You may already feel a sense of purpose rooted in your identity, religion, job or something else. You may feel purposeful when you’re parenting, leading a small group at your church or working hard at your job, for example.
If not, that doesn’t mean you don’t have purpose — everyone does. So how can you figure out yours?
For Voskuhl, it’s about staying open-minded and trying new things. “To remain ‘young at heart’ is to be curious, to learn and explore,” she said. “This can lead to things that catch their imagination, things they can find purpose in doing.”
Hennawi said there are “multiple steps, keeping in mind the importance of tailoring the recommendations to the individual’s interest and abilities, to sustain engagement.”
Examples he provided include:
- Keeping your mind active with things like chess, reading and brain games.
- Doing artsy activities, such as painting, drawing and listening to or playing music.
- Engaging in lifestyle interventions, such as exercise groups, cooking and social engagement.
These activities promote health and boost dopamine levels, which help a person feel happy and rewarded.
“I would add that I try to promote a sense of purpose even for my patients that already experienced a cognitive decline, with activities such as reminiscence, creating picture albums, music from the past, movies and books from a specific era,” he added.
Other factors associated with feeling purpose are time, schooling, community and — for better or for worse — strong political views.
Additionally, a study in Frontiers in Psychology calls this process “life-crafting.” The authors suggest discovering your values and passions, reflecting on your current and desired competencies and habits, thinking about your social life and a possible future career, writing about the ideal future, recording specific goals, making contingency plans, and committing to the goals you set.
All of that to say, while the idea of “feeling purposeful” or “finding your purpose” can sound big, scary and existential, it doesn’t have to be impossible (or even all that hard). Basically, lean into your interests, skills, relationships, positive traits and values, and you may already be well on your way to a lowered risk of dementia.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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