How do I add aging issues to a life I have never been happy in?
I can relate to all I have read in this aging forum except, as I always find, I mostly feel physically ugly and have felt this way my whole life. Age just makes everything worse for me. I know aging is hard but when I add it to the fact that I have hated myself my whole life, it is unbearable. Been to many doctors and therapist thru the years to no avail. I cannot tolerate any serotonin drugs that may help me. The last straw for me was when, 6 months ago, I had my upper teeth removed because of failing crowns and bridge work. I had implants place and am now getting near the date to get my permanent implant crowns place. The problem is my face has aged at least 10 years because of having no teeth. I wish I never would have done this, I have no faith that my dentist will be able to make my facial structure look any better with the implants. Once again I did something to make me feel better about myself and it will not work out that way in the end. I have not enjoyed my life and aging is a cruel way of going out in my opinion. I do not have the inner self esteem I need to make this horrible life journey.
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@grasping well, when you get older, it is good to cultivate what you have, your inner beauty, like it is your garden—cultivate it with love….the mirror never rewarded me very much, so I have cultivated other values.
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3 Reactions@grasping I agree that "outer beauty" , although it may be "in the eyes of the beholder" goes a long way ... the prettiest woman in the office, the most handsome man at the tennis club etc etc.... but we still had "movie stars" who were not considered "beautiful." I was shortest in my class and you can guess the rest of my life.... inherited my mother's nose which she reminded me of when discussing my birth... lol However, I dont personally refer to it as inner "beauty" but perhaps being content with who we are,.. sorry I cant explain properly how I feel about it... we ARE, in my humble opinion, judged by our looks, even by our clothing, our weight, our verbal communication etc etc. Human are a peculiar type of animal.. but majority of "animals" each look the same as their brethren, dont they? A sense of humour goes a long way and I am beginning to lose mine as I get older ...
@lacy2 how about the famous small actress Linda Hunt ? Very small, unique appearance, and she won an Oscar and is on tv a lot…she does have inner spirit to the max since we were kids !
@nycmusic oh will check later... I hear what you are saying ... nature/nurture.... genes etc etc. My Mum went through a lot born duirng ww2 , dad died when she was 4 her Mum in the early 1900s working hard to feed 4 children etc etc... My Mum never complained had to be tough those days but she was a marshmallow inside. Dad.. well those days "feelings" were never discussed!
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1 ReactionI have found that, even though I was envious of those handsome and beautiful people in high school, who teachers and others bestowed favor on them through much of their lives because of their looks, they didn’t have to work very hard to be successful in school. But during successive high school reunions, when looks faded, many had become pretty shallow, not having worked on their inner beauty during those years. More’s the pity but, Karma.
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3 Reactions@calofmichigan what is inside of us can only get better, even as our appearance does change, not necessarily for the best.
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2 Reactions@grasping ....
Keeping aside "inner beauty" in your post, you've also said earlier:
"I need to stop posting and reading how "normal" people handle Bad experiences and Aging because I am feeling more and more down when I hear how most people deal and I cannot."
So as a "normal" person (with enough aging experience of 82+ years) I'll share some of my 'challenges' to illustrate why looks do not matter as much as you seem to think.
But first, let's see what has been talked about this matter of attractiveness and happiness. Here's what i found:
Top 10% in attractiveness were only 10% happier than the BOTTOM 15% in looks. according to a Univ study in Texas
In other words if you are making with top looks $110k/year (moneywise-happy) I'll be making with least good looks 100K/yr...hardly something I'll lose my sleep on!
And I haven't even talked about a dozen other Pleasures that do NOT require money or status or fame, even health.
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/economics/news/feature-archive/beautiful-people-are-happier-economists-find.html
As a "normal" person I had brush with extreme hopelessness in my 20s regarding employment but also had good fortune for ten years later. And then again in my fifties had to work on minimum wage jobs as unemployment was too high. It was only toward in my late fifties that I got to work in my field of expertise.
But I never got sick, physically or mentally, as I still could survive. And yes I moved where the job was, two suitcases was all my belonging, with a typewriter and phoneset for landline for years until close to retiring.
Today I am busy planning each day such that I won't regret I wasted on what is Most Important. And it's to spend it what matters to me most as a life I could not say looking back: 'O, I should have cared less about this and more about that. Each hour is with the satisfaction that this is the best I could spend it as: for rest, physical/mental upkeep, for Pleasure. If not now, there's no other chance. THIS drives me to be frugal with the asset we call Time. I spend a lot today on finding healthy connections. I also spend time to understand the world I/you live in for it too, like nature, determines how much it can shape my life.
I'd love to see you have the most out of our precious lives!
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4 Reactions@sisyphus
I’ll dare to propose that habit is all we are.
And that habit is how we create or perhaps recreate ourselves
If a random thought pops up when I play a piece, it will usually return the next time I play that piece.
Usually it’s a thought about someone I’m angry with!
To stop this I need to replay the passage, carefully singing along and focusing on the music, just the music, only as many times as I can retain the focus.
Otherwise the piece becomes filled with my angry memory!
When I set out to play a piece, it’s wise to remember the first time I heard it or read it, loved it, wanted to play it, working to have fresh opened ears.
It can take many efforts to find the little movement or preparatory thought that will fix a habitual mistake, maybe just a wrong note or accent, a mistake that I’ve practiced unconsciously just once, or many times.
This is hard work, and a lot like my daily life!
Our past can be terribly powerful in ugly ways, it can rob our present moment of any life and joy.
Or perhaps, with great effort, we can reshape our moments just a tiny bit, and perhaps, done often enough, we can build some habits that make life a little bit better.
Few people who do not practice music can realize how much work it takes to play one simple piece beautifully, with sustained mindfulness.
However, with practice and endless refocusing, the hard work is also joyful, even when frustrating.
It takes a long time to develop the habit.
And I think the same is true of all living.
Keep trying, Everyone!
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6 Reactions@edsutton I read this with real interest, as I have been a musician virtually all my life, in one way or another…focus without distractions is important—for me, now playing mostly for myself, the emotional engagement is where I thrive. Wishing any who play to have this joy !
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3 Reactions@edsutton
This!
“ Our past can be terribly powerful in ugly ways, it can rob our present moment of any life and joy.”
I enjoy your posts, Ed.
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2 Reactions