It has been estimated that about 18% of all seniors in this country live alone and that 43% of them experience feelings of loneliness regularly. This is something that should be taken very seriously since loneliness can increase your chance of developing all sorts of diseases such as dementia and heart disease. If you want to live a longer and happier life, you should try to build a stronger social circle around you, even if it seems difficult to you at first. Let’s take a look at a few things that will help you stay more socially active as you age.
Consider Senior Living
If you haven’t considered moving to a senior community and you regularly feel lonely, you definitely should as it will push you to interact with other people and build new bonds. A good community will also allow you to get peace and privacy whenever you wish. Most of them will have a wide array of social activities, clubs, and classes that will help you connect with other residents, and these could literally add years to your life. If you’re looking for a community that has a great sense of community and offers multiple types of living arrangements and activities, we suggest you check out Monarch at https://monarchcommunities.com/our-communities/bella-terra-jackson-nj/.
Give Back
Joining or even starting a charity can also be a good way to build strong social bonds while helping your community. If you choose a cause that is close to your heart, you will naturally be around people who share the same goals and vision as you. This will allow you to make friends really fast, and across different age groups too.
Join a Health Club or a Gym
Try to see if there are health clubs or gyms in your area that are welcoming to seniors or even cater to them. This will give you the chance to build connections with other people while staying active. Exercise can help ward off the effects of depression too, which will make living alone easier if this is your current situation.
Join a Class
Joining a class could also be a good way to build social connections while learning a new skill or craft. If you’re artistically minded, now could be a good time to learn something like painting, sculpting, or pottery. Or maybe you could join a language class in your area? All of those things will allow you to effortlessly engage with strangers and make new friends.
Travel More
If you have lots of time on your hands and never got the chance to travel the world while you were younger, now could be a great time to do so. Try to pick a senior-friendly destination and do as much research as possible on any destination before you go so you know if it will be safe and if you’ll be able to connect with the locals. Picking a destination that attracts quite a few foreigners is also good as it will make communication a bit easier.
These are all things you should consider doing if you’re feeling socially isolated. Above all, try to rebuild bonds with the people closest to you if you’ve been neglecting them, and don’t be afraid to try new things even if you’re older.
