Live Well: Our Approach to Whole-Person Wellness

By Hilary Olson, Fitness Program Manager

At Cristwood we encourage residents to experience whole-person wellness with our Live Well program. Healthy living includes more than just eating right and exercise. We also care about the social, spiritual, emotional, vocational, and intellectual health of our residents and community. This last month, Cristwood had a 4-week series discussing the importance of emotional wellness.

Emotional wellness refers to the ability to recognize and accept our feelings, have an optimistic approach to life, and enjoy life despite the disappointments, frustrations, and grief that will arise at times. Emotional and mental health is a serious concern for all adults, including seniors. In a 12-month period, 15% of adults age 60+ experience anxiety disorders, and 5% of adults age 50+ experience major depression (National Institute of Health). If your emotional health is out of balance, you may experience high blood pressure, ulcers, chest pain, or other physical symptoms. When you are regularly taking care of emotional health and feel good about yourself, then it easier to cope with life’s stressors and hardships.

Here are some steps to better emotional wellness:

• Be aware of your thoughts and feelings by pausing during the day and acknowledging how you feel, writing in a journal, or sharing your feeling with a trusted friend or health professional.
• Make yourself a priority by doing things that bring you joy including hobbies, volunteer activities, games, time with friends and family.
• Find activities that help relieve stress such as music, exercise, prayerful meditation, deep breathing, or a gratitude journal.

Try different activities and see what works best for you and you’ll be on the path of emotional wellness.