If you’re over the age of 65 and you think about what it means to be healthy, your first thoughts might be to think about your physical health. Keeping up your strength and flexibility, looking after your diet, noticing new aches and pains, or perhaps managing any health conditions. But that’s really only half the picture. The other half, which is often overlooked, is your emotional health.

Emotional health is how we think and feel, how we manage our emotions, cope with life’s ups and downs, and our sense of wellbeing. As we age, we can encounter different things that impact on our emotional wellbeing, for example retirement, changes to our physical health, grief, or becoming a carer. Physical health and emotional health aren’t separate things, there’s a very close relationship between the two and they often interact with one another.

Many older people don’t seek support for their emotional health when they’re struggling, for example if you’ve been feeling sad, worried, or not yourself. This might be because you don’t think your problems are severe enough to warrant help, they’re seen as a normal part of ageing, or because of a fear of being judged.

It’s very important to know that struggling with emotional health isn’t something you need to just to accept, they’re not simply a part of getting older, and there are free services available that can help. It’s also very common, as data shows that more than six in 10 people in the UK aged 65 or over have experienced low mood or worry.

In this article we take a look at the links between emotional and physical health, the importance of looking after our emotional health, and the support that’s on offer.

How your emotions impact your body

Your emotions, or how you feel, can lead to a physical response in your body. As an example, feeling worried or anxious might make you feel tense, restless, nauseous, hot and sweaty, have faster breathing and heartrate, or an upset stomach. If you feel low, you may feel low in energy and lethargic, have aches and pains in your body, or a headache.

Feeling low or worried can have a negative impact on other aspects of your physical health, like your immune system, your energy levels, and even the choices you make about what to eat or drink or what you do. For example, you might feel like eating more or less than usual, drink more alcohol than usual, or avoid activities you normally enjoy. It’s also common for these things to impact on your sleep, which in turn can impact on your physical health.

How your body impacts your emotions

In the same way, your physical health can directly impact your emotions. Coping with pain, fatigue, or lack of sleep can directly impact your mood. You might find it harder to do things you used to enjoy that lifted your mood. You might feel uncertainty or worry about your physical health or the health and wellbeing of a loved one, especially if you are caring for them. You might be finding living with a long-term health condition or disability difficult to adjust to, or if it’s harder to be active perhaps you’re more likely to avoid activities you’d usually enjoy, and feel down and lonely as a result.

Taking care of your emotional health

Much like our physical health, there are lots of things we can do ourselves to take care of our emotional wellbeing and how we feel. Often the same things we do to care for our bodies will help us look after our minds and lift our spirits. These are things like getting out into nature, keeping as active as we can, spending time with other people, eating a balanced diet, stopping smoking, avoiding drinking too much alcohol, and getting enough sleep. The NHS Every Mind Matters campaign has lots of information, tips, and advice on caring for your mind: Every Mind Matters.

Sometimes though we need to seek expert help for how we feel, for example if you find it hard to stop worrying, if you feel nervous, on edge or more irritable, if you’ve been feeling down or hopeless, or if you’ve lost interest or pleasure in doing things.

Feeling low or worried are things which can be overcome, and there are free services available which can help you feel better. We know it’s not always easy to ask for help, but tackling issues at an earlier stage means quicker access to treatment and can prevent symptoms worsening.

A service which can help, for free

Health in Mind is the free NHS Talking Therapies service for residents of East Sussex. The service provides 1 to 1 support to all adults struggling with their emotional health.

Research shows that talking therapies are often more effective for people over 65 than for any other age group, but in 2022 only 9% of referrals to Health in Mind were from people over the age of 65. This is despite the fact the proportion of people over 65s in East Sussex (26%) is much higher than the national average. This tells us there are many more older people who are struggling with their emotional health who could greatly benefit from the support the service provides, but are not finding their way to Health in Mind.

So, what do Health in Mind offer?

• Initial appointments – this is an important initial conversation with a skilled and qualified team members to together help understand your situation, work out what’s going on and what might help. This includes onward referral if needed.
• A wide variety of treatments depending on your needs. These include 1 to 1 sessions in person, over the phone, or by video.
• Helping you better understand what is going on for you and providing you with the tools and strategies to take control of your emotional health and life.
• A long-term conditions service to help people manage the emotional health impacts of living with a long-term physical health condition.

You can refer yourself directly to Health in Mind by completing a referral form. If you need support with completing the form, you could ask trusted friends or family to  support you or ask your doctor or other health professionals about making a referral.

Access to the service is usually quick, with initial appointments typically within 2 weeks of referral, where it’ll be worked out how best to meet your needs and agree next steps. When you begin to work with one of the therapists you may see benefits from the service in as little as 4 to 6 weeks. In fact, in 2022 over 70% of people over 65 referred to Health in Mind reported significant improvement in their emotional health. Of these people, 64% began with significant symptoms of worry or low mood that impacted their daily lives and at the end of their time with the service reported almost no symptoms at all.

If you are nervous about seeking help, you might like to know the Health in Mind service is completely confidential. We know it takes a lot of courage to speak about how you feel for the first time, but Health in Mind offer a safe space where you can do that, without judgement.

Why not get in touch today:

• Phone: 0300 00 30 130
• Email: spnt.healthinmind@nhs.net
• Website: Health in Mind

 

What to do if you need help more urgently?

If you need more urgent support, for example if you’re having thoughts about ending your life, then you should talk to someone and seek support straight away. Help is out there, and the first step to feeling better is to talk to someone.

Here are some of the things you can do:

• Talk to someone: Tell someone you trust how you’re feeling
• Contact your GP surgery
• Text the word SUSSEX to 85258 to speak to a trained volunteer
• Call the Silver Line Helpline for free on 0800 470 80 90

If you’d like to know more, or you’re worried about someone else, visit the Older Adults Hub.