Between greeting card companies, the beauty industry and Hollywood, aging has become either fodder for over-the-hill jokes, a cosmetic situation to correct, a condition rife with loss and regret or all of the above. It follows that many dread living longer.
There are other circumstances that contribute to that fear. Failing health, insufficient income, isolation and the deaths of loved ones.
Growing older can be a stage of life when loss is frequent and painful. But there’s a practice that reframes an established expression about getting older. It’s known as aging gratefully. It encourages older people to focus on what they have, not what they have lost. There are indications that it improves both mental and physical health conditions.
A study involving 217 participants required them to engage in various methods of expressing gratitude for five days a week, for 15 minutes each day, over a total of six weeks. The activities were writing exercises with different prompts.
One set of prompts focused on stating what they appreciated about themselves, such as their talents, possessions or their living environment. The second set of prompts asked the participants to write about what they appreciated about other people.
When the study ended, researchers found that measures of the group’s mental well-being had improved, and six months later, their positive outlook on life had remained.
UCLA Health posits that gratitude calms the part of the nervous system that facilitates rest and in turn reduces heart rate, stress and blood pressure.
A study by investigators at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health provided data points on causes of death, not just hypotheses and correlations. The study involved following more than 49,000 older women for a period of four years.
The researchers found participants whose gratitude survey scores were in the highest third had a lower risk of mortality from any cause after four years than those who scored in the lowest third. They also specifically stated that “Gratitude appeared protective against every specific cause of mortality studied, most significantly against cardiovascular disease.”
In a separate study conducted at the University of New England in Australia, of more than 26,000 subjects, investigators found that “higher gratitude was significantly associated with lower depression.”
While the practice of aging gratefully has been shown to improve physical and mental health for some individuals, it may not be an appropriate treatment for many. If you or someone you know struggles with depression or anxiety, seek the care of physicians and mental health professionals.
For people who are interested in ways to practice gratitude, a healthcare group focused on treating older people offered some suggestions on its website. They include placing daily reflections about joyful moments or personal achievements in a gratitude journal, being mindful by meditating on the present, celebrating the accomplishment of small tasks, starting the day with affirmations and appreciating small things such as a warm meal or sunsets.
