Mental Health and Emotional Vitality

Activities like walking, swimming, dancing, yoga, tai chi and qi gong, and chair exercises can relieve tense muscles, increase your energy, and improve your mood.

Your emotional well-being is closely tied to your physical health, social connections, attitudes and beliefs, and other factors.

Many seniors enjoy the freedom of retirement, fewer responsibilities, and more time for travel and other leisure activities. For others, ill health, loneliness, reduced income, and dependency on others present ongoing challenges in their lives.

Staying Positive

Maintaining relationships with supportive family members and friends, eating well, staying active, and keeping a positive outlook on life are some of the things you can do to help you through difficult times, and they can make a big difference in how healthy you are and how you feel.

Set Aside Time Each Day For Yourself and the Things You Enjoy

These suggestions can help you stay physically active and emotionally healthy:

• Take a walk with a friend.
• Work in your garden or watch birds and animals in a nearby park.
• Attend worship services or meditation sessions.
• Write it down. Keeping a journal can be a great way to get things off your chest and work through issues.
• Try simple and beneficial relaxation methods.
• Attend a fitness class for seniors.
• Try to get seven or more hours of sleep every night.
• Keep moving. Activities like walking, swimming, dancing, yoga, tai chi and qi gong, and chair exercises can relieve tense muscles, increase your energy, and improve your mood.
• Eat healthy. Fuel up with fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods.

Recognizing Mental Health Problems

Like other illnesses, many mental health problems can be prevented, and those that do occur, can often be successfully treated.

If emotional challenges—such depression—are interfering with your ability to manage your life, you have options for getting help. For example, individual, family, and group counseling is available through our mental health, behavioral health, or psychiatry departments. You will also find a variety of classes and programs described in our health classes directory.

Learn more about mental health problems that can affect older adults as well as caregivers: