September is the time in which all children are back in school. This month is also Healthy Aging Month. On this last Monday of the month, I wanted to focus on this topic. Healthy aging is something we all strive for, but it may not always be in our control. Aging in a healthy way involves being active, eating well, managing stress, having social connections, and having regular checkups among other areas. In the world we live, we hear of increasingly middle-aged people passing away than older people. In the year 2025 this is not a great thing to hear. Especially due to the many advancements in health in the last 50 years. The question to ask is what is the best way to age healthy? There is no one answer, but one of the main reasons is the management of stress. The problem with stress is that it can begin in early childhood. Also, there are many more factors contributing to stress today than just 30 years ago.
As an Occupational Therapist, I see stress among the children I work with every day. They often take on the stress of their families. These children are diagnosed with Autism. Imagine when they are unable to communicate in typical way and they see and feel energies they can’t remove themselves from. Noe, factor a child whose typical developmentally and having to grow up in situations that are not great. When they grow up and that stress often follows and sets the tone for their life as an adult. This is in addition to stressors that take place from adulting and the responsibilities that come with it. Some people are better at managing their stress than others. But there are many people who are affected by it. It ends up contributing to the breakdown in their health as they get older.
Now, what can contribute to our stress that may not have 30 years ago. We have security cameras, where we can now see crimes that take place in real time when we watch the news. There is social media we can easily see a lifetime worth of negative videos and images that can trigger stress. There are more advanced cell phones that are minicomputers. We have access to so much that our minds are not allowed to rest without a conscious effort to unplug. We also have more division in communities where less people talk to each other or even look out for each other.
So, healthy aging includes figuring out how to care for yourself amidst all these factors. Focusing in on the mind and learning to let go of the negative things. The idea of knowing when to seek help to tackle any past and current trauma. And, learning to discover what brings you joy and engaging in these activities as much as you can. Also, we can pass the information along. If you learned this information later in life, educate those under you. Children and teenagers’ brains are still developing, so teaching them techniques to nurture themselves and manage stressors early can help with improved healthy aging for future generations.