Tag: mental health

Sage Advice®

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06.29.21 | Community

Harness the power of awe by taking “awe walks”

Vibrant life encompasses a variety of experiences, from healthy eating to regular fitness to engaging with the world around us. One particularly effective – and unusual – way to pursue vibrant living is to take “awe walks.” The end-goal of these walks is simple:  to simply inspire awe in those who participate. Let’s dig in.

How to take awe walks

“Awe walks” are a more intentional way to approach something as simple as a stroll around the block. The idea is to go for a walk and seek to experience awe along the way. How the walker chooses to experience awe is entirely up to them. Awe can be found in even the smallest of everyday moments, such as appreciating the flight path of a v of migrating geese above, or marveling at the many colors that make up fall foliage.

The study of awe – how it’s inspired, and the impact it has on a person’s wellbeing – has been a primary area of focus for psychologists since the early 2000s. Just recently, a 2020 study was published in the journal Emotion examining the impact of awe walks on a population of older adults.

In the study, sixty older adults took 15-minute awe walks for a period of eight weeks. Perhaps the most exciting finding of the study was the increasing feelings of compassion and gratitude in the control group that took such awe walks. Compared to the normal-walk-talking counterparts, the awe walkers were much more focused on observing the world around them.

“One of the key features of awe is that it promotes what we call ‘small self,’ a healthy sense of proportion between your own self and the bigger picture of the world around you,” explained Dr. Virginia Sturm, lead investigator and associate professor of neurology and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California at San Francisco.

You can trust the science – or you can just as easily try it out for yourself and see what awe you uncover.

View from above of people taking a walk
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Sage Advice®

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02.19.21 | Community

Resilience is a Skill You Can Build — Here’s How

Throughout a lifetime, everyone experiences trauma, grief, failures, challenges and setbacks. Resilience is the essential skill needed to help us overcome these experiences. Some people have a better grip on the skill than others, but luckily resilience is something we’re all capable of building — today, we’ll take a look at how:

Understanding Resilience

At Sage Collective, we recognize that everyone faces adversity in life, and that stress is a natural component of the human experience. Rather than the complete elimination of stress (which would be unrealistic), we take a more pragmatic approach, advocating for stress reduction as part of our 9 Ways of Vibrant Living. Resilience is an essential tool for stress reduction. 

According to the American Psychological Association, psychologists define resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress—such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors.” Resilience isn’t just about getting through a challenge, but about emerging on the other side feeling more confident and empowered in your ability to cope and overcome adversity. 

Building Your Resilience

There are four core components that build resilience. 

The first component is easy enough to tackle: take care of your physical wellness. Often, when we take care of our body, our mind will follow suit. Taking care of your physical wellness includes maintaining a healthy diet, participating in moderate, regular physical activity and getting a good night’s sleep. If you incorporate these physical wellness habits into your daily lifestyle, you’ll begin experiencing elevated energy levels and improved moods, both of which will help you become more resilient.

The second component that follows suit is: take care of your mental wellness too. When building resilience, it’s important to both get in touch with your emotions and to learn how to control them. Mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga and breathing exercises can help with this. Practicing gratitude, developing a self-care routine and engaging in activities you love are all great ways to restore balance and wellbeing to your mind.

The third component that will help you build resilience: seek out connection. You don’t have to go through trials and tribulations alone. Rather than isolating yourself, instead build a network of trusted friends, family and community members that you rely on to validate the troubles you’re going through and to help uplift you when needed. You can also find a sense of connection and support in more structured environments such as support groups, civic groups or faith-based organizations.

And finally, the fourth component: find meaning. Going through a traumatic experience often overwhelms us with negative feelings like despair and hopelessness. Combatting these feelings with a sense of life purpose helps us maintain our groundedness and to hold onto hope and optimism. Whether you’re driven by a desire to help others or to pursue opportunities for self-discovery and improvement, finding meaning through your life purpose — and taking the steps needed to reach your goals and objectives — helps us maintain the problem-solving, motivation and drive that’s key to resilience.

Challenges will continue to come our way. With these tools to help build resilience, we hope you’re left feeling more prepared for the next time adversity comes your way.

