Every day we are always encouraged to eat with family or friends as it gives us a wide-range of benefits and that is true. It is proven that it improves a lot in you when you are eating with a good company. However, at some point in our lives, we just realize that there are inevitable, countless times that we could be eating alone for dinner or breakfast.
Ambercity Hospice, a quality provider of hospice care in Central Ave Riverside California, affirms that eating with someone improves your well-being but there are also elders who love to eat alone, go to movies alone, and do almost everything alone. Hence, eating alone does not have to be lonely at all!
How? According to the National Institute on Aging, about 19% of men and 37% of women above 65 years old live alone. But experts believe that living alone does not necessarily equate to loneliness.
Yes, living alone means eating alone often times reminds, for instance, a widow with no one to speak with about the events of the day, children, and plans makes it the issue; which in addition, can be a barrier to eating healthy.
Nevertheless, this should not be a valid reason for you to forget about taking care of your health just by bringing on popcorn and pizza every night given the frailty of your condition. Here are some ideas on how you can overcome the stresses of solo dining.
Use distractions
It would be easy for you to finish your meal without having the need to sulk at the dining table with the help of certain distractions such as newspaper, smartphones, TV, and such. These distractions will keep your mind off the emotional stress that eating alone comes with which sometimes can worsen your condition.
You can watch your favorite show, learn more about current events, and know the latest updates of friends and family. You can even invite family members and friends over Skype to eat with you. So even if you are alone in your own room, you would not feel lonely at all.
Have meal duration
Give yourself enough time in eating your meals but prevent yourself from stalling around at the dining table. The more you stay at the dining table, the more you would feel lonely. Do not be too fast though to avoid choking. If you can time yourself on the regular eating pace that you have, the better. You can ask your caregiver or nurse of hospice care in Central Ave Riverside California on how to formulate your daily timetable.
Enjoy recreational activities
Tire yourself but not to the point of exhaustion during the day. In this way, you would not be able to think much of the idea of “being alone”. Loneliness also comes when you are sleeping alone. If you are already exhausted, then it will only take a few minutes to shut your eyes off.
For more ideas on how you can stay happy even with your family members away from your side, call Ambercity Hospice today for our trusted hospice care in Central Ave Riverside California!
Leave a Reply