Secrets to Happy Aging

Last year, I entered my seventh decade and unlike other transitional decades, I found the changes both subtle and obvious. Other than the physical changes of an aging body, I noticed my life attitude had transformed.

Being Prepared for Aging

Most of us are unprepared for the changes associated with aging. For the most part, we are busy living our lives, raising families, building our careers, and making our contributions to society. Then often, without warning, we realize the years have slipped by, our kids have left home, and we are suddenly grandparents in the last chapters of our lives. This moment often arrives suddenly, sometimes too suddenly in ways we least expect it.

Being prepared depends a great deal on our view of the aging process. Studies have shown that our attitude towards aging is dependent upon whether we have a positive or negative attitude towards growing older. A large contributor is how our parents and grandparents dealt with aging. What most of us notice first about the aging process are the physical changes (i.e., wrinkles, gray hair), changes in our fitness levels, and reduced stamina. (Kornadt, 2015).

Being vs. Doing

In addition to noticing my physical bodily changes, I noticed I had less of a propensity to accomplish (doing) and more interest in remaining still and becoming a…