People Who Live Their Best Life After 65 Usually Adopt These 25 Daily Habits, Says Neuroscience
Backed by neuroscience and shaped by patient stories, these small daily shifts can change how you feel and function.
cottonbro studio | Pexels I’m a doctor. Most days, I treat cancer. But I see something else eating away at my patients nearly every week — quietly, invisibly. Anxiety. Insomnia. Isolation. Emotional burnout. Mental health isn’t just about trauma or diagnosis. It’s about how we live every day.
Our choices around sleep, movement, food, and connection shape our brains just as much as our bodies. And the science now supports what ancient wisdom has long known: the mind and body are one.
These are 25 habits I try to practice myself and often recommend to patients as they age into their sixties and seventies. You don’t need to do all of them. But even a few, done consistently, can change how you think, feel, and function.
People who live their best life after sixty-five usually adopt these 25 daily habits, says neuroscience:
1. Be proactive: Walk every day
I lace up my shoes even when I don’t feel like it. A 2022 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association showed this: Adults meeting physical activity recommendations (equivalent to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking) had a lower risk of depression, compared with adults reporting no physical activity.
Walking outdoors, especially in green space, boosts dopamine, sharpens focus, and interrupts rumination loops. When I miss a day, I feel it. And when I walk, even without music or podcasts, my mind often solves problems I didn’t know I had.
2. Be social: Talk to someone today
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Loneliness doesn’t just hurt — it can kill. It increases the risk of depression, dementia, heart disease, and even early death.
Steve Cole, Ph.D., director of the Social Genomics Core Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles, frames it well:
Loneliness acts as a fertilizer for other diseases. I’ve learned that even a short, real conversation — a hallway hello, a check-in text, a shared laugh in clinic — buffers stress and strengthens mental resilience.
Connection doesn’t have to be deep. But it has to be real.
3. Be consistent: Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day
Circadian rhythms govern much more than energy levels — they regulate mood, hormone cycles, and immune function. Irregular sleep patterns are linked to higher rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms, even when total sleep hours are adequate.
As a doctor, I sometimes break this rule. But when I keep a stable schedule, everything from my focus to my patience improves. The brain craves rhythm. We aren’t meant to live like lightbulbs.
4. Be intentional: Limit your scrolling
There’s always one more reel. One more tweet. One more headline. But each microdose of distraction adds up — and drains more than time.
Studies show that heavy social media use is associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, especially in younger adults. For me, it’s about boundaries. I now charge my phone across the room at night, and schedule “scroll-free” mornings (admittedly, I have to plug it in in my office, out of reach).
5. Be nourished: Feed your gut, help your brain
The gut-brain axis isn’t wellness hype — it’s real. Short-chain fatty acids produced by gut microbes influence neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA.
Diets high in fiber, fermented foods, and polyphenols can reduce symptoms of depression. I try to eat like I’m feeding a body — and a microbial metropolis. Because I am.
6. Be selective: Watch what (and when) you drink
Caffeine affects people differently, but it’s no friend to anxiety when abused. I’ve learned to cut off coffee by noon — and switch to herbal tea if I’m wired.
Even mild dehydration can impair mood and cognition. Before reaching for supplements, ask yourself: Have I had enough water today?
7. Be grateful: Write down one good thing
It sounds small. But I do it anyway. Gratitude journaling can reduce depressive symptoms and improve emotional regulation.
It shifts focus from lack to presence. From threat to meaning. No journal? A sticky note works just fine.
8. Be proactive: Get vaccinated
As a cancer doctor, I’ve seen the emotional wreckage of preventable illness. Vaccines aren’t just for physical health — they protect mental health by reducing fear, financial stress, and social disruption.
The HPV vaccine prevents six cancers. The COVID vaccine reduces hospitalizations. When I stay up-to-date, I protect my body and peace of mind.
9. Be examined: See your primary care provider
Preventive visits aren’t thrilling — until your care provider catches something early. Mental health screening is now a standard part of many check-ups, and early intervention can be life-changing.
Sometimes, just saying, “I’m not okay,” can break a long silence. I’ve learned that being physically seen can open the door to being emotionally heard.
10. Be grounded: Spend time in nature
The science here is wild — in the best way. Spending time in green spaces can lower cortisol levels, boost mood, and even increase natural killer cell activity.
