AGING BABY BOOMERS' LOCKDOWN INSIGHTS

 AGING BABY BOOMERS' LOCKDOWN INSIGHTS

The lockdown year may be described as 'An Adult Time-Out.' After all, we were cut-off from most, if not all, family and friends. Similar to being grounded, we could not go outside and enjoy fun social activities.

Distraction-free alone-time left Baby Boomers with only our thoughts for company. Uh-oh! Inevitably, we reflected on life's journey, thus far. Double Uh-oh!!

Mainly, boomers measured our happiness vs. unhappiness levels. Low happiness scores led to pesky questions, such as whether we had settled for less that what we actually want/wanted, regarding relationships (or lack thereof), living situations (where we live, with whom we live), et cetera.

And, that led to trips down memory lane, with occasional stopovers to ponder: 'what was I thinking when I ...;' 'why did I choose ...;' 'what decisions steered me to present circumstances ...;'  and other mysteries.

Some insights generated deep self-analysis in order to clarify decision-making rationale. Boomers attempted to unravel troublesome conundrums, such as: 'why do I have relationships with certain people, particularly relationships that lack joy and fulfillment but provide plenty of heartache and disappointment.'

These thought-sessions often concluded with the mind-boggling, always-powerful question: 'Why do people (I) stay in unhappy relationships?'

On the other hand, some of us reviewed significant breakups and decided at least one, maybe several, may possibly be repaired. As a result, quite a few boomers are in the process of mending long-standing feuds and reconciling with estranged family members and friends. Have you? Will you?

COMMENTARY

Typically, most Baby Boomers confronted past regrets back when we conducted midlife reviews. Then, many of us vowed to stop accumulating regrets, with the intention that our end-of-life reviews would be regret-free.

Do not be dismayed if lockdown introspections revealed you did indeed accumulate additional regrets. Or haven't completely let go of old ones. Most boomers have the same experience. Join the club.

Frankly, it is almost impossible to have zero regrets. Nonetheless, moving forward post lockdowns we have a chance for a fresh start.

Use this opportunity to aim high and once again declare vows of No More Regrets. Maybe Baby Boomers will be the ones to achieve this lofty goal. Hooray for us!!!

STAY TUNED ...

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email:  drwendykyman@gmail.com

 

CONSEQUENCES OF LOCKDOWNS ON AGING BABY BOOMERS' EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

CONSEQUENCES OF LOCKDOWNS ON AGING BABY BOOMERS' EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

Remember when we trusted lockdowns would only last 2 weeks? Ooops! 

Lots of Baby Boomers used the supposed brief break to tidy closets, attics, garages, and basements.

We did jigsaw puzzles, read or re-read classics, watched old movies, sorted through photos, et cetera.

Our interest in those projects was short-lived. The lockdowns were not. Sure our closets looked good - so what. Boomers wanted our lives back. But our lives were forced to change direction and take a nightmarish detour.

Generally speaking, we missed everyone and everything that gave our lives purpose.

We missed the pleasures that contributed to our joy.

We missed endeavors and adventures that inspired us to pursue and accomplish new objectives.

As time went by anguish increased and the emotional wellbeing of countless boomers deteriorated. Many of us felt varying degrees of emptiness, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, fear, misery, and other signs of distress.

With lockdowns mostly ended, the task now is to activate our Baby Boomer superpower to regain emotional wellbeing and move forward. How?

COMMENTARY

How do Baby Boomers recover and regain emotional wellbeing?

Ultimately, we need to be proactive, not reactive, to find ways to release a year's worth of pent-up emotions that have left us emotionally shaken, unsettled, maybe even traumatized.

One way to be proactive is setting goals.

Next, focus on a plan. What course of action will you take to reach your chosen goals?

Decide if you will go on a solo recovery journey or rely on supportive family and friends to heal.

NOTE 1: Try this seemingly simplistic but proven successful approach.

Joy, love, and laughter are healing. Frankly though, they will not automatically erase all negative emotions. If only...

Still, focusing attention on positive emotions, rather than being immersed in negative ones, is a worthy goal.

Therefore, why not set a goal to pursue whatever and whoever brings joy to your life? Add large doses of love and huge portions of laughter.

