Past memories, stories, and experiences of adversity that make up a senior’s life are invaluable. Their lives have been filled with life events that younger generations have yet to experience for themselves. From that middle school crush, the first relationship, marriage, all the way to being a father or mother, seniors have endured through it all. It is precisely these experiences that give seniors so much wisdom to offer. They may not be aware of it, but the younger generations need this wisdom!
Not only do younger people benefit from hearing these experiences, but seniors benefit from sharing them as well. Reminiscing is a crucial part in sharing one’s stories, and, as it turns out, has been growing as a well-established form of therapy. It improves a senior’s self-esteem and reaffirms their purpose in life. Not to mention the feelings of nostalgia that come with especially sweet memories or experiences is encouraging to the soul. There’s healing that can come with this: remembering one’s life reverts one’s focus momentarily from the pains and pressures of life currently, creating peace. By sharing their story, seniors will find that this is just a small list of benefits that they will get to enjoy.
The creative act of sharing one’s stories is the most beneficial for seniors, and there are a lot of ways to do so. Sharing your story orally has been the most prominent way. This takes finding the right times to share your story to relatives or children who are willing to listen. Even sharing stories about their younger selves will be especially engaging and nostalgic. Writing is also another way to share a story. Seniors can utilize online memoir blogs like Lifebio or order step by step workbooks that help the writing process like Story of My Life: A Workbook for Preserving Your Legacy or Family Memories: A Guided Questionnaire Journal to Preserve Family History. Scrapbooking, creating photo albums, and even creating social media posts are also a form of sharing one’s stories. By gathering pictures of special times, seniors can organize and create a story of their past.
The most important benefit for any senior sharing their story is that it is meaningful to them, and sharing it will help bring meaning to others. Future generations better buckle up and listen closely, because there is a lot to learn from our elders.
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By: Jonathan Reza
Office Support Specialist at WellPath Partners
B.S. in Philosophy at University of Redlands
M.A. candidate in Philosophy at California State University, Long Beach
