The Effective Ways for Seniors to Cope Up with Stress

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Stress is an inevitable part of everyone’s life, at some phase. Ideally, retired life is perceived to be a peaceful one. As a senior, you should have plenty of time for relaxation, leisure and personal interests. This was certainly missed out in the hustle and bustle of work life.
Sadly, however, with aging come new concerns and challenges that cause anxiousness and stress. This is more prevalent in elders living alone. Some common causes of stress in seniors are
  • Loss of a loved one
  • Getting adjusted to a new environment
  • Newly diagnosed ailments 
  • Physical injuries
  • Dealing with retirement itself
  • Financial concerns
  • Taking up another employment opportunity (full time or part time)
  • Facing any drastic changes in existing lifestyle
Impact of Stress
Due to aging, the body immune system becomes weaker thereby making elders more susceptible to infection and illnesses. This condition can further deteriorate due to stress. The body’s ability to safeguard itself from inflammation reduces leading to life threatening diseases like cancer and liver cirrhosis. Additionally, stress impacts mental health leading to anxiety, depression, irritability and restlessness. This could lead to accidents or even suicides!   Therefore, stress relief for independent living seniors is very important.

Tackling Stress
Fortunately, there are several ways to relieve stress for seniors. Stress reduction can be accomplished by devoting some time for doing certain activities either independently or with family members or friends.

Simple tips for coping with Stress
An active life is a good stress buster. Some ways to relieve stress in seniors with mobility include
  • Going for regular walks
  • Engaging in physical exercises like yoga, swimming or gardening
  • Chair exercises attempted at the comfort of home
  • Unwinding activities as dancing, playing with pets or going shopping
For seniors with limited mobility, some activities for constructive mind engagement include
  • Listening to music
  • Doing mental simulation exercises like puzzles, crosswords and Sudoku
  • Attempting stretching exercises to improve mobility
  • Involving in creative activities like crafts, embroidery, painting and adult colouring
  • Enriching the mind by reading books or watching meaningful /entertaining programmes on television
  • Learning new concepts through internet sources
  • Spending quality time with family and friends
  • Expressing one’s thoughts through writing
Stress management strategies for seniors
Apart from following simple tips as mentioned above, certain stress management strategies can be adopted for long term benefits. They may be categorised as follows-

Physical Remedies
  • Eating healthy, balanced and stress- fighting diets like oats, dark chocolates, nuts and drinking herbal beverages
  • Consuming recommended intake of water (2.5 – 3 litres/day)
  • Using calming down mechanisms like deep breathing exercises, hearing pleasant music, water aerobics, stress relief balls and steam bathing for relaxation
  • Spending time with nature by strolling, light gardening or reading a book outdoors
  • Pursuing hobbies 
  • Taking acupuncture or aroma treatment and utilizing spa facilities
  • Doing physical fitness exercises 
Mental Remedies
  • Doing meditation 
  • Pursing Spirituality
  • Reading good books during waiting periods or before sleeping
  • Developing a positive outlook on life by
    • Strictly focusing on the present
    • Laughing
    • Enjoying solitary/silent moments
    • Positive Retrospection
    • Doing cognitive riddles
    • Caring for animals
    • Lending a helping hand to the needy
    • Thinking optimistically
  • Deploying good time management routines using
  • To-do list of activities
  • Prioritizing
  • Scheduling
  • Taking counsellor’s support
  • Healing personal relationships and conflicts
Lifestyle Changes
  • Prudently managing personal finances
  • Getting sufficient sleep
  • Seeking help if required
  • Proactively planning and executing daily activities
  • Doing social visits
  • Organising home to avoid cluttering
  • Minimizing over usage of electronic gadgets
  • Shopping online
  • Having greenery around
  • Volunteering in community activities



Indeed, a stress-free life can have a tremendous impact on your overall health, happiness and well-being!

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