Do you, at times, have this urge of wanting to be young again? Of going back in time and re-do those things you had so much pleasure in doing before? Or something new that brings out the youth in you; make you feel young again?
I guess we all do. And there’s nothing wrong about that. On the contrary, you share the same craving of a lot of seniors, worldwide. They have redefined old age – according to science.
Studies upon studies have shown that “70 is the new 50.”
One study, for example (published in The Washington Post), “…found that when people get older, they consistently say they feel younger – much younger – than their actual age.” And another study concluded, “that they, too, were healthy and long-lived – have a strong sense of purpose and meaning to their lives, compared to the general population…”
I couldn’t argue with these. At 70 (71 this May), I often pack my bags and go to places I’ve never been too before. Most of the time, my wanderings are no more than a long drive to nowhere. Otherwise, I wander off to an island and stay overnight in a beach resort. In fact, my bucket list is still full of things I want to do before I kick the bucket.
George Sand (1804 – 1876), a French Romantic writer said, “Try to keep your soul young and quivering right up to old age.”
How?
Feeling young in your golden years is a very personal matter. There is no secret formula. You just grow into it. For example, I am the eldest of the boys in the family but my outlook in life and my lifestyle have made me look younger than two of my younger brothers. I never planned it. It’s just how things turned out.
The same thing is true for other seniors who feel young than they really are. For them, things just turned out the way they are. However, they share some of the following…
1. A positive attitude
Having a positive attitude does not mean being impervious to the pinpricks due to old age. We all have them. But they can take all these in a stride. They also get hit by the bricks and stones life throws at them, but these don’t affect their positive attitudes in any way.
Positive people are seldom ruffled or stressed out. They are always calm in their disposition and believe that nothing lasts forever; that the worst storms in life shall soon give way to sunshine.
Their positivity helps them stay young – mentally, physically and psychologically. It also reduces their risk to one of the most dreaded consequences of aging – dementia.
2. Gratefulness
Gratefulness is to be warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful.
People who feel young in old age are thankful for all things – big or small. And they show it.
They say a prayer of thanks when they wake up each morning. They are grateful for the roof over their heads, food on the table, family, friends, and their health.
Being thankful brings positive emotions and feelings of wellness. Gratefulness makes people happy, and happiness is one of the indicators of longevity.
3. Strong social connection
People are social in nature. Primitive man would not have survived had he went at it alone. He needed someone to help him survive. He needed a tribe to make things happen.
Things have not changed since then. We need a supportive family, friends, neighbors, and all the people around us – our social circle – to make us complete; to bring out the best in us.
It gives us a sense of belonging, a feeling of self-worth and security. A strong social circle creates an attitude of positivity; a sense of well-being and joy.
And it doesn’t have to be a dozen or so to make you feel young again. One or two good friends you can jam with regularly is enough to set your age back a few years.
I regularly drink with a former co-worker who makes me feel young at 70. Do you know why? He is 54 years old.
4. A romantic relationship
In 2016, there were about 20 million Americans aged 65 and above who were single, either through death or death of a spouse. Whether they were having romantic relationships or not is difficult to tell. The subject is touchy so nobody is keeping count.
Being social creatures as we are, we need to be connected to another in a more-than-casual manner.
A friend of mine immediately had a romantic relationship with a 50 something widow a year after his wife died. And another, with a girl so many years his junior. I have been a widower for more than 10 years and a romantic relationship is not on my agenda. But that doesn’t mean I have stopped dating.
It’s really very easy these days. All you need to do is to log into any of the more-than-a-dozen dating sites proliferating the Internet and start “shopping” for a possible match.
There have been a lot of heartwarming stories of seniors finding love the second or third time around found online.
But if discretion is your game to avoid the usual stigma that comes with old-age romance, exercise care.
5. Passionate about something
My mother died at age 56. Before her health failed, she was the life of any party because of her passion for dancing. You never had to ask her twice to dance. When the music started playing, there she was on the floor, dancing.
My passion is writing. Most of my waking time is spent in front of my laptop, writing. It gives me life and drives away boredom and loneliness; keeps my mind sharp, creative, and young.
What about you? Recall those things you loved to do when you were a child. Bring them back; dust off the layers of years that buried them in your subconscious. Feel young by doing them again.
7. They exercise
Nothing makes you feel young again than a regular exercise.
Voluminous studies have shown that having regular physical activity helps prevent common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. It improves the function of the immune system, thereby lowering your risk of getting common ailments like colds or pneumonia.
Unfortunately, a lot of seniors are missing out on the benefits of regularly sweating their flabs away. According to data gathered in 2014, 28% (31 million) of Americans aged 50 and above are not moving enough to perform the most basic functions of daily life.
Don’t be one of them if you want to feel young in your golden years.
6. They love to travel
I reserved this for last because of all the things above that make me feel so young, it is none other than traveling. It has some sort of “magic.” It’s kind of living the world of Narnia.
To be in a new and strange place, meet and talk to different people, sleep on another bed, and eat food I didn’t prepare (I am a lousy cook) fires me up.
It makes me feel so alive to sit alone on a lovely beach watching tiny wavelets kiss the shore, and feel the gentle sea breeze against my skin, and be immersed in absolute silence save the chirping of the birds.
Traveling is something I do with regular frequency – either alone or hitching a ride with my daughter and her hubby.
The joy and contentment I get out of it is nothing short of awesome.
If you haven’t done much traveling yet, now is the time. According to a survey done in 2017, travel is at the bucket list of 80% of seniors. So don’t miss out on the fun. Start making your plans now and start hitting the road.
A lot of destination places are senior-friendly these days and there are plenty of airline promo fares to make it cheaper.
These days, travel is more convenient, fast, and fun-filled.
Image: Cheapism
~oOo~
