4 Ways to Age Gracefully

Realizing that you are getting older can hit you like a freight train. For whatever reason I rarely seemed bothered by the fact that I am getting older. There are days when I feel far older than I am but age is just a number. I always joke that it is because my mother still treats me like I am a child so I don’t feel as old as I am. 

I mean I am one of those people who loves grocery shopping because it is the one time I get to feel like an adult. Most of the time I feel like I am playing at being one. Now, for my sister and sister in-law they are so hung up on the whole getting older thing. My sister lies about her age. She has been like 25 for so many years that I think she has convinced herself that she really is. 

In fact we had a conversation not too long ago about how she dresses. We were on FaceTime and she showed me her outfit and I made the comment that maybe that wasn’t appropriate for a woman her age. She was appalled and reminded me that she was only 25. I then reminded her, in the way only an older sister can, that she is closer to 52 than 25. 

Her scream could be heard in four states. Now, my sister in-law cried when she turned thirty. I felt bad for her because it really hit her hard. She is ten years younger than me and just doesn’t want to age. There are many women like that and I never understood it at all. 

Here are four ways to help embrace aging gracefully:

1. Love Your Wrinkles and Grey Hair

Let’s face it we are going to get wrinkles and our hair will turn grey. We have earned those through all of the things we experience during our lifetimes. Embrace them! The most freeing moment for me was when I stopped dying my hair and let it go grey. It’s actually more of a blondish silver now that all the brown color is gone. It’s beautiful and I get complimented on it often. I am asked what I use to get that color or if I have frosted my hair. I have not, I just stopped doing all that other stuff to it. 

I also have just accepted my wrinkles. I take care of my skin, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t stress out over every new wrinkle. I make sure to wear sunscreen every day regardless of how much there is out. I wash my face twice a day with a gentle cleanser. I don’t go to tanning beds, or any of that other sun.

However, I am not going out and getting various treatments or other things either. I am not knocking those. If you do them and they work for you then great. I just don’t.  I am not against them but I have to put enough chemicals into my body just to keep it functioning with all the medications I am on. I don’t want to add to it.

2. Stay Active

This is one that I admit I don’t always adhere to. Staying active means your muscles are stronger and you have more flexibility. It can also help prevent or delay some health problems that come with age. I try to walk but I know that I need to get more active. I just haven’t found the one thing that will help me with that. 

It is something that I am working on getting better about. Honestly the biggest problem is I can get lazy at times. I will make plans to do this or that and then decide that I don’t want to do it. I come up with fifteen excuses as to why I can’t or don’t do whatever it is.

3. Have a Positive Attitude

I admit this is much easier said than done. Let’s face it we can start the day with the most positive attitude ever and then someone will do something that changes that in the blink of an eye. Having a positive attitude can improve all parts of your life. It is also something else that I struggle with. It’s funny I didn’t struggle with this that much when I was younger.

I guess mostly because life hadn’t had the chance to beat me down. As we get older we experience the hardships of life and it can weigh us down. Doing your best to still have a positive attitude will help you have less stress and worry. Stress and worry can lead to things like anxiety and depression. Trust me I speak from experience.

4. Keep Learning

Trying new things as we age can also be difficult. I sometimes have a hard time getting Ma to do anything. She said she wanted a hobby and then it took me three months and who knows how much money helping her find a hobby she enjoys. Well, she enjoys it a little bit. I have found that she no longer likes things she used to love and when she does like something it is for a week or two. It’s like she suddenly has ADD.

Learning keeps your brain healthy whether it’s learning a new skill, taking up a hobby, or reading. Keeping your brain engaged will help you feel better which will in turn lead to you age much more gracefully. We are never too old to learn something new. Maybe you always wanted to learn a new language or to cook something we never had before. Now is the time to do that.