Senior Living News

For many across the nation, September marks a turning of the pages. For kids of all ages, the month is synonymous with back-to-school season. Young grandkids may start showing you drawings and art creations from their time at school while older teens may be talking about football games and the approach of homecoming.

For those not returning to school, September often heralds the coming of autumn; by later in the month, the leaves around Creve Couer may even start to change and fall, and weather can begin turning brisk at a moment's notice.

Into all this change, you have the opportunity to effect something positive. September is National Courtesy Month, a time to remember your manners and show them to others to create an even more positive environment in our assisted living community. We're not saying our residents are lacking manners, but life can get busy or stressful for us all, and sometimes it's hard to remember to take a moment to smile or greet others.

Here are a few tiny habits to practice during National Courtesy Month and throughout the rest of the year.

• Smile. Scientists have actually linked purposeful smiling with a reduction in your own stress, and smiling to others can make you seem more approachable. It's a great habit to get into for courtesy purposes, but there are even more reasons to adopt a smiling affect for yourself.
• Say hello. Greeting a person as you pass them in the hall or dining area says "I see you and value you enough to take a moment to acknowledge you." It's not just a common courtesy, though — saying hello and asking how someone is can lead to conversation and increased friendship, which is good for you too.
• Say thank you. This might seem like a basic tenet of manners taught to kindergartners, but when we're busy or not feeling well, it can be easy to forget to express appreciation. It's also sometimes harder to say thank you when we feel embarrassed about the assistance we might be receiving. Push through these things to give a heartfelt thank you to staff members who provide you assistance and friends in the assisted living community that perform small acts of kindness for you. Gratitude is another courtesy that's as good for you as it is for those you show it to.
• Take time for little acts. You don't have to go big to show kindness and courtesy to others. Simply take a few minutes out of your day for little acts, such as holding a door for someone behind you or opening a door for someone unable to do so. Carrying small items, dropping in to see how a friend is, writing a thank you note or making a call to someone you haven't heard from in a while are all little acts that can bring big results as you do them each day.

While Miss Manners might have made courtesy out to be something you do for the sake of polite society and others, you can see from the list above that small acts of kindness have their own reward. Take some time to consider how you can include more courtesy in your day to positively impact the assisted living community at Creve Couer and your own life.