Aging is an absolute certainty that we cannot avoid or postpone. We can prepare ourselves, mentally and physically for what’s to come, and enjoy the process as well.
While we have financial planners guiding us through balancing what we earn into buckets of saving, investing and spending, we seldom get any guidance with our emotional investments and nutritional priorities.
Here are some very broad spectrum generalizations. A good number of us will encounter most of these milestones. Our overall happiness and wellness will be entwined with the level of forethought we put in at each step.
How we eat, how much we drink or smoke, what level of physical activity we maintain and how we manage stress will depend upon the choices we make in life that defines us and helps us age gracefully.
By living deliberately in the present moment, we can take small and balanced steps in each decade of our lives towards making the next one even greater.
Teens
ü Friendships: How we define ourselves in our teens often is closely connected with how we choose our friends. Friendships made at this age lasts a lifetime and becomes essential in the support structure we create to face and conquer various challenges in our lives.
ü Academic Pursuits: What interests us in our world of academia also becomes very crucial in how we define our adult lives, our happiness and our earning capabilities. Learning from our teachers, parents and mentors is key in making the right choices that gives us the best in our learning’s as well as taking us into vibrant and exciting careers
Twenties
ü Relationships: As we venture out into the adult world, we start seeking the perfect mate. While the process can be fun or disastrous, it is imperative that we define what “Perfect” is. It is better to have a clear set of criteria early on than to invest in a long term relationship or worse a marriage that is doomed for the inevitable “D”.
ü Career Pursuits: Choosing a career path simply to please a parent or a spouse or simply because its lucrative, can work in the short term. In the long term will become troublesome through stress, dissatisfaction, even depression. The pursuit should be in the direction where we look forward to get out of bed every Monday morning because we feel that we can make a difference, and way beyond the checking account.
Thirties
ü Parenting: Planning and preparation is key to successful parenting. Readiness should be comprehensive - financially, emotionally, physically, mentally – together and individually. Prioritizing ourselves and our relationships as parents will be as important as prioritizing our children’s needs. Without the balance, there will be much to lose in the long run.
ü Divorce: Statistics indicate more separations than long term togetherness. While no one wants to or plans for their relationships to fail, it is important to know when things are not working. It is essential to confront conflict. Working through the process of separation with respect and patience and learning to let things go is vital to moving on and finding new sources of happiness and companionship.
Forties
ü Responsibilities: As we enter our forties we will find ourselves pulled in multiple directions. Aging parents needing our help, teenage children acting out, pressures at work and midlife crisis of friends and spouses. Balancing each role that we play at this age becomes a juggling act; one not managed well will manifests in early onset of mental and physical health issues.
ü Nourishment: This is also the decade when we need to start listening to our body if we already haven’t. Paying attention to dos and don’ts of nutrition is critical in avoiding kicking off early dependence on pharmaceuticals.
Fifties
ü Community: With a couple of decades dedicated to consuming, this is when many of us actively initiate contributing; in public service, charity or deeply embedded creativity. This is when we look beyond proving to others what we are capable of and transition to proving to ourselves how we can make a difference.
ü Fitness: Staying active as we get older becomes tougher. Pain from aging or chronic conditions, and sports injuries are few of the challenges we face. Picking up new ways to stay fit become important. Walking for 30 minutes at least five times a week or taking an yoga or a tai chi class would be a gentle way towards keeping fit.
Sixties
ü Retirement: Transitioning from the routine of a job can pose challenges emotionally and mentally. Losing the daily discipline and the social interaction could cause loneliness and depression. It is important to plan social activities through volunteer work or hobbies to keep busy and mentally stimulated.
ü Healthcare: For many there is a knowledge gap of how healthcare works between an employee paid group insurance and Medicare. It is important to get educated in advance and plan well for preexisting conditions, prescription medications and frequently needed diagnostics.
Seventies and beyond
ü Spirituality: As we approach the twilight of our lives, we connect with our souls at deeper levels. Some of us reach into religion and some simply become more spiritual. It is about managing the anxiety around the inevitable and cherish life and its achievements
ü Legacy: Our legacy is a collection of work, our children and memories in the minds of those we connected with. How we collect and gather and give is up to us. Planning this transition is as important for us emotionally and spiritually as it is for those we would leave behind
Remember it is never too late to begin. Wherever you are, in the continuum of space and time, embracing wellness will always positively impact your mind body and soul.
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind then it doesn’t matter.” Mark Twain