Mindfulness for Seniors

By Jon Shore

To put it simply, Mindfulness is paying close attention to everything in the moment where you are, without judgement. Paying attention to the details of this moment and place is one of life’s most basic survival skills and essential in almost every activity we engage in. As we get older, we can become more distracted and forgetful for numerous reasons; some physiological, some psychological and some emotional. Not paying close attention to the here and now can be dangerous. It can lead to accidents, missed opportunities, misunderstandings, illness and even death.

Being mindful is essential at every age but it becomes even more important as we get older. Some of the skills one has at 25 might degrade somewhat by age 50 and even more by 80. Mindfulness can alleviate or even reverse that trend in many cases. Mindfulness practice can enhance and improve the skills of seniors in numerous areas including:

Driving
Communicating with others
Technologies including computers and smart phones
Self-sufficient living
Sports & exercise
Learning
Performance in many activities in life
Legal matters
Problem solving
Critical thinking
Decision making
Healthy eating
Enjoyable and safe traveling
Making smart purchases
Increasing income
Creative pursuits
Enjoying life
Improving every experience
Finding fulfillment
Self-awareness
Improved cognitive functions
Dealing with emotional issues including; isolation, loneliness, depression, anxiety, anger, frustration, sadness, impatience and many others
Self-care
Dealing with stress and stress related disorders
Improving physical health including and especially, heart health

Fortunately, Mindfulness is very easy to learn and only takes consistent practice to see results. Mindfulness can be learned from an instructor, a therapist, a physician, in a group or individually. It can be learned through audio programs, video programs, articles and books. I will post some links for resources at the end of this article.

Mindfulness is not a magic cure-all but it is a powerful tool that can be used to improve your life in many ways. It just takes consistent practice.

Here is a short and simple Mindfulness exercise you can begin using right now. Use this every day at least 4 times a day and during as many activities as possible….

Begin and end your day with this Mindfulness exercise. Use it when walking, driving, riding in a bus, car or train, watching television, reading, eating, cooking, making choices, shopping, communicating with others and every other activity during the day and evening. Use it when you are not sure to do with your day. Just sit down, stop whatever you were doing and practice being mindful. At some point you will have a clear idea of what to do. Do this exercise before making any important decision. Clear your mind first using Mindfulness and the best course of action will present itself to you.

Once the basic skills of Mindfulness are well learned and practiced you will also be able to use these skills as an integral part of a strategy to help you understand the events of your life, to let go of any regrets and to move forward in life in a healthy and positive way. I have outlined some of those strategies at my website, www.lifesanswers.org.

Today is a perfect day to learn and to begin practicing Mindfulness. It is easy to get started.

As promised, here are a few resources for learning Mindfulness properly. If you would like support for yourself or a group in learning and using Mindfulness just contact me at

reachout@lifesanswers.org.

www.lightunlimitedpublishing.com

www.lifesanswers.org

www.meditation-mindfulness-videos.com

To reprint or repost this article just contact me at reachout@lifesanswers.org