Age Realization Creeps up on us
Age realization hits you when least expected. It’s often a comment a younger person makes or a photo that pops up on social media where you see yourself and you now feel the ticking clock of your life getting closer to the end that is is from the beginning! How you you cope? The key is to embrace it rather than fight it. Use it as motivation to prioritize what really matters to you. It’s not about the quantity of time, but the quality of the moments you create and the peole yu want to spend yor time with. Therfore we need to make each day count, savor the good stuff, and maybe throw in a bucket list for good measure and stop putting things off or saying to your friends and family “we should catch up soon” make a time and don’t put things off till later. Time may be finite, but the memories you make don’t have to be. What’s on your agenda?
We often don’t see ourselves aging
How can we Manage Age Realisation?
This sudden realization of aging and the finite nature of the time we have left is a common experience that can evoke a range of emotions in us, including introspection, nostalgia, and sometimes even anxiety. Managing age realization involves creating a healthy mindset, making intentional choices to get things done, and finding ways to make the most of the time you have, wow, sounds terrible, but realistic. Here are some ways we can manage our time and our life and put some perspective back into our day.
Embrace Change: The first thing to do is accept that change is a natural part of life for everyone. Embrace the opportunities for growth and learning that come with each stage of life, you still have so much to enjoy.
Set Goals: Get specific and focus on whats important to you. Start by defining your short-term and long-term goals. This helps create a sense of purpose and direction, giving your life meaning and we achieve more when we have a plan. Your goals could be anything, personal development, new relationships, new hobbies or career aspirations.
Live in the Present: Now that we have our goals and planned for our future, it’s just as important to live in the present moment. Try a mindfulness practice, such as meditation, this can help you relax, focus and be here and now.
Maintain Relationships: Keep up with your meaningful relationships with friends and family. These connections provide you with support, joy and happiness, a sense of belonging, and are critical to a balances life. These relationships are important as you age as they provide a very solid purpose for making the most of your life.
Engage in Regular Exercise – It Doesn’t Have to Be Strenuous
Take Care of Your Health: No matter what age you are we always need to have healthy lifestyle choices. Don’t worry if you haven’t got the best lifestyle now, making small changes over time do make a difference and can contribute to a better quality of life as you age. Increase your exercise and make it regular, maintain a balanced diet, get sleep and manage your stress levels. Get regular check ups from your Doctor and take advantage of any screening programs and vaccinations available.
Celebrate Achievements: Whilst we have been focusing on the future and your goals, make sure you take the time to reflect on your life’s accomplishments and celebrate them. We can often get carried away trying to meet the next challenge, acknowledge your wins and the progress you’ve made in various aspects of your life, I am sure when you reflect you will be surprised to find out just how much you have achieved and how often you have used your skills and knowwledge to help others do the same.
Learn and Grow: Keeping fit and active with a healthy diet isn’t all we need to do we also need to think about keeping our mind engaged. Lifelong learning is crucial for personal development and our brain. It can be as simple as attending an evening course, undertaking an online course, pursuing new hobbies, or exploring different interests and stepping outside our comfort zone. Continuous learning ensures our mind is active and mind engaged and we stay curious about learning new things. Plus it’s fun!
Cultivate Gratitude: Some of us spend their lives trying to “keep up with The Joneses”, this basically means we are never happy with what we have and we are always trying to get what “the Joneses” have. It’s a sad way to live, if this is you, focus on what you have rather than what you don’t. Be grateful for the abundance you have in life. Cultivating gratitude can shift your perspective and enhance your overall well-being and stop you feeling like you are on a tread mill trying to catch up with others. Be yourself and enjoy what you have.
Seek Meaning: Figure out what makes you tick! Reflect on what gives your life meaning and purpose. Focus on your passions, your values, or your contributions to others, these actually give you a lot of life satisfaction. I have a mantra where I try and do at least one dood dead a day. Meaing I try and make someone elses’s day better than it was. I have lots of ways to do this – I donate a toy to someone in need, tell someone they look great in that new dress, let people in when driving, offer to carry things for those not as strong, bake a cake for somone who is going through emotional stress, offer to look after peole’s kids so they can have a break. It doesn’t take much to feel good, and small frequent gestures make a big difference in othe people’s lives.
Plan for the Future: Whilst it is important to live in the present, it’s also wise to plan for the future, sometimes we haven’t paid attention to this aspect of our lives – enjoy the moment too much! With age realization we now need to actually take action and look at our financial planning, look at our insurances, set up a will, make arrangements for healthcare and set up power of attourney documents assigning someone you trust to make decisions for you when you mentally can’t and then take a look at what sort of retirement you want ot have. There I said it, R.E.T.I.R.E.M.E.N.T! Is that age realization jumping in!
Accept Imperfection: For years you have probably been trying to acjieve perfection in your life. With age realzation we start to understand that nobody’s life is perfect. Embrace your imperfections and learn from your challenges, life is about the journey and not the destination.
Enjoy Simple Pleasures: The key thing to remember about life is that is is short in terms of the universe so we should enjoy life’s simple pleasures. For me it’s a great cup of Earl Grey tea in the morning to start my day. What’s yours? Spending time in nature, enjoying a good book, or savoring a delicious meal. All of these things contribute to a sense of daily fulfillment building our life’s fulfilment.
I hope you are now happy with your actual age!
To summarise – remember that managing age realization is a highly personal journey, and different strategies work for different people. It’s about finding a balance that aligns with your values and aspirations while appreciating the uniqueness of your own life journey. If you find it challenging to navigate these feelings on your own, seek support from friends, family, or a mental health professional, don’t leave it too long, we all want you to enjoy your mid life.