Remain Young Despite Becoming a Senior
Aging is an unavoidable natural process of the bios: We get older, but we do not have to feel or think old! If we stop thinking of our age-number as predictive of our behavior, then we can be and feel as young as we "think" we are. Positive, proactive endeavors can lead to actualizing our better life now, so let's get busy fulfilling our dreams -- while helping others do so: Live young...
Contents
Steps
- Keep learning. Many seniors look at a computer, and think "I am too old to learn that". In reality, we never are too old to learn anything new. The moment you start thinking you are, you take one step forward towards getting old!
- Go back to school: take courses, learn things that you've always wanted to learn, take acting or art classes.
- Learn to fly a plane, learn to drive a car if you have not already done so. Just think of what you can do, instead of what you can't.
- Travel alone or with friends. It is not necessary, if you can't afford it, to travel far. Exploring the area where you live and finding new places that you have never known existed is fun and interesting. It will get you out of the house, meeting new people, seeing new things and keeping you active.
- Join a church, club or organization that needs and appreciates you. It could be a religious group, a writing club, or you could contact a museum and learn to become a docent.
- Organizations always need volunteers, and you can usually pick your own hours.
- The best part is, you can tour the museum free anytime you want to.
- Show everyone how to enjoy an active life: Take up sewing, crocheting, or knitting. Find out where they teach archery, rifle or gun shooting. They are held indoors or outdoors on the range, offering rentals on equipment needed. Go bike riding with groups or alone. Learn to play card games or board games.
- Go to concerts, church singing events, the movies or live theater at no cost. Many of the Broadway shows go on tours to small towns, and tickets are reasonably priced.
- Attend FREE college events: most colleges present at no cost concerts, arts showcases, science and engineering exhibitions, orchestra and piano concerts.
- Support AMAZING student-performers who would love to have you in an active and enthusiastic audience.
- Learn how to get physical or spiritual:. Shop for an interesting "new," outfit for church or square dancing (and then use it!) at a thrift store to turn the clock back to when you were shopping for your first high school outfit.
- Check out groups that teach square dancing, ballroom dancing or line dancing depending on your interests.
- Remember how exciting learning and innovating can be? This can be even more exciting because you discovering a new life!
Tips
- There is a world out there just waiting for Seniors to explore. By doing so, you will not have time to think about things that ail you.
- Get busy: you should be too busy thinking of learning, getting tickets and planning your days.
- The key is, Keep the brain active, Keep learning.
- Never think that you are too old to learn or do something special, because the moment you think you are, is the moment you have gotten too old.
- See what you think of finding a house of worship: church, mosque, synagogue, or temple where older members feel free to smile, laugh, clap, greet everyone gracefully (and even dance for joy before the lord) and enthusiastically worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. Can you celebrate God's grace and love without fear--growing in grace and nurture of the Lord?
- If you're pagan or atheist, look for groups of people who share your belief system and become active in the community. There's nothing about paganism that says you can't become an elder, you may be very treasured and would likely be admired for your youthful outlook by those younger. Atheists often find their own social connections in science or philosophy groups. Whatever you believe or don't believe, seeking others that share your views and support them can be great for morale.
- Learn Sudoku: It's a very challenging brain-teaser that can be put away when tired, and picked up again at any time.
- Try reading the holy texts of different religions and learn about them. Reading books can help keep your mind healthy and alert.
Warnings
- Do NOT create a problem or adverse thoughts about aging.
- The exception for the activities advice would be if you were seriously ill, or had a medical condition that would keep you from being physically active. However, you can always learn to listen to new music, or read audio books, or write letters to pen pals, or watch instructional television programs.
- Never stop doing the activities that you had done most of your life, ie -- learning (You may like to return to college.) and working, even start second careers rather than just retiring: Colonel Sanders started KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) after he "retired"--and the elderly, retired publisher Benjamin Franklin helped write the U.S. Declaration of Independence, became the U.S. Ambassador to France and also worked on the U.S. Constitution in his seventies and eighties, living to be nearly ninety.