My brain settles when I walk through the woods or sit near water. No phone, no podcast — just sensory input that doesn’t demand anything in return.
11. Be creative: Make something
We’re not meant to consume all day. Creative expression activates circuits tied to pleasure and emotional regulation.
When I write or sketch, I stop ruminating and start integrating. You don’t have to be good. Just begin.
12. Be real: Talk to someone about how you’re doing
I’ve had patients who smiled through chemo — and confessed later they were falling apart. Mental strength isn’t pretending everything’s fine. It’s knowing when to ask for help.
You don’t have to wait until you’re in crisis. Sometimes, a single honest conversation can halt a downward spiral.
13. Be protective: Limit your news diet
I used to start every day with headlines. I don’t anymore. Constant news amplifies helplessness.
Studies link media overload with anxiety and PTSD. Now I check once a day — from trusted sources — and move on.
14. Be honest: Say no without guilt
Every yes is a no to something else — often your own needs. Chronic people-pleasing can lead to burnout, resentment, and emotional exhaustion.
I’ve learned to pause before committing. If I don’t have the capacity, I say so — kindly, and without apology.
15. Be present: Breathe on purpose
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It sounds cliché — until you try it. Breathing activates the vagus nerve, which helps calm the body. I use box breathing: in for 4, hold for 4.
I use box breathing: in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Even one minute can reset my mental state.
16. Be strong: Train your body
Strength training enhances mood, confidence, sleep quality, and stress resilience. It doesn’t have to mean barbells and CrossFit.
Bodyweight workouts, resistance bands, and even a backpack filled with books can be enough. When I train my body, I train my mind.
17. Be rested: Stop pretending you don’t need rest
Hustle culture glorifies burnout. But chronic sleep loss worsens anxiety, depression, and even suicide risk.
I protect rest like a prescription — not just sleep, but downtime. Rest isn’t indulgent. It’s essential.
18. Be open: Try therapy
You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Therapy provides you with tools, language, and insight that you may not find anywhere else.
While I’ve not had therapy myself, I recommend it to patients as often as medication. Strong minds seek help. Weak stigma says otherwise.
19. Be less available: Use 'do not disturb' mode
Constant pings train the brain to be anxious and reactive. I now block notifications during work hours, meals, and bedtime.
The world can wait. And when I check my phone on my terms, I feel more in control.
20. Be playful: Make room for joy.
We grow up and forget to play. But unstructured, purposeless fun play is critical for cognitive flexibility and emotional health.
I dance in the kitchen. I make bad puns. I laugh at videos of animals doing absurd things.
Joy isn’t optional. It’s protective.
21. Be mindful: Journal without editing
I don’t always know what I feel until I write it down. Free-writing helps me process thoughts that would otherwise get stuck in a loop.
Research indicates that it enhances immune function and reduces stress. I don’t write for an audience. I write to find myself.
22. Be kind: Do something nice for someone else
Kindness lifts not just others, but also the giver. It increases dopamine and lowers stress.
When I feel down, I give something small. A compliment. A thank-you. A moment of grace. It all counts.
23. Be tech-wise: Avoid screens first thing in the morning
Your brain is vulnerable when you wake up. Screens can immediately trigger comparison, urgency, or anxiety.
I try to wait at least 20 minutes before I check my email or the news. The first voice in my head should be my own, not an algorithm’s.
24. Be curious: Read something that makes you think
Curiosity is resilience. Reading calms me and stretches my mind.
Even a page or two makes me less reactive. Books remind me that life is bigger than my inbox.
25. Be forgiving: Of yourself, most of all
You won’t do all 25 of these every day. I certainly don’t. But mental health isn’t about perfection — it’s about direction.
When I fall off track, I don’t judge. I restart. And that, more than anything, is the mindset that keeps me well.
Mental health isn’t fixed — it’s shaped. By what we do. What we choose. What we repeat.
I don’t always practice all 25 of these. But I’ve learned that consistency beats intensity, and small, daily choices shift everything.
These aren’t hacks. They’re anchors. If you’re overwhelmed, start with one. Then another.
Mental health isn’t a finish line. It’s a practice. Your brain and body are inseparable. So here’s one more question worth asking: How many of the 25 ways to improve your mental well-being are you practicing?
Dr. Michael Hunter has degrees from Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of the ebook: Extending Life and Healthspan.
