Use It or Lose It
THERE���S AN EXPERIENCE I keep thinking about. I was visiting Italy pre-pandemic, enjoying a great dinner with a lovely family. I was introduced to two nonnas���grandmothers in Italian���who were in their 80s. Although fine physically, they were both suffering from dementia.
That got me thinking about how that could have happened. I���ve read plenty of research on how retiring to a simple lifestyle, and not being challenged mentally, accelerates cognitive decline. I wondered whether that���s what happened to the two nonnas. Their lives consisted of living the same day over and over, following the same basic routine for the last 60-plus years. They were rarely taxed mentally.
My contention: It���s a mistake to let the fire go out when we retire. Transitioning from a mentally challenging job to a sedentary lifestyle, where you spend a lot of time sitting around watching TV or on social media, is going to cost you.
I���m saddened when I see new retirees intentionally dumbing down their minds, trying to adjust to the slower pace of their new lives, because I fear that���ll only accelerate the decaying process. You can see it in their eyes, and in how they talk and act. They���re shells of their former selves. They���ve lost their spark, energy, inspiration and excitement about life, and it���s sad to see that happening.
When we stop growing intellectually, our memory fades, our cognitive ability diminishes and our brain physically shrinks. That is why it���s so important to create a retirement lifestyle that engages and challenges us, one that forces us to use our brain the same way we did while working. Don���t feel like you���re exerting yourself mentally? You might even consider going back to school.
That got me thinking about how that could have happened. I���ve read plenty of research on how retiring to a simple lifestyle, and not being challenged mentally, accelerates cognitive decline. I wondered whether that���s what happened to the two nonnas. Their lives consisted of living the same day over and over, following the same basic routine for the last 60-plus years. They were rarely taxed mentally.
My contention: It���s a mistake to let the fire go out when we retire. Transitioning from a mentally challenging job to a sedentary lifestyle, where you spend a lot of time sitting around watching TV or on social media, is going to cost you.
I���m saddened when I see new retirees intentionally dumbing down their minds, trying to adjust to the slower pace of their new lives, because I fear that���ll only accelerate the decaying process. You can see it in their eyes, and in how they talk and act. They���re shells of their former selves. They���ve lost their spark, energy, inspiration and excitement about life, and it���s sad to see that happening.
When we stop growing intellectually, our memory fades, our cognitive ability diminishes and our brain physically shrinks. That is why it���s so important to create a retirement lifestyle that engages and challenges us, one that forces us to use our brain the same way we did while working. Don���t feel like you���re exerting yourself mentally? You might even consider going back to school.
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