NOTE 2: Life experience has taught Baby Boomers that one-size does not fit all. If the above recovery plan doesn't resonate with you, keep searching for a plan that does. Do not give up until you regain your version of a 'zest for life!'

NOTE 3: Heartfelt condolences to boomers who feel overwhelming grief for the loss of loved ones - or other reasons. If you believe the emotional trauma is too severe to overcome, give yourself the gift of counseling.

A well-trained, reputable professional will help you navigate through your pain and sorrow. Sending wishes that you receive whatever is needed to bring comfort and to ease the recovery journey.

STAY TUNED ...

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: drwendykyman@gmail.com

CONSEQUENCES OF LOCKDOWNS ON AGING BABY BOOMERS' PHYSICAL HEALTH & WELLBEING

CONSEQUENCES OF LOCKDOWNS ON AGING BABY BOOMERS' PHYSICAL HEALTH & WELLBEING

After a year focused primarily on Covid, aging Baby Boomers are starting to assess our current physical wellness status.

Were you one of the many boomers who avoided (neglected) all non-Covid-related medical and health needs?

For example:

Did you cancel regularly scheduled doctor and dental appointments?

Did you suspend in-process treatments for medical conditions?

Did you delay diagnostic screenings and tests?

A lot of boomers also discontinued our usual physical activity.

A year later, comparing pre-pandemic levels with current ones, quite a few of us notice decreased agility, muscle tone, strength, flexibility, et al. Groan!

Another unwelcome result: Over-indulging in delicious comfort food combined with lack of physical activity equals ... you guessed it ... weight gain. Sigh!

On a shallow note: We may as well blame Covid and lockdown-related stress for sags that have gotten saggier, bags that have gotten baggier, wrinkles that have gotten wrinklier, and on and on. Sob!

COMMENTARY

As lockdowns ease, vaccines continue to be administered, and effective therapeutics become more widely available, life will hopefully return to normal.

By the way, who gets to define normal?

We do!

Baby Boomers get to define (and redefine, whenever we choose) what is normal - for us.

Regaining optimal health and wellbeing is an essential step in the journey to our version of normal life.

NOTE: 'Optimal' is based on your customary wellness status.

That means resuming treatments for ongoing medical conditions, scheduling diagnostic screenings for suspected ailments, and attending to general health care issues - when you are ready, but as soon as possible.

Optimistically, in the foreseeable future boomers will feel safe participating in in-door group activities. When that time arrives, consider joining a gym. Or enroll in classes. Try yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, or ... 

Until then, use the warm weather as motivation to go outside and enjoy the sunshine (protected by sunscreen). Start with short walks and build up from there.

Just get active!

 

CONSEQUENCES OF LOCKDOWNS ON AGING BABY BOOMERS' COGNITIVE HEALTH & WELLBEING

 CONSEQUENCES OF LOCKDOWNS ON AGING BABY BOOMERS' COGNITIVE HEALTH & WELLBEING

PRE-LOCKDOWNS: Baby Boomers commiserated and joked among ourselves when sharing stories of memory lapses, lost words, communication blunders, and awkward oops incidents.

Our stories included frustrations regarding endless searches for forgotten names and misplaced items, plus other common age-related nuisances.

POST-LOCKDOWNS: Nowadays, although boomers may commiserate, hardly any of us are in the mood to joke after being deprived of necessary opportunities to keep our cognitive skills sharp - due to Covid-quarantines.

Nope. There is nothing funny about our brain activity (cognition) accumulating a bit (a lot) of rust while we were trying to avoid a heinous virus.

And, there is nothing surprising about a year of nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no social events affecting boomers' cognitive health and wellbeing.

Add stress to the mix, and the consequences are profound. Aaargh!

COMMENTARY

HARSH REALITY: To varying degrees, Baby Boomers will experience slower response times to questions, hesitancy in decision making, muddled thoughts, et cetera - when emerging from lockdowns.

Are we able to recover from 'rust-on-the-brain'? Yes.

Do we have to put effort into regaining our peak levels of cognitive health and wellbeing? Yes.

We are The Baby Boomers!

We can and will do it!!!

STAY TUNED ...

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: drwendykyman@gmail.com