P<\/span>sychological resilience, the ability to adapt and bounce back from challenges, plays a pivotal role in navigating the process of successful aging.<\/p>\n What is the concept of psychological resilience, and what are the various strategies backed by scientific research that you can apply in your own life?<\/p>\n Psychological resilience is not a trait that is present in some and absent in others; it\u2019s a skill that can be developed and honed over time.<\/p>\n We can understand it as the capacity to cope with adversity, maintain emotional equilibrium, and continue to find joy and meaning in life, even in the face of difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n Here are some strategies for building your resilience.<\/p>\n The past decade of research in loneliness can be summarized as follows \u2013 it takes years off your life.<\/p>\n Dedicating time to your social life is essential to your physical and emotional well-being. This may mean spending a few minutes messaging or speaking to your friends and family on the phone each day.<\/p>\n Often, in our busy lives, it is easy to overlook dedicating this time to relationships. However, particularly when you are going through a difficult time, having robust connections who you know you can lean on will pay dividends.<\/p>\n We also know that what are called \u201csuperficial connections\u201d are important \u2013 that is, saying hello to the coffee shop employee, door attendant, or mailperson you meet throughout your day. These little connections add up and can give you a sense that you matter.<\/p>\n Finally, supporting others through being a role model (either at work, to your friends, or to your family) has been shown to boost our mental health \u2013 being altruistic makes us feel good and can give us a sense of purpose.<\/p>\n Life always has challenges, but if we continue to focus only on what is going wrong, we lose sight of things that are going well and can get bogged down emotionally.<\/p>\n Imagine you are diagnosed with a heart condition. You could respond by spending a lot of time worrying about how it will get worse and getting upset at all the things you think you may no longer be able to do.<\/p>\n Or you can acknowledge the reality of the situation, educate yourself about realistic limitations, and focus on how you can continue to live your life to the fullest. This kind of optimism does not mean ignoring life\u2019s problems; it means, instead, not being consumed by them and letting them define you.<\/p>\n For some people, physical activity was always part of their identity; for others, it\u2019s more of a struggle and doesn\u2019t feel possible.<\/p>\n When we encourage physical exercise, we often suggest starting small and gradually increasing the challenge. You do not need a whole room of gym equipment to be active.<\/p>\n Some people we know lift cans of tomatoes rather than buying weights or going to a gym. Exercise certainly has been shown in studies to improve mood. It has many physical health benefits \u2013 with extra perks if you can do it with someone else so that you can encourage one another and deepen social connection while you also move your bodies.<\/p>\n We always suggest checking in with your healthcare provider about what exercise routines are right for you.<\/p>\n Engaging in new activities and learning experiences helps keep the mind sharp and adaptable. It can be very tempting to sit down for a whole day and watch television, particularly if there is a news story to follow, but that is usually a passive process and doesn\u2019t challenge your mind.<\/p>\n Especially if you are considering retirement or are already retired, consider how to embrace curiosity. Taking up a hobby or activity where you are a complete novice can be quite humbling and fulfilling. There are plenty of online courses and podcasts that are completely free.<\/p>\n Over 2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus knew this when he famously said, \u201cNo one ever steps in the same river twice.\u201d Change is a natural part of life. We will not always like the changes that happen to us, but often, all we can do in those situations is accept reality for what it is.<\/p>\n Avoid telling yourself, \u201cWhy me?\u201d or \u201cThis isn\u2019t fair\u201d \u2013 holding on to those thoughts for too long will only bring a lot of suffering.<\/p>\n From Ancient Greek philosophy, we also learned that perspective is very important. If we can\u2019t change a situation, we can change what we think about it \u2013 what we tell ourselves. We can be flexible.<\/p>\n Think about taking your road test for your driver\u2019s license and failing on your first attempt. You could think, \u201cThis is awful; I\u2019m never going to pass; I better get used to taking the bus,\u201d or you could say, \u201cI\u2019ll practice and have a better chance of passing next time.\u201d<\/p>\n One thought is likely to make you feel depressed and anxious, and one, more motivated. Cognitive therapists, learning from the Ancient Greeks, have taught us to ask, \u201cIs this thought helpful or realistic?\u201d when we doubt ourselves or are being judgmental or negative about other people or the future.<\/p>\n Often, aging can present an identity crisis. You may no longer work as much in the job you had all your adult life, and if you have children, your childcare responsibilities likely have gotten much smaller as they\u2019ve grown up.<\/p>\n So, the question is, \u201cWho are you now?\u201d If you struggle with a sense of meaning and purpose, ask yourself about your core values \u2013 what is most important to you now? Those values can help you decide how you spend your time.<\/p>\n For example, if being of service to others is important, you may decide to volunteer in your local museum, offer tutoring or mentorship to others, or increase participation in faith-based activities.<\/p>\n Psychological resilience is a cornerstone of successful aging, enabling individuals to approach life\u2019s challenges with strength, flexibility, and optimism. We all know people in our lives facing significant challenges and continue to find meaning in life, connect to joy, and actively problem-solve the issues where they can.<\/p>\n It may seem like magic \u2013 or just \u201cgood genes\u201d \u2013 but it\u2019s not. By embracing the suggested factors, you can build your resilience and serve as a role model to others.<\/p>\n Strategies for how to adapt and bounce back from challenges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14537,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[181,182],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2024","category-winter-2024-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14481"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14826,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14481\/revisions\/14826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Understanding Psychological Resilience<\/h3>\n
Strategies for Resilient Aging<\/h3>\n
1. Maintain Social Connections:<\/h4>\n
2. Embrace a healthy dose of optimism:<\/h4>\n
3. Prioritize Physical Well-being:<\/h4>\n
4. Embrace Lifelong Learning:<\/h4>\n
5. Adaptability and Flexibility:<\/h4>\n
6. Maintain a Sense of Purpose:<\/h4>\n
Dennis S. Charney, MD,<\/a> is Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs for the Mount Sinai Health System<\/h5>\n
Jonathan M. DePierro, PhD\u00a0 is an associate professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.<\/h5>\n
They are the authors with the late Dr. Steven M. Southwick, of Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life\u2019s Greatest Challenges<\/em><\/a> (3rd edition)<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"