Turns out, sitting quietly and reflecting on your life isn’t a waste of time — science says it’s one of the best things you can do for your brain. Rally breaks down the surprising research on how life reflection can sharpen your thinking, lift your mood, and even help protect against dementia. In this episode, you’ll get five simple ways to make meaningful contemplation a part of your everyday routine.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Rally:
Hey there, Beautiful People…welcome back to the Silver Beast Podcast! So glad you’re here. Hope you’re doing well!
I’m Rally Preston, and today, I got a little something for you that might be even more thought-provoking than usual. Well, we’ll see…
But first, I gotta set this one up…
So a few weeks ago, my wife caught me doing something I haven’t done in a while.
I was just…sitting and …thinking.
On my back porch. No iPhone, no book. Just me and my coffee, looking at the clouds.
I guess this alarmed my wife. ‘Where’s his smartphone? – what’s he doing?’ She comes out and asks me if I’m OK.
I tell her I’m fine… just contemplating life, I tell her.
The frown on her face told me that maybe that wasn’t the best answer. Just sitting with your own thoughts…might be reason for concern I guess. <chuckles> Should have told her I was just practicing my multiplication tables. Might’ve gotten me a weird look, but we could’ve moved on! Oh well.
But you know, it did cross my mind afterwards, maybe that wasn’t such a great idea – being alone with your thoughts like that – at my age. Maybe it’s dangerous? Maybe it’s like playing with a Ouija board – could bring out some bad juju or something.
I gotta say, in my defense, my grandad was a thinker like that. Man of few words, but always thinking.
I remember as a kid watching my granpappy on his back porch stoop. He’d grab a small block of wood, and start whittling while he thought. Those wood shavings would pile up at his feet like a little snow drift. On rare occasions, he’d pause, look up, and make some wise proclamation about life – I can’t remember what now – then went right back to whittling – lost again in his thoughts.
So what do you think? Do you take the time to reflect back on your life as an older adult? Do you think that’s a good thing or bad thing?
Well, let’s find out what the science says about this…
So, if you’re contemplative type – good news! Turns out, this kind of deeper, inward-looking reflection – it’s actually really, really good for our older adult brains.
Alright, let’s get some proof…
First off, there’s this study from University College London, and they found that older adults who spend time reflecting on their thoughts and feelings, – they have better brain health.
And not just a little bit better. They had improved cognition and better glucose metabolism…which is basically how well your brain turns fuel into thinking power. And another plus, thinking deeper thoughts like that might even reduce your risk of dementia.
Well, that got my attention. Because here I am, 70 years old, and I spend too much time worrying about stupid things, like, whether I closed the garage door, or if I forgot to turn off the oven, or did I leave the clothes in the dryer? Not a lot of deep daily thoughts going on there.
But yeah, it turns out one of the best things I can do for my brain is just…think about my life? It can’t be that easy, right?
I guess it is.
So contemplation, this life review stuff, it also helps with depression…
And look, I know a lot of us Silver Beasties deal with that from time to time. You retire, the kids are busy with their own lives, maybe you’ve lost some family members and friends along the way…it’s easy to feel a little down sometimes.
But studies show that when older adults take time to reflect on their past experiences — especially the good stuff, the achievements, the meaningful moments — it significantly reduces depressive symptoms.
It’s like…when you really think about your life, you start to see a pattern, I guess. You know, you find a common thread. You realize, “Hey, I actually did some pretty cool stuff. I mattered then. And that carries over to – I still matter now.”
Alright, that’s powerful.
Now here’s where this gets even more interesting…
There’s a big difference between passive TV watching — which, let’s be honest, a lot of us do plenty of — and active contemplation.
When you’re watching TV, your brain is just…receiving. It’s like being a passenger in a car. You’re going somewhere, but you’re not doing the driving.
But when you’re actively thinking about your life? Taking a little inventory of your experiences? Making some sense out of the journey? That’s when you’re in the driver’s seat. Your brain’s working. It’s making connections, finding meaning, building up that mental muscle.
