2019-03-28
Elderly Women
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Things are not bouncing back the way they used to on the body and the longevity during a cocktail party tanks after a couple of Manhattans. To make circumstances worse, you really do forget where you parked the car and did you feed the cat? With a bout of self-pity, you rub the tear-stained mascara off the face, wondering what the heck is happening to you. With society focusing on the youth culture the pressure mounts to spurn the aging process, which we are often embarrassed by. "As women, we are routinely shamed for aging. We are made to feel like getting older and especially looking older, is a personal failure," said actress Cameron Diaz in an interview. Aging is more than our outer shells, it's how we feel about the world from within our cores. Take a trip with us and discover a different approach to aging that is more than what you see in the mirror.

Work on acceptance.

Let go of controlling aging as you are just wasting time and energy. Read and talk to people on how they dealt with it. This will carry you further than BOTOX. Once acceptance is there, you can move on with life. Don't be one of those beauty queens, who can't get past her first wrinkle and remains glued to the past. Sometimes we find ourselves hanging on, but letting go is part of the bigger blessing. Real life is not latent as you're finding out and we need to come to a place of acceptance in order to move beyond. Work and appreciate what you do have, not what you are lacking when you look at your reflection. 

Be Positive.

The Journal of the American Medical Association found that seniors who are positive are 44 percent more likely to fully recover from illness. Positive age stereotypes may promote recovery from disability through several pathways. It can also limit the "Cardiovascular response to stress, improving physical balance, enhancing self-efficacy and increasing engagement in healthy behaviors." In every situation try something different by seeing it from God's view instead of from your own vantage point. There is always a bigger picture and looking at through Scripture can help you. But understand that we might never have the answers to our questions. Take peace in the fact that you are not alone and that God knows what He is doing, even though you don't. You have nothing to lose by being positive.

Eat better.

Start seeing yourself overcoming the temptation to gorge on junk food when the moment comes. Once you start mastering this, it will get easier. If you choose to do so, it may help you in other areas that you may be struggling in. "The latest research shows that a low-glycemic diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein are healthiest,” Dr. Jeffrey Benabio, Physician Director of Healthcare Transformation at Kaiser Permanente Primary Care explained to realsimple.com. Getting your greens and yellows is a must for your complexion. Organic kale, spinach, wheat grass and yellow peppers can help prevent wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. Cut down on sugar as this can make the lines on your forehead more pronounced. Avoid processed foods because they contribute to free radicals in the body. Free radicals are a major source of aging.

Get social.

Having friends and a large social circle will help you stay young. Researchers think that friendships and health are linked through the body's processing of stress. People with stronger social connections were 50 percent more likely to live longer than those with weaker connections. "As we encounter potentially stressful events in our lives, if we know that we've got people we can count on or that we can turn to, we may be less likely to even perceive it as stressful, because we know we can handle it," researcher Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist, said. Keep going to parties and events to meet different people to connect with.

Travel more.

The soul needs to travel and given this, you will be amazed how it can broaden your worldview. By stepping outside of our own comfort zones and our own worlds we can expand our our minds. You can go on culinary food tours to places like Germany, France, Italy and Mexico for cooking classes and of course, eating. You can volunteer for a mission trip and become immersed into another culture while helping others. This can be done through the local church or through charities that you are passionate about. Maybe you can go to a big city and check out their art and music scene or find a place that you always wanted to visit.

Get alone time.

As we age, we seem to be less willing to show patience and long suffering. Escape the world by taking a walk or a hike to a scenic area. If you're working and never leave the office make a plan to do so to decompress throughout the week. During this time you can meditate, pray or read a book. One thing to consider is to not check Facebook or your phone during this time. You need to shut down for a moment to just be you.

Refuse to allow the aging monster to inflect pain, turmoil, loneliness and shame upon us. No, things won't bounce back like they used to, but this is nothing that a cosmetic surgeon can't help with. As your soul traverses the planet, the inner self is what matters, and thus, it can take you into a place of transcendent beauty.
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