It is Sunday and I usually post some obscure question or delight my readers with something entertaining….but today I would like to post on something that we all must go through in our lives….aging.
When we are young we do not think about grow old until one day you realize your reflection shows wrinkles you did not know were there and you start growing hair in places it did not grow before…..and when you get up from sitting and your body sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies–Snap, Crackle and Pop.
I was doing fine until about 55 I broke my leg, 2 operations, then I lost 4 toes, then I was diagnosed with diabetes then I was told I have 2 types of cancer and then there is the treatments…..so when I say ‘getting old sucks’ I mean it.
Old age gives you a new mindset and of course the contemplation of one’s mortality…..but we can soldier through if we just rethink old age.
Whether you are a Gen Zer entering the workplace or a boomer entering retirement, there’s no denying the fact that you aren’t getting any younger.
But does the thought of growing old sting? Even though aging often has a negative connotation, it doesn’t have to.
Western culture tends to define aging as a gradual physical decline — associating it with aches, pains and a foggy memory — and becoming out of touch with a fast-paced society (e.g., the internet meme “OK boomer”). We are led to believe that our best days are a summit that will pass us by.
But when we look at the science of aging, fundamental pieces of this negative narrative start to vanish.
Alan Castel, a professor of psychology at UCLA, is an advocate for aging victoriously. “Our own attitudes about aging do influence how we age,” Castel says, “so if you think positively about what can happen as you get older, then you might be active and healthier, and you might live longer.”
In his book Better With Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging, Castel cites a study in which researchers used Catholic nuns’ diary entries from when they were in their 20s to determine their levels of happiness. Of the most cheerful nuns, 75% lived to age 80, but only 40% of the least happy nuns lived that long. The happiest nuns lived about 10 years longer than the least happy nuns.
Castel uses this example to support his view that there are things you can do today — whether you’re 25 or 65 — to live a happier, healthier and longer life.
https://100.ucla.edu/impact/its-time-to-rethink-aging
Getting older is not the end of the world, but it is getting closer, we need to knowledge the aging process and learn to cope.
That is all for me today….enjoy your Sunday and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe….
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”