a mild stroke caused by hypertension (non-lifestyle related). The difference between the two was that my grandmother was an optimist and was grateful for the life she led. My mother however, has always been a pessimist and the difference in their health in their old age is so notably different.
In the United States. The health and retirement study (a national survey gathering data from thousands of Americans aged over 50) showed that higher levels of optimism could protect the elderly from the more nasty mental and physical health effects of ageing. Doctors looked for the eight most common illnesses associated with old age – such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, dementia, arthritis and strokes.
They found the age bracket 50 to 68’ optimism gradually rose. However, around about 68 it started to diminish. One theory was this happened because illnesses were more likely to kick in this age, but what they found was that as people derive a sense of well-being from being capable independent and connected to others. At this age that started to diminish.
Around this age of 68 people were retiring and so losing contact with colleagues, friends and family as many moved away to retire. Sometimes this means isolation, or moving into a facility because of physical reasons, and the person’s ability to get out and about and mingle with others reduces.
What they found was that the optimists were generally healthier than the pessimists. They were more likely to be active, have better diets, not smoke and drink, and more likely to involve in education classes. It’s also well known that having a positive outlook creates a stronger immune response, and also a lower risk of stress-related diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
The study also found that the optimists had much more adaptive coping strategies when facing problems. My grandmother was a great example of this; she was forever inventing devices to help arthritis. Where as my mother just sits there and moans how difficult it is to walk. Pessimists are more likely to respond to problems by dwelling on the negative and avoid dealing with the problems, hoping they will go away.
The good news is, you don’t need to be born a natural optimist to enjoy a better old age. You can change at any time; about 75% of people can be influenced by those around them. You can choose to be in a more optimistic group of friends, you can choose to interact with more people. You can train yourself every day to be more optimistic in your life by doing a few things. One). List three positive things that have happened that day before you go to bed at night. Two) be grateful for the things you have. Three) be more sociable. Four) eat more healthily.
As the solution focused practitioner, I try never to let any problem last for any length of time. I’m constantly trying to solve them getting them out of the way. Sometimes the answer is not the most obvious, and if you need a little help to learn this way of thinking, then you can text “problems” to 07759 820674 or contact me.