Intelligence is not what most seniors were told – a fixed IQ number. Nor is our IQ defined by any percentage score on a paper-pencil test. So what is an intelligent senior? Let’s begin with interesting newly discovered capabilities in our brains at any age. Are you aware that we… Read more »
Have you slammed onto ruts or slipped into any boring routines lately? Have you insisted on one way only to see memory loss as we age? If so do get ready for a fun new adventure that involves our magnificent working memory at any age! If memory feels more like… Read more »
If we seniors aren’t willing to be a bumbling beginner we’ll never likely become a magnificent master.” Treated as stepping stones, our mistakes become the hallmark of mental growth. Our basal ganglia (one of our brain’s memory systems) opens wonderful windows into past memories, mistakes and events on one hand,… Read more »
Neurodiversity practices bring seniors’ benefits especially when engaged actively through imagination. Neurodiversity practices remind us that seniors experience and bring to life their world views in unique and significant ways! As we engage imagination, these differences can open new opportunities if we help seniors see their approaches as diverse rather… Read more »
When we act kindly and when we run from cruelty we also tame our brains emotional control center by adding another dose of calm to our amygdala or mental mood center. Our emotions survive after memories vanish because we store these tamed or untamed emotions listed in the chart below… Read more »
To move from a closed (or fixed) to an open (or growth) mindset is to develop and use smart skills to tame our brain’s amygdala as described below. Smart skills combine hard and soft skills to meet our daily mental and emotional problems with new possibilities. Each of Weber’s 5… Read more »
Namungos are fictitious characters with real brain parts. These little critters show us where senior growth mindsets stand, predict our ability to embrace challenges, build resilience, and thrive! Our senior brains hold remarkable tools to ensure we enjoy life to the fullest, in spite of traps that may try and… Read more »
When we see the namungos as part of our brain, we can begin to choose their ability to help us and support good choices. Whether we are aware or not, namungos are part of our lives and they can work for or against our mental and emotional health. An awareness… Read more »
Problems between seniors and their adult children weigh heavily on some seniors who struggle to work through conflicting expectations and still retain close relationships. Times have changed, and yet a growth mindset helps us to understand both worlds and to do what it takes to bridge gaps with healthy bonds… Read more »
How can we seniors practice a growth mindset to communicate better with a difficult friend or opinionated relative? How do we move beyond conflicts when closed minded critics insist on the veracity of their strongly stated fixed mindset? How can we prevent that shutting down of peaceful solutions that require… Read more »
