Thursday, July 17, 2014

Being a Self-sufficient Widow

Being self-sufficient is defined in the dictionary as independent, supporting oneself without the help of others.  Well, that couldn’t explain better what we have to become when our loved ones dies.
One person’s stress is another person’s challenge because people differ considerably when it comes to the feeling of being in control.
A study of 683 people aged 70 years and over living in New Zealand revealed that those with a feeling of control feel generally good about life, are less likely to be depressed, are healthier and are more likely to participate in exercise.  Based on these observations, psychiatrists think it likely that depression is tied to a person’s sense of control and how self-sufficient they are.
According to researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education in Berlin, aging people that anticipate the loss of friends as they grow older and make deliberate efforts to make new ones are more successful at being self-sufficient and happy.
The successfully adjusted widows were more self-reliant, more tolerant of being alone, more perseverance in the face of stress.  In addition they considered their lives as meaningful.  It’s likely that this “pioneering spirit” acts as a powerful motivator for the widows to accomplish more and therefore stay alive longer.
Quote by Cicero :  “But it is our duty…to resist old age; to compensate for its defects by watchful care; to fight against it as we would fight against disease”

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