Episode 097 Twelve Tips for Aging Gracefully

The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you have been.
— Madeleine L'Engle

In the United States billions of dollars are spent on cosmetic surgery and beauty treatments.  The goal is simple, to stop the aging process.  In theory it may seem simple but in practice it is impossible.

Each of us will grow older.  Contrary to popular belief that does not mean that we will become incopacitated, feeble and mentally dim.  There are many people who buck the misperception that aging is to be avaoided at all costs.  These people may not have stopped the hands of time but they haven't aged either.

When you spend thousands of dollars trying to recapture how you looked when you were younger you are fighting a losing battle.  It's not your body that bespeaks your age, its your mind.  You may be able to come close to returning your body to previous years but the ideas that you harbor about aging will determine how old you are.

Each of you have seen someone who has undergon cosmetic surgery.  Perhaps it is a celebrity or vain relative.  The outcome is always the same.  They appear younger but the energy about them is desperate and haggard.  Their appearance may give the illusion of youth but their misperceptions about aging have tainted their energy.  Anyone seeing them witnesses the ravages of time that only grip those who try desperately to regain their youth.

If you wish to appreciate all the benefits of your final years you need to take steps now to assure that those years will be joyous.

6 Tips for Aging Gracefully Physically

  1. Quit smoking or don't start
  2. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum
  3. Reduce stress
  4. Protect yourself from the rays of the sun
  5. Eat healthy
  6. Exercise

6 Tips for Aging Gracefully Mentally

  1. Stay connected to friends and other generations
  2. Realize your worth
  3. Don't try to stop the clock
  4. Don't look backwards
  5. Keep learning
  6. Be positive

In the United States society does not favor those who are older.  The media and entertainment portray the elderly as feeble both mentally and physically.  Those stereotypes keep everyone down.

Don't buy into them.  Stay young in your heart and mind and you will never age.  Don't fight it viciously, just live a life that is full and you will look at every day as the absolute gift that it is.

Questions of the Day

Do you dread/fear getting older?

If so, why?

What steps are you taking now to live fully in your final years?

Action of the Day

Start a conversation with someone who is ten years or more, your senior or junior.

Thom WaltersComment