Aging is a matter of the mind.
The years may creep upon us, and the seasons come and go, but we all have a choice how we age in our mind and heart.
In physical terms, I am now in my fifties. Mentally, I rarely pass beyond my twenties. The statement, so often spoken, "The mind is willing but the body refuses to respond" becomes ever more true as we get older in years. But we don't need to age mentally or emotionally.
I have crossed paths with so many people I have known in my life, and there are so many that have not only aged physically, but mentally, as well. There is often no sparkle or light in their eyes. They not only "look" old, but their very presence "feels" old.
Combating age is really a two-fold process:
1) Physical Aging
2) Mental and/or Emotional Aging
Of course, we all know the rhetoric on dealing with physical aging: "Diet, exercise, adequate sleep". So many of us know what to do. So many of us intend to do well. But so often we just don't get around to it. But take heart. It's never too late to start! But you must start, and start now. Begin gradually, of course. Don't try to become an olympic contender overnight. Gradually work into a physical routine and get plenty of rest and eat properly. My wife and I began our regimen when I became sixty pounds overweight. The kicker was that my blood pressure went from 120/80 to nearly 160/95! My wife found some books on healthy eating and lifestyle, and we began. I have now lost 40 pounds and am well on the way for the rest.
Then there is the question of mental/emotional aging. For the most part, this is an aging of choice. That may seem like a harsh statement, but it is true. In fact, it is a daily choice that we consciously make. We react, for the most part, to the circumstances around us. We adapt and adjust to the circumstances of life as we perceive them. Acting "old" is the easy way out. It is a reaction of surrender. But beware, for it is a choice of addiction and eventual debilitation of the mind...and the heart. Mental aging will cripple you faster than any physical complication or challenge will.
"Age is a cage
We forge for ourselves
With shackles and chains
We keep on it's shelves;
The gatekeeper's key
Is hidden from view
For the secret to freedom
Is only within YOU!
So make the decision, and don't put it to committee. Decide to be happy, regardless of your physical circumstances and limitations. The conscious choice of being happy may not cure your physical ailments due to aging, but it will make your life so much more bearable.
Bob Curtis has been writing articles, short fiction and poetry for over thirty years. He has been a lay family and individual consultant for a number of years. He is currently the managing director of people4people.blogspot.com and is the president of Nexus Publishing, people4people.blogspot.com in Midvale, Utah.
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareINNER CRITIC UNVEILED! Part 2: AFFIRMATIONS TO THE RESCUE!"Almost everybody... Read More
One of my class fellows was really tensed, when asked... Read More
The mind absolutely amazes me. It will never be understood,... Read More
Say aloud:I AM. I AM Consciousness. I AM the creator... Read More
Just in an average day we can experience many things... Read More
When I was a young man, even a teenager for... Read More
One of the most well known books ever written on... Read More
Striving to improve our self esteem is on everybody's mind.... Read More
Our lives are busy. We rush here only to remember... Read More
"Someone was hurt before you; wronged before you, hungry before... Read More
I had a completely different idea for my main article... Read More
This week's wisdom is on the power of living in... Read More
Remember Des'ree? She had a great song out in 1994,... Read More
By definition,an affirmation is a statement repeated time and again... Read More
You want to change your self-care habits and you can't... Read More
In frustration it's easy to jump to false conclusions that... Read More
You may be facing a type of disappointment, frustration, loss,... Read More
Do you ever feel sorry for yourself? Do you ever... Read More
If you work toward what you dream, the dream can... Read More
If I say the word "CHANGE" how do you feel?... Read More
I started life writing in the fifth grade. My mother... Read More
We all have a unique way of communicating our story,... Read More
Gratitude is one of the most important things you can... Read More
Distortions are False Beliefs Programmed every Day by Self and... Read More
Positive thinking in this day and age is a tool... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..What's my life all about is the question so many... Read More
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Is the glass... Read More
Our attitude makes seems to control just about everything about... Read More
I was playing tennis today with one of my tennis... Read More
The others in the raft didn't seem to share Eddie's... Read More
Contrary to the popular saying "attitude is everything" attittude is... Read More
Do you realize how good you have it? Yes, everyone... Read More
Human nature is created so that you can choose your... Read More
No one becomes successful by accident. Motivational speaker Les Brown... Read More
Positive thinking in this day and age is a tool... Read More
The way to define your personality is to refine your... Read More
Inevitably in life we will face disappointment from time to... Read More
Everyone of us has the potential to successfully more through... Read More
Did you know that the 911 equivalent in the UK... Read More
Once upon a time, I was a vibrant, youthful teenager...My... Read More
Occasionally people will ask me how I keep a positive... Read More
As I swooshed down the Zoom Flume water slide at... Read More
Looking around at our circumstances we may see only mountains... Read More
As we enter this holiday season, and this time of... Read More
"You Are My Sunshine My Only Sunshine You Make Me... Read More
Improving this single attitude makes your days fly by. You... Read More
Who are you?We all know that we are composed of... Read More
In many ways the Star War movies are simply a... Read More
From experience, one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people... Read More
James Allen, who wrote the masterpiece, As a Man Thinketh,... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |