A Healthy Aging Mind

It’s clear we change our mindset as we move through the life cycle. Hopefully we become more wise, considerate and celebrate all that we experience. Your thoughts and attitudes make all the difference to the quality of your life.

This of course is influenced by so many factors like:

• Do we have a home where we can be secure?
• Is there enough food for us to eat, the very basic resources and money to secure life?
• Are we surrounded by positive, caring and loving people who respect and protect us?
• Are we engaging with life in our bodies and minds to the maximum that we can?
• Are our attitudes to the life that we have filled with gratitude and enjoyment?
• Are we setting new goals for us to achieve each and every day and then celebrating our victories?

If you can answer yes to all this then you’re not limiting your mindset by advancing age.

Of course, many people in the world are struggling due to poverty, disability, disease, natural disasters, war, violence, oppression and lack of opportunity. No everyone has the blessings of good fortune.

This may have major detrimental effects on your life but it’s also good to be aware that it can be the small things that can give pleasure too.

Basic security in aging

The very basics of life, like a roof, staying warm or cool, having enough to eat and drink, enough money and your medical need met are the very fundamentals of life.

Whilst this may seem obvious, many people in different parts of the world may struggle with these basics, particularly technology. (1) If that’s you accept help from any direction it comes from.

Routine is your friend in that each day you monitor that all these are in place for the present and planned for in the future.

My philosophy is, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what needs doing today”. Think of it this way – when you have done what needs to be done early in the day then you can do what you like.

 

Life is precious

For however long we live there are things that can make us happy, from the smile on a child’s face, strawberries to clean fresh water.

When I grew up in poverty I never imagined I would live to 70’s years of age. It seemed so far away, and I was not sure I would make it this far through life. Like everyone else there have been disasters but there have also been great blessings.

The great Buddhist teacher said “Be Yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just Be” (2)

In this world we are often persuaded to feel guilty for all the things we do not do or have not achieved. But that’s someone else’s measure of you, not yours, so celebrate your own achievements.

Connecting with others as you age

I always say, ‘People are like food’. Connecting with others nourishes your soul and emotions. Socialising is good for you, whether that be family, friends, on the internet, people your own age or younger.

Isolation and withdrawing from the world, causes loneliness, depression and anxiety. (3) It can become a habit when you put off mixing with people for a whole host of reasons you make up inside your head.

There are so many ways you can socialise that don’t involve spending great amounts of money like picnics, free shows, meeting for a cup of tea, going for a walk with friend, joining a singing or sewing group.

Make a timetable and fill your dates with events that you will enjoy and things you have never experienced before. Yes, things you have never tried before because you will never know if you like it until you have tried it.

Self-acceptance of aging

One of the greatest journeys we can experience is acceptance of ourselves just as we are. Youth is full of insecurities when we believe we don’t fit in, are not good, pretty, handsome or clever enough.

None of that is true of course. It’s just an illusion that motivates us to activate our survival instinct and protect ourselves. But it’s just that – simply an illusion.

As we age, we find we can live in a youth centered culture. Advertisers try to sell us goods with the protagonist using the product being much younger than us. It is a double message that if you use the product, you will appear younger and have more vigor.

The second part is that you are now old, decrepit and imperfect so if you buy this you will be more perfect again.

But as the nearly eight year of age actress Helen Mirren said, “My spirit is the age I am.” and “The trick is being at easy with the age you are.” (4)

Engaging mentally as you age

The brain shrinks with age (5). It’s an organ that needs cognitive exercise to retain its capacity. If all you do is sit around waiting to die or passively watch the world go by, your brain will shrink more and faster.

As you age, you can learn new skills like languages, a course at a local college, a new hobby, learn to play the piano or another instrument. All these activities help to keep your brain in good condition to make your mind clearer.

Sarah Simpkins, in the USA, was working towards earning her college degree. She was preparing her college degree in Early Childhood Education at 101 years of age. (6)

Every day is an opportunity to learn new things and exercise your brain and mind.

Sarah Simpkins at 101years of age preparing to graduate college.

Being positive in ageing

Be a positive force in the world. If you focus on the negative whether its aging of medical issues it will kill you faster. (7)

Sure, there are things that can become more difficult as you age but if you’re obsessively focusing on the negative then that is how life will be and how you will feel.

Being a positive force in the world isn’t just about you. It’s about what you are putting out into the world and your attitude towards the people around you.

Spread joy – the joy of being alive, the joy of the things you have enjoyed in your life, the joy of the present and the things that you will make happen in the future.

Giving back and aging

If you have gotten to your older years, you have learnt many things. These include skills, knowledge and wisdom. Sharing what you know and what you do again is good for the soul.

My Grannie was a kind person. She knew my father and mother struggled financially and we were very poor, so she used to give me secret special treats.

In those day coffee was very expensive, so she used to sneak me a taste, without my grandfather knowing. She would take me to the bakery and give me a cake, buy me sweets and give me three pennies to spend how I wanted to. It was our secret where she made me feel special when my home life was not easy.

Whether you volunteer, smile at people, teach someone to sew, make biscuits or mend their bicycle; those acts of selflessly giving back and expecting nothing in return add to the quality of everyone’s life.

It is called reciprocity enriching social interactions. When you give it without expectations of something in return it adds the quality, mental wellbeing and length of your life. (8)

Dr Tracie O’Keefe, BHSc, ND clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist, Naturopath & Medical Nutritionist and Orthomolecular Practitioner, PACFA Registered Mental Health Professional. You can visit the clinic or connect by zoom anywhere in the world. Telephone 0403 398808

 

 

References

(1) Stoeckle, T., Enfield, A., Purington, A., & Callegaro, M. (2023). How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1231701. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1231701/full

(2) Excellence Reporter. (2023, September 26). Thich Nhat Hanh: The meaning of life — Being present with a cup of tea. Excellence Reporter. https://excellencereporter.com/2023/09/26/thich-nhat-hanh-the-meaning-of-life-being-present-with-a-cup-of-tea/

(3) Luo, M. (2023). Social isolation, loneliness, and depressive symptoms: A twelve-year population study of temporal dynamics. BMC Public Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9938924/

(4) Cummings, F. (2023, December 18). Helen Mirren is enjoying the ride of getting older. Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/article/helen-mirren-is-enjoying-the-ride-of-getting-older

(5) Peters, R. (2006). Ageing and the brain. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 82(964), 84–88. https://doi.org/10.1136/pgmj.2005.036665

(6) Essence. (n.d.). 101-year-old woman returned to school and will graduate college with her granddaughter. Essence. https://www.essence.com/news/101-year-old-woman-college-degree/

(7) National Institute on Aging. (n.d.). Optimism linked to longevity and well-being in two recent studies. National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/optimism-linked-longevity-and-well-being-two-recent-studies

(8) Brownstein, M. (2025, January 8). Kindness linked to better physical health, longevity. UCLA Health. [Assumed source name if known, otherwise leave publisher out.] https://www.uclahealth.org/news/kindness-linked-better-physical-health-longevity