There is no getting around the fact that we all grow old, but the process and realisation that it is happening to us is not always easy to accept. In fact, with photos of celebrities all around us in the media and the people we meet in life plastered all over our social media, it’s even harder not to compare our appearance and our achievements to others.
If you’re panicking about how you look, how you feel or that you’ve not ‘lived enough,’ you’re not alone, but age needn’t have anything to do with your outlook. Ageing does not have to be a negative time in life; we know more now than we ever have before and put this knowledge and experience to our advantage.
Here are four simple ways you can adopt a more positive attitude to your later years and, as the saying goes, grow old gracefully.
1. Get to Know (and Accept) Yourself
In our younger years, we can sometimes feel like we are living for others. Our teachers’ and parents’ expectations, advice and criticism second-guess us at every turn. The media hurls images at us all day every day about how we should look and what we should be doing with our lives. It’s all too easy to lose sight of what we want and who we are. Advice from others can be useful, and sometimes their insights offer us a different perspective on ourselves, but in the end, it is our life to live as we choose to. Growing older is your time to work out what it is that you want from life and what makes you truly happy.
2. Never Stop Learning
When we are children, we want to know everything; we’re continually on the hunt for information and new experiences. However, as we turn into adults, we tend to stick with what’s comfortable and familiar. Do as your children do and keep your mind active, embrace your curiosity and seek out the unfamiliar. There’s not a single person in the world who can know everything, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try!
3. Love Your Body
We spend far too much of our youth criticising our physical appearance and striving for the airbrushed looks we see all around us. Learn to love yourself for all your imperfections and attractive features as everybody has both. If there is something about your physical appearance which is affecting your quality of life, consider taking action. This could be through losing weight, toning muscle or getting the hair you’ve always wanted. Find out more about hair transplants at Gethair.co.uk.
On the other hand, many of us neglect self-care in favour of late nights, alcohol, tasty but unhealthy foods, and other substances human bodies are not designed to cope with. The older we become, the less resilient our bodies are to this abuse, and we need to make a conscious effort to care for our health. Find healthy foods which you like but also nourish your body and take part in regular exercise which you enjoy. It’s also crucial to both your physical and mental health that you get enough sleep, so your body can repair each night.
4. Keep Taking Risks
With adulthood comes the inevitable list of responsibilities, and sometimes these can weigh on us to such an extent that we become too cautious. We stop experimenting and taking risks out of fear. The extreme result of this is that we end up living in a tiny bubble. However, a massive part of the joy of life is in the unknown and the unexpected, including meeting new people, building skills, starting a new hobby, trying new experiences and visiting new places. Sometimes you’ll make a mistake, but that’s all part of our ongoing growth as humans.
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Thanks for reading, y’all stay dandy. 😎 Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram!
-Diego