How to Embrace Aging as a Wonderful Part of Life
What if we let go of trying to be the younger versions of ourselves and embrace our aging as an experience of curiosity, wonder, and fun?
Embracing Aging as a Wonderful Part of Life
by Crystal Presence
As children, we thought of being as old as something very far away. We looked at older adults with a curious mind and welcomed grandparents who gave us presents. The years passed, and we suddenly find ourselves being one of those older adults!
Every culture has a different way of looking at the aging process. In some cultures, particularly the western ones, elders are seen as a burden, forgetful, sick, unattractive, in pain, and having a terrible quality of life. In other cultures, such as in Japan, elders are honored, revered, and respected for their wisdom, skills, creativity, inspiration, and purpose.
Aging is not an experience that needs to be fixed. Nor is it a disease to be cured. It is a natural, empowering, and lifelong process that we all have in common. Aging may be difficult to accept at first as our bodies change. Our ability to physically do things changes, and we can find ourselves feeling less valued in our society. Often, we struggle to find a new way of living and taking care of ourselves. It is a time of redefining who we are and what our purpose is now.
The biggest obstacle as we move into the later phase of life is living in a culture that tells us that getting older means shuffling offstage. In his passionate TedTalk, Let’s End Ageism, Ashton Applewhite defines ageism as “discrimination and stereotyping based on age.” He awakens us to the facts that only four percent of older Americans are living in nursing homes, and the percentage is dropping. It also turns out that most of us can continue to think very clearly. Dementia rates are dropping. The real epidemic is anxiety over memory loss. Ageism is assuming someone is too old for doing a certain task, instead of finding out who they are and what they are capable of. Prejudice such as this relies on seeing a group of people as other than ourselves. The “other” in ageism is us! It feeds on denial, avoidance, and reluctance to acknowledge that we all are becoming that older person.
What if we embrace and celebrate our ability to adapt and grow as we move through life? What if we let go of trying to be the younger versions of ourselves and embrace our aging as an experience of curiosity, wonder, and fun? What if embrace growing old as a privilege?
People with a more positive attitude and feelings about aging walk faster, do better on memory tests, heal quicker, and live longer. Many people stay mentally, very sharp. Howard Friedman, the author of The Longevity Process and psychology professor at the University of California, says that genes only contribute one-fourth to one-third of our longevity. The rest is up to us!
Choices that we can make to keep our lives positive as we grow older by…
Keeping our energy in movement. Moving our energy lifts our spirits, enhances our energy levels, and makes us feel better. It releases us from being uptight and opens the space for new possibilities in how we age. It also supports conditions such as arthritis. Pinched nerves, obesity, high blood pressure, and compromised immune systems.
We are changing our beliefs about aging. We older folks can be some of the most ageist of all! With a lifetime of internalized beliefs about aging, we need to think about the expressions we are using, such as “senior moments.” We can invent new ways of thinking about and describing our experiences.
Staying connected to ourselves and our loving source with its greater intelligence. Keeping our inner guidance system open for insights and information on how to have the most empowering experience of aging.
We are having compassion for ourselves as we grow.
Asking the structural question, “What is the nature of the most loving, nurturing, fun and empowering experience of aging?”
I am acknowledging that culture can change. Cultures can create a new context for aging.
We are being aware of big business trying to convince us that to we need their latest, greatest and best new products for successful aging.
Envisioning and allowing the bodily felt sense of what our next phase of life is going to be.
Letting go of excess baggage. Release ourselves from things that we do not want or need and creating space for more time to enjoy our lives. The relief of knowing that no one has to take care of any excess baggage when we make our transition.
Enjoying the fact that most children and elders are the happiest people, and that’s why they resonate so well together.
We are leaving loved ones with clarity, information, documents, and wishes of how we would like our transition to be handled.
We are realizing that every little pain is not from aging. For example, if our elbow hurts do not assume it is because we are aging.
I am having a sense of humor about it all. Growing older can be a great time to play with the funnier things in life. It’s about lightening up.
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About the Author
About the author: Crystal is a certified expansion guide with the Total Integration Institute, author, multidimensional coach, and facilitator for the live event called Freedom at the Core. She is the instructor and coach for her online course, Freedom From the Inside Out. She draws from her own experience and the experience of the thousands of people she has worked with over the past 35 years. Crystal is known for the fun and empowering way she supports people in bringing forth the experiences they want in their lives. Currently, she is writing a series of children’s books that embrace the principles of living freedom.
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