Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Aging is inevitable; you can fight it, embrace it, curse it or settle into it; however you face it, here are 30 tips to make it a little easier
—
Wouldn’t it be great if getting older came with an instruction book? If there were specific things you could do to make your days brighter, your aging easier?
I’ve been writing books about aging since I was in my mid-thirties (Alone Not Lonely: Independent Living for Women Over 50; and More Than Mere Survival: Conversations with Women Over 65). This topic was preparation for my later years. I wanted to continue seeing the glass as half-full, rather than half-empty. I needed information. My friendships with older women mentors, provided a sounding board for ideas. I wanted to learn by observation what it was like to grow old. Now it’s 18 years semi-retired from a hospital social work position, still practicing psychotherapy and writing. This time has been spent constructing a rich and satisfying life as a solo ager. I’ve become conscious of what I need in terms of comfort (good friends, music, laughter, mysteries, new adventures, community action and a wonderful chunk of bread) and purposefully brought these ideas home.
Yet however powerful I think I may be, I know for myself you don’t push back aging.
You can stall it by mindfulness and taking great good care. But truthfully, there are physical limitations, vulnerabilities and issues of memory.
These realities need to be acknowledged and accepted with, hopefully, some grace and good humor. (And with whatever additional help you need.) Bottom line on Aging: you respect it, you live it!
What helped me and my therapy clients has been the easily digested motivational “slogans” I created. These could be thought through, discussed, internalized and acted upon at appropriate times. My belief is to look at aging with a more take-charge, positive attitude.
Try on. Practice. For one month.
Day 1) Please put yourself on a phone diet
Day 2) Acknowledge, then let go of regret
Day 3) Inhale to count of 4, exhale 8
Day 4) Enjoy candlelight at any time
Day 5) Journal what makes you happy
Day 6) Use bedroom solely for sleep and sex
Day 7) Don’t “should” on yourself — it’s judgmental
Day 8) Finalize will, health proxy, power of attorney
Day 9) Play tourist in your city
Day 10) Keep arguments under 20 minutes
Day 11) Celebrate your half-birthday
Day 12) Be nourished by a lake, river, ocean
Day 13) Seatbelts always, everywhere
Day 14) Don’t stand up to put on underpants
Day 15) Finish dinner before 7pm
Day 16) Know and appreciate your pharmacist
Day17) Expect to be treated with kindness
Day 18) Count age spots as actions taken
Day 19) Say “No” without explaining
Day 20) Enjoy what you put in your mouth
Day 21) Take a nightlight on trips
Day 22) Name a priority each morning
Day 23) Weekly bank/save money
Day 24) Eat many kinds of green
Day 25) Yes, you’re a rock star
Day 26) Always exit a bus from the front door
Day 27) Make friends of different ages
Day 28) Stop, just stop for today, just stop
Day 29) Don’t dismiss insomnia
Day 30) Wear red, the color of power and protection
You may also enjoy reading The Gifts of Aging Mindfully and Consciously, by Gordon Wallace, PhD.
Grab your free Accountability Cleanse PDF and the beautiful Best Self Newsletter to jumpstart your journey toward your most vibrant life. This quick-read eGuide from Kristen Noel, Editor-In-Chief, unpacks the #1 key to personal growth, to create a life of inner peace and holistic health. Enter your email below and we’ll send it right over!