If you live with anxiety, you may feel like you’re the only person who feels the way you do. But, believe it or not, anxiety disorders are significantly common and impact over 40 million people in America. And while it’s hard to know an exact number since many instances are undiagnosed, it’s estimated that as many as 27% of seniors live with some type of anxiety.
If not managed, living with anxiety can take a toll on physical and mental health, eventually leading to concerns like a weakened immune system, difficulty sleeping, heart disease, and even cognitive decline. These health concerns can, in turn, cause more anxiety, resulting in a disastrous cycle.
One of the most effective ways to prevent significant health concerns brought on by anxiety is to prevent and/or manage it before it gets to that point. While there are prescription medications that can control feelings of anxiety, many adults may not be eager to add another medication to their list, especially since medicine can often be one of the culprits of senior anxiety. Fortunately, there are natural ways to manage, control, and even prevent feelings of anxiety.
Brickmont Assisted Living, offering assisted living and memory care services in Woodstock, Johns Creek, and Acworth, Georgia, is sharing ways to recognize and prevent senior anxiety.
Understanding Common Risk Factors
One of the first steps in managing anxiety is understanding common causes and risk factors for anxiety disorders. Even if you have experienced anxiety before, the reasons for feeling this way can change over time—for example, you may not feel anxious about the same things you did at age 30 than you are at age 65. Here are some things that can contribute to senior anxiety:
- Health concerns, expenses, etc.
- Trouble sleeping
- A decline in physical abilities or mobility restrictions
- Bereavement or other family issues
- Feeling a lack of purpose during retirement
- Certain medications and their side effects
- Worries about the future or care needs
These factors can pose an increased risk for anxiety, but they are not the only situations that can cause it to develop. Other underlying issues such as eating disorders, bipolar disorders, sleep disorders, depression, and even chronic headaches can be causes for negative emotions in older adults. However, the important thing to remember is that anxiety is not the same for everyone, and there is no exact cause, result, or manifestation. It’s best to speak with your health care provider if you think you are experiencing anxiety.
Ways to manage senior anxiety
If you are not interested in using medication to treat your anxiety, there are other ways to overcome feelings of worry and fear and relieve anxiety. Many of these practices take advantage of the mind-body connection, which is the understanding that wellness is comprehensive. Activities that promote physical health can benefit mental wellness and vice versa.
1. Catch Some Z’s
Sleep issues and anxiety also have a seemingly never-ending cyclical relationship. Worry and fear can run through your mind at night, keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation can worsen anxiety, and on and on it goes. Plus, not getting a good night’s sleep can result in other health concerns, and the anxiety just keeps growing.
For those who struggle with insomnia, getting a good night’s sleep can seem impossible. But with a few habits and lifestyle changes, you can increase your sleep quality and quantity!
Tips on Getting a Better Night’s Sleep:
- Maintain a consistent sleep/wake schedule. Going to sleep and waking up around the same time every day, even on the weekends, can help set your body on a healthy circadian rhythm. This will make it easier to fall asleep naturally at night.
- Avoid caffeine late in the day. While a cup of coffee in the morning won’t typically impact your ability to fall asleep at night, that late afternoon cup of joe or soda will. If you find yourself facing the afternoon slump, try to go for a walk, listen to some music, or drink plenty of water to increase your energy levels.
- Create a calming pre-sleep routine. Winding down before bed can put your mind and body at ease and ready for sleep. You can fill this routine with whatever calms you, whether it’s a cup of tea, a book, or a bath. Just try to avoid screen time for up to 30 minutes before bed.
2. Get Moving
Another excellent way to combat anxiety is to exercise daily. Not only does physical activity have the obvious benefits of improving physical health, but it can also improve mental health by relieving stress, enhancing sleep, and boosting overall mood. Nothing proves the mind-body connection quite like the benefits of physical activity on overall health!
Your routine does not have to be intense or for extended periods of time to gain the health benefits of exercise. For example, just 30 minutes of light exercise daily can help in preventing anxiety.
Tips on Incorporating More Exercise Into Your Life:
- Start small. If all it takes is a 30-minute walk to gain the health benefits of exercise, start there! Set a time each day to go on a walk through your neighborhood or a local park. You can even invite a friend, so you have someone to keep you accountable.
- Find something you love. One of the secrets of sticking to an exercise routine is to find something that you enjoy, so it doesn’t even feel like exercise. If walking is not your thing, that’s okay! Maybe you enjoy swimming, salsa dancing, or tennis.
3. Have a Strong Support System
Having healthy relationships and a robust support system can be essential in managing senior anxiety, especially since isolation and loneliness can be culprits for feeling anxious. A strong social circle can be made up of family, friends, or coworkers and can play an essential role in relieving stress, encouraging growth and confidence, and simply enjoying life! You can make these relationships with old friends, neighbors, or new friends that you make through volunteering, exercising, or taking classes.
4. Try Breathing Exercises or Meditation
Another way to calm anxious thoughts is to take time to breathe deeply or meditate. Taking deep breaths is a great way to calm your heart rate, blood pressure, and racing thoughts. Breaking out time from a busy schedule to specifically sit down and relax is very efficient towards preventing and managing senior anxiety and increasing overall wellness.
Tips on Breathing and Meditation Techniques:
- Follow a guided practice. Meditating on your own can be intimidating if you’re a beginner. However, there are plenty of guided meditations available through apps or online videos. They will lead you through the practice and guide you back when your thoughts wander.
- Start small. Like exercising, incorporating meditation into your life doesn’t require hours of practice and training. You can start by trying meditation or breathing practices for just five minutes a day and increase it if necessary.
Lastly, identifying situations where your anxiety can arise is an essential step in preventing any negative or all-consuming feelings. By knowing triggers that could potentially cause anxiety and stress, you can more easily adjust your lifestyle and work on strategies to reduce these feelings. While you may not always avoid a situation that causes you anxiety, you can at least be equipped with the tools necessary to control and manage these feelings when they do emerge.
Brickmont Assisted Living is dedicated to providing resources and care that help older adults combat feelings of anxiety and stress. Our assisted living and memory care communities offer a stress-free environment with professional care, comfortable apartments, and stimulating activities.
We invite you to visit our website for more information on our welcoming communities in Woodstock, Acworth, and John's Creek, Georgia.
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