As the only Center for Successful Aging certified by Masterpiece Living in Northern California, Acacia Creek is committed to empowering residents to live life to its fullest—whether that means building new friendships, challenging our intellect, creating new experiences, or strengthening our bodies.
We all have various challenges that we deal with throughout our lives. When these challenges disrupt or prevent our usual activities, we must adjust to a new normal and hopefully get to a place of balance and bliss. What helps us adjust to new circumstances is when we see them as an opportunity to create something new that can be equally as rewarding as what we used to do.
A positive attitude of resilience helps us confront and accept these challenges, so we can have hope for better days ahead. Being part of a supportive community where others have experienced similar challenges can give us the perspective to find the acceptance and peace needed to move on.
When things in our life change, we need to adapt to discover what we can do with our new circumstances. It takes belief in oneself to trust that no matter where we are in our life’s journey we can find meaning and purpose. The attitudes we adopt and the choices we make help determine the ease of our journey. There is a quote, “You can’t have a positive life with a negative mind”. Having a positive mindset helps us to see what is possible and what we want for ourselves. Then we need to find the motivation to follow through.
In my life I have found that I’m able to overcome adversity when I’m honest with myself and take responsibility for not letting fear keep me from moving forward. It takes mindfulness to see the truth and find possibilities beyond old, patterned thoughts that keep us stuck. When we hide the truth from ourselves to avoid doing what feels difficult, our happiness suffers. Finding our resilience and taking steps toward what we want for ourselves gives us a sense of empowerment. When we realize our happiness is under our control and we have a community to support us with meaningful connections, we know we are not alone on our journey.
Be creative in how you take action in your life. One small step in the right direction can be the start of a big change. Keep things in perspective. When we feel overwhelmed by adversity, we can make things bigger in our mind than they really are. This can leave us feeling like things will never change. This type of hopeless thinking keeps us stuck. By finding something to hope for, and things to be positive about, we start to see that better days are ahead. This helps us move through our challenges and keeps us from staying stuck.
Although we feel overwhelmed or unmotivated at times, it’s important to never give up; do something proactive, no matter how small it may seem. Remember what we do each day has a direct impact on our overall health and wellness. Fortunately, we at Acacia Creek are part of a vital, supportive community where people can stay engaged in all aspects of wellness. We are redefining what senior living is. Don’t let conventional thinking get in the way of what can be imagined. What I hear over and over from residents is: focus on doing what you can and always have hope for the future.
Article by:
Penny Vittoria
Successful Aging Coach
