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How do you change the perception of aging?
Aging Well | Last Active: Nov 29 8:57pm | Replies (142)Comment receiving replies
@sapphira I am 78, and look in the mirror, and cannot understand how I have physically changed, so much . I absolutely hate how much I have changed. I never thought I was beautiful, but I always looked so much better than now. It truly bothers me. I wish I didn’t feel like I do.
Replies to "@sapphira I am 78, and look in the mirror, and cannot understand how I have physically..."
Oh, dear woman. I am 82 and really do understand. I now have an ostomy bag on my tummy and a new hip, so am relearning how to walk without a limp. But I CAN walk and I CAN poop (albeit differently than I did 7 months ago), so I take joy in that. I absolutely know I am wiser, and I wear decent clothes and have my hair colored. If I stand far enough back from the mirror, I don’t look that bad! Please don’t take offense, but it is important to live a life of gratitude and not sadness about the things we can’t change. Grandma Moses started to paint in her 80’s (at least that is what I have read) and just look at Betty White, who made it to 99 loving all her animals! I guess all I am saying is that years ago when I was complaining to a massage therapist about needing to lose weight she said to me “Love yourself where you are.” I took it to heart. And now when I look at the wrinkles that I have earned and the little brown age spots all over my body, I am glad that I am still alive to see them and happy that things are not worse. Buckle up and join the club of wise elders. It is a happy place. Bette
@dederickve thank you for your honesty! My weight has stayed the same, I work out consistently, weights, walk/running, (though I will admit here that I am embarrassed how slow I walk/run and regret ever complaining about a 12 minute pace years ago) biking, and yet my body has changed and I don’t like it - or the marionette lines on my face. Yuck.
I do know self-acceptance is in order - lots of it - and lots of gratitude, also, that has been mentioned. Not liking parts of myself isn’t a nice thing to do to myself, is it?
What’s funny, is the post that re-started this chain is from 2020
@dederickve
A great smile does it every time!
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@dederickve so sorry you feel so sad, though you really aren’t alone in how you feel…but, there’s so much we can do in older years that is an offset to all that…because we can summon your inner spirit, strength and creativity in ways we never used to have time for… and find satisfying new projects…and definitely not worry about what we think others think of us…(they are busy with their own concerns anyhow)..so many of us are learning to appreciate wonderful small things like never before —and to anticipate more things we are grateful for…i personally learned a lot from having cancer and look forward to learning more from everywhere, often from this Mayo Clinic site.