058. Why a resilient mindset is the best tool as we age

There’s a quote by Ernest Hemingway: “The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.”

One interpretation of this quote is that we're all going to be broken, but how we pick ourselves up – also known as our resiliency – is how we become stronger in those “broken places.”

There’s a lot that happens to us throughout our lifetimes, but how we react to change can be an indicator of our long-term happiness and how we accept the “wear and tear” of aging. Senior Services Expert Lori Williams discusses how resilience is important as we get older. She describes what it means, why it helps, and how to practice it.

Takeaways from this episode:

- Resilience is the result of successful adaptation to adversity, according to the University of Arizona Center on Aging.

- The people who live the longest have been shown to have resilience.

- Being resilient means you can recover from stressful events with a sense of purpose and come out of it stronger.

- There are different behaviors that influence resilience, including optimism, flexibility, finding the “silver lining,” and being connected to other people and a strong sense of purpose.

- Life doesn't always go according to plan. Find a way to make peace with it and adapt.

Questions to ask yourself:

Why do you think you've lived such a long life?

What's your life's philosophy?

What's your relationship with your family, friends and neighbors?

What's being healthy mean to you?

What do you do when you face difficulties in life?

How do you handle change in your life?

What are you most proud of in your life?

Are you satisfied with your life?

Are there any benefits that come from stress?

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