Mental wellbeing

Good mental health is as important in later life as it is at any other time of life. It influences how you think, feel, interact with others, communicate and cope with life’s changes. Age Scotland’s mental health guide Keeping well and who can help looks at many of the issues around mental health and later life but here are a few things that can help you to stay well: Make plans and enjoy yourself: when you retire it can be hard to adjust to the lack of routine. But retirement can be a great opportunity to do things you love. Whether you have always fancied doing a course but never had the time, or you want to get your garden in great shape – make the time for yourself. Be sociable: spending time with family and friends or meeting new people can help you feel less lonely or anxious, and gives you a chance to share experiences, thoughts and ideas. Stay in touch with the people you care about whenever you can – invite them over or give them a call. You can go online and talk to people you know via video calls or talk to a wide range of people on forums. There is a forum for pretty much anything you are interested in – from fishing, to different TV shows, to your favourite sports – so you will definitely find like-minded people to chat to. If you are feeling low speak to friends or family about how you feel. This can be difficult if you have not done it before but it is important to share your feelings or ask for help and the sooner you can address problems, the easier they are to manage. If you have been feeling down for a while you may be experiencing depression. Symptoms include loss of self-confidence, not being able to enjoy the things you usually do and having unexplained aches and pains. If you are experiencing any of these, speak to your doctor and explain how you are feeling, and they can tell you about the many ways you can get help.