Use this Mindset Shift to Deal with Vulnerability & Anxiety

Let’s not be so hard on ourselves…

Most people in their 60s have differing physical conditions — arthritis, difficulty with night vision, memory… the list is long. If you’re having a serious and life-threatening condition, the stakes suddenly become extremely high.

For some, the sense of vulnerability extends beyond worrying about physical conditions — to other aspects of their lives. They can suddenly become nervous about things they never worried about in the past. They have increased anxiety.

The point is that, by age 60, most of us have suffered at least one, if not more, devastating or traumatic life experiences: the loss of a loved one, divorce, and/or serious life-threatening disease. This is not to mention that age itself brings a feeling of vulnerability.

For those of us who feel vulnerable or anxious, here are some tips that can help:

Accept the vulnerable feelings. They are normal, and we should not beat ourselves up about them. They are natural reactions and realizing that can calm us.

Meditation, Yoga, Exercise, and Mental Stimulation relax us and can connect us to a deeper sense of spirituality. Exercise keeps our body healthy, energizes us, and makes us strong.

Keeping our minds sharp and stimulated is motivating and invigorating. Mental stimulation can come from studying a language, reading, writing, and playing games like scrabble, mahjong, and chess.

Maintain a sense of purpose. Staying connected with our personal life mission and values, whether it has to do with relationships, community involvement, social justice, or religion. A sense of purpose gives meaning to our lives.

Talking with friends and family helps us feel connected and reminds us that we are not alone. Sometimes we need to ask for help Sometimes reaching out to close ones for support and help can be hard to ask, but often we find that our loved ones are happy to help.

Being of service to others gives meaning to our lives and takes our focus away from our problems.

Do something fun every day. Trying to find joy in our lives and regularly doing things that give us pleasure will bring daily moments of happiness. Fun comes in different ways for each of us. It can include things such as cooking, gardening, nature trailing, reading, travel, sharing a meal with friends and much, much more.

We should not allow fearful thoughts to invade our sleepless minds. The dark of night is the time when we often ponder the huge unsolvable problems in our lives. By saying that we will think about our problems in the morning and banishing them from our minds we can keep feelings of panic at bay.

Therapy, support groups, and in some cases medication, are also an option. the main thing is not be hard on ourselves or become isolated in the process.

The point is that we need not feel embarrassed or ashamed to address our vulnerabilities or treat these feelings as our “new normal”.