When very young and small, our bodies and brains are in high gear learning how to walk, talk and perceive the world. We spend our school years expanding our knowledge even further, stretching our young bodies and brains to their limits. During the late teen years and into our twenties there's still plenty of broadening of our horizons to be done whether it's attending college, getting married, raising children and/or pursuing career goals. And maintaining those relationships, keeping up with family rearing and/or following our career pursuits usually continue far into our thirties, forties and fifties, giving the body and mind plenty to keep it occupied.
But once a person reaches that golden' era of retirement, usually sometime during their sixties or seventies, shouldn't one be allowed to slow down? Haven't we earned it? Isn't it time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of all that labor? Well, yes and no.
There are plenty of studies to show that exercise should continue throughout a person's life, no matter how old they become. And the brain needs exercise just as much as any other muscle or organ of the body. Just like muscles atrophy and eventually become useless if not used on a regular basis, so too can the brain. And when atrophy sets into any aspect of a person's life, overall quality of life is diminished. And not just for the person in question but for everyone connected to them.
The elderly in particular are prone to the ague of listlessness and boredom as bodies no longer function properly. Chair-bound or even bed-ridden souls find their ability to think and reason slowing to a crawl along with their anatomy. Thoughts clog and stick while dementia, whether it occurs due to various genetic as well as physiological reasons, drags a once fertile and lively personality into a dark cave of stagnation. It is possible that an inactive mind can speed or even initiate this process on occasion.
Even if physically frail, there are activities that take little effort and can enhance overall health. Volunteering is incredibly enriching no matter what age, such as spending time at a local shelter or aiding a fund raiser. Outlets such as painting, sculpting, quilting or writing are all wonderful ways to keep the brain and the body in shape.
Even busy work that keeps only the hands nimble in conjunction with the mind such as folding laundry or sorting through a cluttered drawer can help maintain a more agile psyche. Keeping the gray matter occupied benefits overall health because if it is engaged in something enjoyable, that positive energy translates to one's physical well-being, too.
And then there's the need to express oneself. No matter the age, we all need to be able to vent, create or otherwise take our thoughts or feelings and release them. Whether a type A or type B personality, there is benefit from taking that which dwells within us and giving it form. When memories and ideas fester, even if they are positive, they will eventually curl into themselves and become negative to the mind's eye. We mourn what we no longer have instead of enjoying what we do have.
In over-focusing on past glories and failures, we miss looking forward to new ventures. It is important to purge the heart and soul of these languishing thoughts in order to clear the way for new enterprises. Everyone needs an outlet for their joys and pains. Becoming older does not abolish this basic need.
And even more than that, we are social animals and wish to feel connected to others of our kind. Our elder members in particular have years of wisdom and information to share. Quilting circles still exist and the product of those meetings enriches us all with patterns and stories displayed in soft material for anyone and everyone to see.
Painting and sculpting are similar wonderful avenues of expression and sharing. Writing one's memoirs or perhaps a few insightful essays or poems are capable of presenting a life lived richly with all the joys and lessons it can teach. In any form, having an older member of society share what they know enhances us all, including the senior citizen themselves.
