The truth is: we are all aging every day. The key to being comfortable with your own aging may be in how you cope with each “new normal” that you experience. To do it gracefully is easier said than done – that’s why I’m here – to help you handle the hard stuff in your life. My sense is, the more we can embrace the unfolding mystery of our life with curiosity, and even gratitude, the easier we will feel in our life.
As my mother used to say, “The ‘Golden Years’ are not for the faint of heart.”
Our 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s can be stressful, isolating, lonely, challenging times, and they can be liberating, relaxing, growthful, and exciting. In reality, they’ll be a combination of all of this.
So much depends on how you feel…
Three keys for aging gracefully are:
- 1) your inherited genes (which you have no control over,)
- 2) your health (which you have a certain amount of control over)
- 3) your attitude (which is within your control)
Are you Experiencing any of the Following?
- More stress and anxiety than you want?
- Feeling lonely?
- Getting irritable with people around you?
- Are relationships not what you want them to be?
- Are you having trouble figuring out who you are “now?”
- Are you wondering if you could possibly be drinking “too much” sometimes?
- Are you wondering/worried about your children or grandchildren?
- Are you feeling like your body is rebelling against you?
- Are you scared about a big move that’s happening too quickly?
- Are you wondering how you got “old” so quickly?
- Do you wonder what emotional and verbal abuse is and if you’re living in it?
- Is a family member beginning to show signs of cognitive impairment?
- Are you frustrated/disappointed with your life?
- Are you feeling guilty because you “should be” more grateful and you’re not?
- Are you feeling worthless and wonder whether life is worth living?
Joanne Baum, PhD offers a variety of services to older adults and their families. Joanne received a National Institute on Aging Fellowship during her PhD studies in the 1970s. Joanne’s been aging ever since and is now a “senior” herself. Joanne is licensed in Colorado, Florida, Indiana and Oregon and provides Telehealth sessions to people throughout these 4 states.