Two hands reach out from a bright yellow field of flowers
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Sage Advice®

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12.01.20 | Sage Advice®

5 Ways to Keep Your Memory Sharp

Did you lose your car keys? (Or these days, did you misplace your mask?) Forget that item on your grocery list that you know you needed? We all suffer moments of memory loss from time to time, but by establishing certain habits, we can fight to keep our memory sharp. Today, we’re sharing five easy ways to keep your mind — and your memory — healthy!

Exercise Regularly

With a healthy body comes a healthy mind. Moderate, regular physical activity is an essential component to maintaining overall health — not just for seniors, but for every age group. Regularly exercising helps stimulate blood circulation in the whole body, including your brain, and helps aid in preventing memory loss.

Eat Healthy

Not that we should need another reason to keep a healthy diet, but here it is anyway! Feeding your body and brain with ample nutrients is a great way to keep your mind sharp. Avoiding unhealthy habits, such as drinking too much alcohol, is also an important preventative measure, as this will cloud your brain. 

Sleep Soundly

The average adult requires seven to nine hours of sound sleep each night. Hitting this mark plays an important role in maintaining memory. During the process of sleeping, our brain works to consolidate memories so we’ll recall them easier down the road. In addition to solidifying memories, sleep also aids in transferring memories from short – to long-term.

Stay Social

Social interaction is crucial to maintaining brain health, particularly for seniors that live alone. Studies show that even ten minutes of social time a day can make a difference. Spending time with friends and loved ones helps us ward off stress and depression, both of which can contribute to memory loss.

Engage Your Brain

Just as muscles become stronger with exercise, so too does the brain improve with increased mental stimulation. There are endless ways to engage your brain, such as doing a daily Crossword or Sudoku puzzle. You can satisfy brain engagement and socialization simultaneously by playing a board game with a loved one. Reading is also a good (and fun) way to stimulate your mind. Or if reading isn’t for you, try picking up another hobby, such as indoor gardening or crafting.

Not only will these five steps help improve your memory, but they’ll contribute to living a more vibrant life overall, too.

An older African American woman hugs a young kid, who kisses her cheek
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Sage Advice®

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10.20.20 | Health & Wellness

The Surprising Health Benefits of Walking

Walking is a great way to spend reflective time alone, to enjoy your neighborhood with a loved one and even to accomplish a workout. But how often do you say “let’s go for a walk around the block”? While walking is just a normal part of most of our lives, the act of going for a 30-minute walk each day actually brings with it a surprising array of health benefits. 

Walking Improves Physical Health

According to health and fitness experts, walking is far more than simply an ordinary way to get moving. Going for a walk at a moderate to brisk pace can even have health benefits parallel to that of running. According to one study conducted over six years, both the practice of going for a moderate walk and vigorous run result in reductions in risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.

That’s because walking increases cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness. It can also benefit your bone health; aiding in joint or bone stiffness and in the establishment of stronger, healthier bones. Other physical health benefits include improved balance, increased muscle strength and endurance, boosted immune function and — for those of us who may be watching our figures — decreased body fat. 

It Also Boosts Mental Health

Your physical health won’t be the only thing improved by developing a regular walking habit. Immediate impacts can be seen in increased energy levels and elevated moods — one study even suggested that going for a morning walk is more invigorating than a cup of coffee. That’s because walking improves oxygen flow throughout the body, sparking increased production of cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, hormones that help elevate energy levels.

And when it comes to your mood: walking has been demonstrated to help combat depression and anxiety, reduce symptoms of social withdrawal and even help to boost self image. Walking also encourages creative thinking — up to 60%, according to a study conducted by Stanford University. 

Maintaining this low-stress fitness regimen is also proven to slow down mental decline, improve memory and lower Alzheimer’s risk. Even further, research suggests that going for a daily walk can extend your life by reducing the risk of overall death up to 24%. 

At Sage Collective, we believe in the power of vibrant living. As a way to boost your body and mind, we see walking as an integral part of that practice, and encourage our residents to develop their own 30-minute a day habit. 

Two African-American women exercising together in the city, jogging or power walking, laughing and conversing. Buildings and trees are out of focus in the background. The one in pink is in her 60s and her friend is in her 50s.
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