And the research backs this up — this kind of active thinking actually improves how your brain handles stress. They say it changes your inflammatory response for the better, and that of course is a bonus for your heart health too.
So you’re not just sitting around spacing out when you’re reflecting on life. You’re doing important work. Mental work that keeps you sharper and healthier.
Now, you might be thinking: “OK, I’m retired. I got nothing but time to think. Maybe too much time. I don’t need to think more — I need to think less!”
I hear you. But there’s a difference between pondering the pretty useless stuff — like, you know, those worries and regrets that wake you up at 3 AM — and meaningful contemplation.
Contemplation is more like…taking a walking tour of your own history. You’re looking at where you’ve been, but you’re also making sense of it too. Finding the meaning. Connecting the dots.
Science says that kind of meaning-making is a big plus for us older adults.
Research shows that having a sense of purpose in life — understanding that your life has meaning — it’s one of those, solid cornerstones of successful aging. They say it gives you motivation to take care of yourself, stay engaged, to keep on moving forward.
And that kind of reflection, contemplation, whatever you want to call it – life review – it’s how you can find purpose. Or if you need to, rediscover it.
You think back on what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, what you’ve gotten through somehow…and you start to see your life as a story. A story with some real meaning to it.
And when you see that? Well it changes everything.
The research says your life satisfaction goes way up. Your mood improves. You feel more connected to yourself and to the people around you.
Here’s one way they put it: “You become the author of your own story instead of just a character wandering through the pages with no clue what’s gonna happen next.” And I think that’s a pretty good way to look at it.
So here’s what you can take away from all this, Silver Beasties.
Thinking about your life — really thinking, not just worrying — that’s not wasted time. It’s not being lazy. It’s not “doing nothing.”
It’s one of the smartest things you can do for your brain, your mood, and just your overall well-being.
You’re kind of engaging the gears on your natural wisdom-making machinery instead of letting it sit still and rust.
Alright, so let’s get practical here. How do you actually do this? How do you practice the wisdom of contemplation?
Here are some simple action steps:
Step One: Schedule Your Thinking Time.
I know that sounds weird, but seriously — block out some time, put it on the calendar, whatever. Maybe it’s 15 minutes every morning with your coffee. Maybe it’s when you walk the dog, Maybe it’s Sunday afternoons on the porch. Pick a time and just do it. No phone, no TV, just you and your thoughts.
Step Two: Pick a Life Chapter to Reflect On.
Don’t try to review your whole life at once — that’s overwhelming. Start with one period. Maybe your first job. Or when your kids were little. Or a challenge you overcame, in your career, your life. Just think about what happened, how you handled it, and what you learned.
Step Three: Ask Yourself Good Questions.
Questions like: What am I proud of from that time? What did that teach me? How did that help shape me into who I am today? What would I tell my younger self about that moment? Ha, ha – that could be interesting!
Step Four: After you’ve asked yourself those questions, Write Some of It Down.
Don’t need to write a book here. Just jot down a few thoughts – uh, your accomplishments, what you’ve learned, your values, beliefs, your talents, and so on. Nobody has to see it. Write out what you remember, and what it meant to you. Writing helps you process things in a little different way than just thinking those thoughts does.
And Step Five: Share Your Stories.
Now this is next-level stuff. But if you’re comfortable enough, you can talk to your spouse, your kids, your friends about what you’ve been reflecting on. The younger generations are the masters of this on social media right? But for us, sharing little snippets of our life story with others not only helps you process it better, but it also gives the people you love a gift — they get to know you on a deeper level – and that’s a good thing for everybody.
So there you have it, Silver Beasties.
The wisdom of contemplation.
It’s free, it’s good for your brain, and it might just help you see your life in a whole new light.
So the next time someone catches you just sitting and thinking – no need to apologize or make up some excuse.
Tell them you’re doing important brain work. And if you’re really brave…tell them they should try it sometime. Well, that could go either way – be careful there.
Bottom line is, take the time to think about your amazing life and the things you’ve accomplished once in a while. Science says it’ll do your mind and body good.
Alright, thanks so much for being here. And I will catch you next time on the Silver Beast Podcast! Take care!