Welcome to the May Edition of The#MTL Monthly. In this month’s video, Sara and Kelci discuss Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Trilogy Wine Week, and more! Click on the image above or here to watch.
Featured Club: Treasure Valley Social Club at Trilogy Valor
Each month, we feature the #MTL Calendar’s spotlight community in a fun video. This month, learn about Trilogy Valor’s Treasure Valley Social Club! Click on the photo above or here to watch. Want to learn even more about Valor? Click here!
Uncork & Unwind with Trilogy Wine Week, May 15 – 21
Raise a glass to Trilogy Wine Week, happening from May 15th – 21st! Join us for a week-long celebration of all things wine with exciting events like wine cooking demos, wine trivia, paint & sip nights, wine dinners, and more! Get ready to indulge in restaurant specials and wine flights while also doing your part for the environment by donating corks to be recycled with ReCORK.
Don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity to sip, savor, and socialize with fellow wine lovers. Cheers to Trilogy Wine Week! Check MTL for your community’s events and specials.
Take 40% Off Corkcicle Drinkware in the #MTL Shop
Sip in style with Corkcicle drinkware! In honor of Wine Week, enjoy 40% off* Trilogy-branded Corkcicle glasses in the #MTL Shop through May 31st, 2023.
*Discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Offer valid on new orders only. Cannot be combined with other offers. No cash value.
An Introduction to Healthy Longevity with Dr. Roger Landry
What Is Resilience?
Most of us have at least some concept of what resilience is. The shared experience of the pandemic, however, gave us all an “in your face” challenge to our resilience. When our rituals and our basic connection with the world were suddenly disrupted, we were forced to confront situations which challenged our value system as well as our health. In the process, we were all given the opportunity to practice resilience, or not. Most of us now view resilience as something of great value if we are to be all we can be and experience a healthy longevity.
Hemingway told us in A Farewell to Arms: “The world breaks everyone, and afterward some are strong at the broken places.” I think his words provide a strong image of resilience.
As an engineering and physical term, resilience is defined as “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.” As a human characteristic, the definition is extended to include the ability to limit the adverse effects of the inevitable curveballs life sends our way. Where we are not able to bounce back or protect ourselves from life’s “slings and arrows,” it’s clear that, throughout our lives, we would continue to decline, and a healthy longevity would not be possible.
What Are the Characteristics of a Resilient Person?
Dr. Al Seibert, in his seminal book, The Resiliency Advantage, lists the common characteristics of highly resilient people:
Positive Outlook
Flexibility
Strong Sense of Purpose
Mindfulness
Concern for Others
Sense of Humor
Healthy Lifestyle
Since these traits can be cultivated and strengthened, it follows that resilience itself can be cultivated. It is not a have or have not characteristic. Most researchers agree on what the core traits of resilience are, however, they also agree that it is much more complex than a list of behaviors.
Drilling Down on the Foundations of Resilience
An important aspect of our resilience is related to our mindset. Mindset is a habitual mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations. A mindset can be a fixed, growth, or combination. A fixed mindset basically believes our potential is predetermined, whereas a growth mindset believes our effort and attitude determine our abilities. We can see, then, that a fixed mindset would not lend itself to traits like positive outlook, flexibility, and purpose. It is possible to alter any fixed mindset tendencies, but as with most lifestyle changes, it requires patience and a disciplined, small-step approach. We will fully explore this topic in the third of our four-part Keynote Speaker Series on resilience.
Another major aspect of our resilience is related to our Emotional Intelligence (EQ). This is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.
Emotions are natural instinctive states of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. They allow us to automatically adapt in order to survive or be successful. We share some emotions with other mammals, but, as humans, we differ due to our highly developed brain cortex. Our brain is both an asset – allowing us the capacity to modify our responses when appropriate – and a liability – our thoughts can stimulate emotions which drive our behavior. This has the potential to cause and potentiate the negative effects of stress, and with it, chronic disease. Low emotional intelligence interferes with relationships and the development of resilience. The resilience traits of mindfulness, concern for others, and sense of humor are tied to our EQ. Our final virtual presentation in our four-part series will explore EQ.
Lastly, our ability to manage stress is a critical determinant of the strength of our resilience. Cognitive Behavior Theoryis the concept which explains how external events, and more importantly, our reactions to external events, drive our emotions which in turn, drives behavior. Very much related to emotional intelligence concepts, this theory focuses on our ability to monitor and manage both perceived and real stress. The traits of mindfulness and sense of humor relate to our cognitive behavior aptitude. The second session of our series will explore this very important area.
Summing Up and an Invitation
We all need resilience to weather life’s challenges and to experience a healthy longevity. Fortunately, we can build and strengthen our resilience by strengthening traits which are consistently associated with powerful resilience. Trilogy and BlueStar are offering a special virtual series on resilience. I would like to offer a personal invitation to join me in this series, whether live or recorded. I’m sure you will be better for it, and ready for the next challenges in your life. See you there!
– Dr. Roger Landry
Did you miss the first event in Dr. Landry’s four-part series on resilience? Click here to view the recording, and be sure to join us for the second part on Saturday, August 19th.
Summer Travels with Reciprocal Access
Planning your summer travel? Wherever your adventure may take you, don’t forget to take advantage of our unique Reciprocal Access program that allows you to enjoy the benefits of being a Trilogy Member away from home! This means that you can enjoy an afternoon by the pool, a good workout in a fully equipped fitness center, grab a bite to eat at a signature restaurant, and meet other Trilogy Members from across the country.
To request your access, as well as explore other Trilogy communities and their amenities, click here.
“Fatigue is a common complaint for every age group, but onset of fatigue post age 50 is especially pervasive and often not adequately addressed. There is an idea that fatigue is a normal part of aging and should be expected. Once a short list of causes are ruled out, patients often find themselves dealing with a daily struggle to maintain their energy for a decent number of hours per day. Although it is true that some decline is to be expected, you should be able to report that you feel great in the morning after a good night of sleep and have a new burst of energy in the afternoon (even if a short nap is required) that carries you well into the evening. If your fatigue is more severe than this (I.e., you never feel energized, you have a crash by the afternoon, or you are asleep by early evening), it’s time to take further measures to feel good.”
Click here to read the full article. You can read all of Dr. Amy’s Wellness Journals at any time on MTL by clicking on More Fun Stuff > Dr. Amy and then selecting the Wellness Journals tab.
