(Casper, WY) -- Being pro-active about our health -- and not
just physical health -- can be critical in how we see life and how we enjoy it.
That was the message shared recently during "Senior-Wise" at the
Casper Senior Center, by Kelly Shipley, Clinical Therapist with the Central
Wyoming Counseling Center. She encouraged seniors to take care of their mental
health, too, because being healthy mentally can mean a better quality of life
and a longer life. "You'll also feel better while you live," she
said.
She
said it's common for seniors to live alone but being alone is not the same as being
lonely. "Lonely is a passive state," she noted. "You can be
alone and still be very active. You can be interested in things, and
interacting with people -- even if you're by yourself. Loneliness is something that
can cause physical problems and hasten death." She shared studies that show loneliness can
send misleading hormonal signals to our bodies. "Long lasting loneliness
not only makes you sick," she cautioned, "it can kill you. In fact, emotional
isolation ranks as high a risk factor for mortality -- as smoking."
Shipley
also pointed out that loneliness can make our brains play tricks on us. "We
can interpret things differently and incorrectly if we're in a depressed state
or a lonely state," she said. "So, it's important for us to be aware of
where we are in our individual emotional states. Our brains may be telling us
things that aren't actually happening but because of the loneliness we don't see it
that way."
Engaging
with other people is a key to fighting loneliness, she said, and it's not about
quantity -- it's about quality. "We don't need a thousand friends,"
she encouraged, "we just need a few people who either depend on us or we
depend on them. Realize you're not alone. Get involved with activities. Join a
class. Come to the Senior Center. Do something that interests you."
She
said the idea is not to allow yourself to wallow. "Distract yourself and
stay busy," she chuckled. "Challenge yourself to take the initiative
in social situations; show interest in others and listen more than you talk.
And especially, be a pleasant person."
She
concluded by telling local seniors that being by yourself is not necessarily a
bad thing as long as you understand the difference between loneliness and being
alone.
Senior-Wise
is held Tuesdays at 12:30pm at the Casper Senior Center, 1831 East 4th Street,
Casper.
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