Reaching out to your mom on Mother’s Day not only sustains an emotional bond  -- it can also  reduce reduce her stress, increase her happiness and help avoid social isolation, says Virginia Tech’s Rosemary Blieszner, co-author of "Spiritual Resiliency and Aging: Hope, Relationality, and the Creative Self."

Quotable

“People lead full, busy lives. Sometimes getting caught up in everyday demands on time and energy makes us forget the importance of acknowledging the people we love,” said Blieszner, an alumni distinguished professor. “Traditions such as celebrating Mother’s Day help us pause and take a moment to do just that. Keeping close relationships close sustains emotional bonds; having close ties also promotes health and well-being, because feeling loved and loving others reduces stress and elevates happiness.”

“So this Mother’s Day, show some love to all the moms in your life – biological or adoptive mother, a mother you admire, a person who acted like a mother for you, someone who taught you a crucial lesson, the grandmother who was always there for you.”

Background

Social isolation and loneliness are indicators of functional decline in older adults and poor health among children 20 years later.

About Blieszner

Alumni Distinguished Professor Rosemary Blieszner is also interim dean of Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. She is co-author of Spiritual Resiliency and Aging: Hope, Relationality, and the Creative Self. She’s been quoted in The New York Times and other publications  Full bio here.

Interview Blieszner

To secure a print or broadcast interview with Rosemary Blieszner, contact Cecilia Leonard in the Virginia Tech Media Relations office: ceciliae@vt.edu or (540) 357-2500.

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