How To Age Gracefully? Effective Tips For Graceful Aging
By Ms Monica Trivedi.
Aging is an inescapable part of life. As the human lifespan increases with advances in science, more of us find ourselves facing a long and relatively healthy old age.To fully appreciate these golden years of our lives, we need to learn how to age gracefully. Here are three tips that will help you do exactly that.
1. Adjust your attitude:
Aging with grace is all about attitude. Everyone seems to be obsessed with how to fight aging. Aging with grace is not about fighting the inevitable. Rather, it is about embracing it and adjusting to it. Have a positive attitude towards aging and look forward to some of the good things that older age can bring: wisdom, resilience, inner strength, and a mature perspective are some of the perks of seniority.
Avoid stereotypes that view aging as a threat to happiness. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to try things you have never tried before. Even as you approach retirement, try out and transition to new meaningful activities in travel, hobbies, or learning.
Plan your retirement to not just manage financial aspects such as inflation and interest rates but also to manage your longevity. Anticipate and plan for a change, but do not think that you have to give up your pursuit of happiness. An optimistic outlook will reduce stress and improve your immune system.
Make time for social connections with friends, family, and other relationships. This will lead to an emotional support system that will help you avoid depression which is so common in the elderly.
Such adjustments will enhance the quality of your life and keep you feeling young at heart.
2. Accept the unavoidable:
Like the Serenity Prayer says, we need the serenity to accept the things we cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference. Some aspects of aging such as the loss of loved ones and our own mortality cannot be changed. In dealing with these, acceptance is the key.
Come to terms with your mortality by paying attention to your spiritual health. Take the time to grieve for the loss of a loved one and learn to live with it. Accepting that change is coming and accommodating it is the very essence of grace.
3. Adapt your activity:
Graceful aging includes making the effort to stay fit and healthy. Accommodate your aging body by choosing physical activities that will keep you flexible and agile.
Pick exercises such as Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates that combine cardio, strength, and stability routines. Stay active by trying a variety of activities such as simple stretching, swimming, running and cycling.
Adapt your lifestyle to include better habits in exercise, diet, stress reduction, sleep, relaxation, and health. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that is rich in antioxidants; control your weight; and remember to take your multivitamin supplements. Practice good skin care by using moisturizers and sunscreens.
Get proper sleep and meditate to reduce stress. Visit your doctor regularly to stop any health issues before they get bad. Take pride in your appearance, dress your age, and embrace your grey hair.
Pamper yourself with massages and facials. Smile a lot–it exercises many of your facial muscles and makes you look beautiful.
Follow these three tips and you will see that the charm that is derived from a positive attitude, the beauty that results from looking after yourself, and the humility that comes with acceptance will have you enjoying your senior years with the utmost grace.
Author Bio:
Monica writes for AssistedLivingToday.com.
