How to Improve Low Mood as an Older Person

How to Improve Low Mood as an Older Person

For older people, there is still a frustrating and unfortunate taboo that prevents some older people from admitting that they are suffering from feelings of low mood and even depression.

What makes this fact even more heartbreaking is that low mood can actually be the reason why an older person’s physical health sees a sharp decline, and this is why taking care of your emotional health as an elderly person is even more important.

So here, in an effort to help you avoid this, is a guide on how to improve low mood as an older person. 

Animal Therapy

Whenever a word is followed by ‘therapy’, it can seem as if this is a medical procedure or practice, which automatically makes you discredit it and avoid it. 

However, the practice of animal therapy refers to the regular, or even sporadic, exposure to a domesticated, loving, and pure-of-heart animal, usually a dog, cat, or bunny rabbit, to spend time with. Animal therapy has been unequivocally proven to be a fantastic way to improve feelings of low mood and depression, especially in older people and the elderly. 

Speak to Someone

As an older person, you may well be entirely fortunate to be surrounded by loving friends and family members and are fully aware and comforted by the fact that if you ever have any concerns about your personal wellbeing, plenty of people will be there to listen.

However, even though you are surrounded by loved ones, you may well perfectly understandably feel uncomfortable in talking to them about how you are feeling, and instead, you should register with nhsgp.net for access to a plethora of experienced online medical professionals instead. 

Spend More Time Outside 

Whether you often consider it or not, the fact remains that human beings are essentially animals and, as such, are made to be outside and physically active amongst nature.

As an older adult, it is perfectly understandable if, for a variety of possible personal and individual reasons, in recent times, you never truly spend proper time absorbing the fresh air and sights, smells, and sounds of nature. Not only will resolving to spend just half an hour of your day outside, even if this means simply in your backyard or taking a walk around the block, mean your physical health will improve, but it will also only have a wholly positive impact on your emotional health and wellbeing as well. 

Indulge in Your Hobbies

You may well, in your youth, have loved painting and drawing and used to consider yourself something of a modern-day Van Gogh, but, due to the nature of your professional working life or indeed personal commitments, you have failed to even pick up a paintbrush for many years. Reigniting your passions for old hobbies and activities, from stamp-collecting to nature walks, will not only provide extra motivation and a new and invigorated reason to get up earlier in the morning but will also work to improve your levels of creativity, inspiration and excitement.