No Complaining
Have you ever thought how old you’re going to live? Can you imagine yourself in your 90’s, or could you make it all the way to 100? As a family, we’ve just been celebrating Great Granny Molly turning 99 and going strong!
I do love learning about people who age well and what their secrets to longevity are. I read a study from 2018, published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics which reviewed the lifestyle of a group of adults aged 90 to 101 living in rural Italy, along with their family members, to get a sense of what may have contributed to their long lives.
Despite declining physically, which is to be expected, when compared to their younger relatives, their mental health was in far better shape. They were less prone to depression and anxiety and more likely to display optimism and resilience. But their secret to achieve this wasn’t what I expected…
The study concluded that their exceptional longevity was indeed characterised by a balance between acceptance of, and grit to, overcome adversities alongside keeping a positive attitude and close ties to family, religion and nature, providing them with purpose in life.
So what should we learn from this? Not a bad idea is to develop habits around practicing gratitude by keeping a daily journal to reflect and report things you are thankful for, things that have gone well for you that day, and things you should congratulate yourself for - especially handling adversity or challenging situations. Research shows that this practice can increase optimism, willpower and overall wellbeing.
I’d also encourage you to practice using short spells of silence and stillness to perform your reflection. Evaluate yourself without judgement and pay attention to your thoughts and feelings - which you should also aim to include in your journal notes.
This week’s challenge is to go through the next 7 days without any complaining. No matter what happens to you, you’re not allowed to moan about it to yourself, or to anyone else. If you get frustrated by anything, practice a moment or two of silence and stillness to gain perspective. See how this impacts your mood and overall wellbeing.
