Every time we look in the mirror we might focus on that new wrinkle or that extra gray hair, but when we turn this into a habit it becomes a part of who we are. We look in the mirror thinking that there is going to be another sign that we are getting older and therefore we are “deteriorating.” But when we buy into this fear of getting older it's going to set us up for a very negative frame of mind. We need to stop fearing aging, but how can we do this, especially when we feel we've gone past the point of no return?
Are You Actually Getting “Weaker?”
We equate getting old with getting weaker. Disease begins to rear its head and we’re supposed to feel more tired but is this actually the case? If you think that you are getting weaker you will feel weaker. And while there are aspects of our lives that we need to focus more on as we get older, these are all precautionary measures. You may have to go for a hearing test more often but if everything is fine does this mean that you are weaker? If you need a stronger prescription of glasses or a hearing aid it's important to shift that perspective. You're not weaker. And if you are wearing glasses that help you to see better or a hearing aid that will certainly make you feel part of a conversation when you haven't in years, surely this is a better thing?
It Gives Us A Better Idea Of Where We Can Improve
Sure, we may need to go to the doctors more, this is a precautionary measure more than anything, but it also makes us understand the areas that we need to focus on. As we get older we can get physically weaker but this is due to calcium being extracted from our bones. The solution, in this case, would be to increase your calcium intake. When we are younger we don’t think that we need to address our health as much. It's as you get older that you realize there are parts of your anatomy that need focusing on. And this is why as we get older it is the perfect opportunity to understand our weaknesses. If we are getting weaker, going for a blood test to see if we are lacking in a specific vitamin or mineral and taking the appropriate supplement is going to make us feel healthier. Getting older isn't about that inevitable decline. In fact, there are plenty of people who are taking advantage of getting older and access to healthcare so they can fix these problems. There are many people out there that don't take up exercise or bodybuilding until they are in their 50s or 60s, and become stronger later in life than they ever did in their 20s or 30s. When you start to look at the fact that your body is like a machine if you give it to the appropriate stimulus it can make you feel a lot better in many areas of your life.
Learning To Understand Yourself Better
We should stop fearing getting older for the very simple reason that we become more in tune with who we are. Getting older for many people means they become more comfortable in their own skin. And if you have a few gray hairs, what does this matter if you are happier in so many other ways? Getting older means that you have the benefit of hindsight so you can make these tweaks to your life if so you can be a happier person. There are times in our life that we become faced with our own mortality, perhaps we become unwell or we start to lose our loved ones, but rather than focusing on the negative this should give us the opportunity to refocus on what is important in our lives. It's a cliche but life is short. And it seems that getting older makes us realize the truth in this. For many people, getting older is about that fear of dying but if you were to go tomorrow would you feel that time on this earth was well spent? If you spend most of your time focusing on wrinkles or gray hairs, was this a very productive way to live out your years?
Life, in many ways, is very simple. And we can spend a lot of time being distracted by things that, ultimately, when we end up going, have no meaning. But this is one of the best things about getting older that we realize that the things we used to worry about don't amount to a hill of beans. And while worrying about getting older is something that we've all put up with at some point, what is it going to matter at the very end? You have a few gray hairs and a few wrinkles but don't let it make you scared of getting older.
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