Winter Blues

The festive season is over and getting back into a regular routine can be hard for anyone. For many of our clients, our fabulous care teams are the only people they see each week.

But sometimes all we need is a little reminder of what’s good for us, particularly when we’re feeling a bit down. Here’s a few tips to help you stay positive:

• Add routine into your day. Waking up late and not having regular meal times isn’t great. By getting into a routine your body knows what to expect when and makes you feel more in control of yourself.
• Get out! Being outside and simply moving gets those positive endorphins going, blowing away the cobwebs of yesterday’s worries.
• Eating healthier pumps your body full of energising nutrients that will give you strength, rather than junk food that will leave you feeling lethargic.
• Make time for the things you love. It can be easy to push aside your hobbies and passions, prioritising work and other people. You are ultimately your number one, take care of yourself. Life is too short not to enjoy and do the things you love. 
• Try Yoga. It’s a great way to build strength and balance, as well as decreasing stress and anxiety levels. We’ll be talking more about Yoga for over 65 year olds in a few weeks time – so check in again.
• Talk to friends and family. Who knows they might be feeling just the same or have done in the past. It’s always good to talk, keeping thoughts bottled isnt good for you and will only make you feel worse.
• If down and sad emotional feelings persist however, please make sure you seek professional advice. They are there to help, and sometimes we need a little more guidance than we might have originally thought.

In addition, Age UK offers a number of local activities and programmes to aid older people with feelings of loneliness. They host a befriending service which pairs clients with a volunteer for either a “Call in Time” telephone service or a “Face to Face” befriending service.

Alina Homecare is here to help.