SENIOR LIVING

A SECOND WIND Resilience in the Face of Challenges

By Mary Petersen Signal Staff Writer

Our family is approaching 2023 with a sigh of relief and an eyeswide-open reflection on 2022. I know that as the years tumble by, joys and sorrows ebb and flow in cycles. But last year tested the fortitude of our spirits.

One hardship after another challenged us physically, emotionally and mentally — the prolonged illness and death of a dear friend; the sudden, accidental death of our niece; our daughter’s cancer diagnosis; assorted seasonal illnesses and infections that sapped our energy. Generating the strength to persevere through difficulties, keep faith, and express gratitude for our blessings was a daily task.

Unpredictability is a given in life, and we frequently face unexpected challenges and hardships. How we manage them determines how successfully we are able to carry on. Being able to tap into positive emotions, discover something meaningful from the experience and keep connected to others helps build resilience to navigate through tough times.

Another way to cultivate resilience is through humor. Humor doesn’t deny the heartbreak of adversity, but laughter helps us to keep functioning through the struggle.

According to leadership coach Doug Hensch, “at the biological level, laughing reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels, increases trust by releasing oxytocin and increases pleasure by delivering endorphins.” During difficult times, this is just what we need.

Despite the stereotype that older people lose their sense of humor, are less flexible or less able to adapt to changes in life, research from several recent studies indicates that older adults have more grit and resilience than many realized. Experts believe that older adults have gained coping skills through a lifetime of dealing with adverse experiences and have acquired wisdom from weathering hardship. Despite the stresses of aging such as disabilities, limitations and losses, a 2020 Stanford University survey of Americans between ages 18 and 76 found that “aging is associated with greater emotional well-being.” Older adults considered themselves very capable of recovering from adversity.

Not surprisingly, those older adults who have high levels of resilience live longer, happier lives than those with less resilience. Research into resilience in older adults has found that resilient older adults experience a higher quality of life, better mental health and well-being, lower depression and reduced mortality risk.

Since resilience is an adaptive process rather than a fixed trait, it can be developed at any stage in life. Medical professionals are currently exploring intervention strategies to increase adaptation tools like resilience in older adults. The ability of older adults to successfully process stress and adapt positively to the significant changes of aging is an important factor in living life with equilibrium.

Writer Wendy Strgar explains, “In the moments when life is falling apart, when our best laid plans are dashed and lying in a heap of disappointment, we have the opportunity to grow more resilient.” What transforms life’s challenges has less to do with the external circumstances than with what we bring to the challenge internally. I look to the transformative power of trust, gratitude, compassion and a little humor as I face the challenges that life inevitably presents us.

Mary Petersen is a retired COC English instructor, a 30-year SCV resident and two-time breast cancer survivor. 

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