How We Define Community Centers?

The season in life has now come, where the nest is empty, or you are living alone, and there is a void of space in your life. Where you were previously caring for others and now have the free time to pursue your own interests, this is a great time to find a community center! 

If you’re not sure where to start or what to do, community centers can help provide new experiences you can try without fully committing long term. Learning what you are interested in often begins with the first step. Sign up for a new experience and live a little!

Community centers provide social experiences and the opportunity to connect and build friendships with others. A lack of social interactions can have a negative effect on your life, leading to false beliefs, including increased feelings of isolation, loneliness, and being left out or excluded. This can lead to a significant mental decline leading to sadness, depression and can increase social anxiety.

Not eating the 'right' food, that is food high in proteins, vitamins, electrolytes, etc. can have a major impact on our bodies ability to absorb nutrients and provide us with energy. Paying attention to what you eat can have a long term impact on your mind and body. When we experience a big life change, such as a spouse passing, children moving out, divorce or loss and living alone, our health can take a hit. Following self care includes caring for our bodies, we only have one! As our bodies age our ability to absorb nutrients from our food can begin to decline. If you take medications, some side effects can increase the chances of certain nutrients not being absorbed after eating. If you feel a lack of appetite due to the above mentioned items please seek medical advice and care as soon as you can. 

Always discuss with your health care provider before making any changes.

Lack of social interactions and educational experiences can have a negative affect on your mind, potentially leading to cognitive decline. Changes can be subtle, and can effect you immediately or gradually increase over time. This can include, anxiety, depression, confusion, lack of interest in life, loss of joy, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and feelings of loneliness or abandonment can begin to set in. 

There are health professionals that can help you through this transition.

Learning new skills is great at any age! Starting young, the brain is trying to understand our new world around us. Continued curiosity through life keeps the brain strong and young! Neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to adapt and change) enhances brain connectivity, which  can lead to improved memory, thinking abilities, and cognitive flexibility. Try a swim class to help with coordination, and exercise, card games helps with cognitive memory skills or a cooking class to gain confidence in the kitchen and focus on planning and enjoying meals.

Feeling a decline and lack of physical activities like walking, swimming, weightlifting or team sports can hinder a strong mind and body. Science has proven that bilateral movement (alternating left and right side actions) can have a calming effect on the mind. It can help your body release stress, anxiety and process difficult thoughts. Physical fitness can also strengthen your body as you age, resulting in stronger muscles to support your skeleton, and feel healthier in your daily life. Some community centers offer specialized classes for different age groups or abilities.

Accepting where you are at. It's easy to look around us and judge poorly of ourselves. There's always someone's stronger, smarter, funnier than we are. That's okay, remember their life path and experiences are different than yours. Meeting each other where we are at, with kindness, respect and self love can provide everyone with the opportunity to experience life in a new way, leading to self confidence and growth. We may dream of the younger years where our bodies didn't hurt every day, but the best thing we can do now is make better choices and choose ourselves.