I believe two of the main things an individual can focus on in middle adulthood to maintain their quality of life
Jennifer Zasadny
YesterdayApr 24 at 7:59am
I believe two of the main things an individual can focus on in middle adulthood to maintain their quality of life is their health, and their relationships.
In Heejeong’s (2016) article, it mentions that “moderate and systematic activity is one of the factors that most affects quality of life.” As children, and even through college, we are outside running around or playing sports; we are active and moving. As we get older, our focus leans more towards work and responsibilities of being a homeowner or family (Heejeong, 2016). Our physical health takes a backseat, which is terrible, because if we are not taking care of ourselves, how can we go to work and take care of the family? Exercise, as well as eating healthy, play a huge role in our mental and emotional health on top of our physical wellbeing (Heejeong, 2016). Some people may argue and say they do not have time to work out or plan a healthy meal. My counter to that would be to ask how much time is spent staring at their phone or binging TV? Watch TV while preparing a healthy meal. Any time there’s a commercial break, do some jumping jacks or other quick movement. We make time for what we want to make time for, and our health has to be a priority.
Choi’s (2015) article mentions that marital relationships have proven to give the benefits of better health and a longer life. Part of this is because an individual’s spouse is viewed as a support source. (Choi, 2015) With divorce being high in the United States, and a large number of people on their second marriage, it can sometimes be difficult to believe this truth. However, if we work hard to not fall under Gottman’s four horsemen apocalypse: criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling; there could be a better chance of believing that marriage leads to a happier and healthier life. (Broderick and Blewitt, 2020) While these are strongly important in marriage, it is also important for all relationship types – friendships, family, peers, etc. Even introverts need a companion of some sort. We were not made to live a solitary life, but a life of community – whether that is found in a spouse or otherwise. The stronger and better relationships we have, the healthier overall we will be.
References:
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The Life Span: Human Development for Helping
Professionals. essay, Pearson Education, Inc.
Choi, H., Yorgason, J. B., & Johnson, D. R. (2015). Marital quality and health in Middle and later adulthood: Dyadic Associations. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 71(1), 154–164. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu222
Heejeong Choi, Jeremy B. Yorgason, David R. Johnson, Marital Quality and Health in Middle
and Later Adulthood: Dyadic Associations, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 71, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 154–164, https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1093/geronb/gbu222
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