Most people worry about getting older, after all they have to plan a lot of things. They have to consider final expense life insurance plans, consider downsizing the home, the list goes on. Though it’s often worth it in the end, it can get a little stressful when managing your older years becomes like a second job to you.
And then there’s the self-image aspect of growing old. Most people dread aging, it’s a fact of life. What with the wrinkles, gray hair and other aesthetic parts of this natural, and quite frankly, beautiful process. While we think holding on to our passing youth is the way to go, there are actually a lot of reasons to celebrate every birthday you welcome. There are so many amazing things that happen as you age, and here are just a few of them to remove that fear of getting older.
You have a great career
Hopefully, you have a good career behind you, an established job and safe retirement to look forward to. Maybe you’re already retired, so you can finally do all those things you didn’t have time for when you were in college or establishing yourself in your field. Early in your retirement, you still have good health, plenty of money and even more time to dedicate to yourself, your loved ones and your hobbies.
You have stable relationships and friendships
When you’re new to dating and maintaining healthy friendships, everything is much more dramatic and fragile. Your first boyfriend/girlfriend who swore loyalty to you are long gone and friends from college all pulled a disappearing act. In your twenties, everyone seems to be running off and doing their own thing which can be really scary. Luckily, as you age, you filter out the good ones from the bad ones and you have lifelong relationships with people who watched you grow up and turn into the human you are today. This is the sort of intimacy we all crave and you finally have it.
You don’t have huge life decisions to make
When you’re in high school, you have to decide on your future career and cope with exams. When you’re a young adult, you need to navigate romantic relationships and you’ll have the stress of paying rent (Studenomics has advice on all things rent-related to make it a little less stressful). As you get older, you have to choose your first home, start a family, buy a bigger car, make savings etc. etc. -these decisions pile up quickly. That’s not to say these decisions are a burden as buying your first home can be an absolutely joyous occasion – whether you go for charleston waterfront homes for sale or elsewhere, nothing beats the feeling of being handed the keys to your very own house. You also have to take care of your retirement living situation and choose whether you want to stay at home or join an aged care community. Although you might want to go to Joslin Rhodes Retirement Advice & Pension Service Providers In Liverpool so you can plan ahead and make sure you can afford this.
If you live somewhere with a well-developed aged care system, communities such as aged care facilities in Victoria might be a great option since they offer low-care nursing care with residential, health and wellbeing care, high-quality physical, social and nutritional programs and a welcoming and supportive environment. When you make all those hard life decisions, you can finally relax and focus on leaving all that stress behind.
You have amazing stories to tell
Did you use to be worried you don’t have anything fun and interesting to say at parties? Well, with age come experiences and stories you can always whip out and impress others. You have days and years of learning, making mistakes, doing stupid things, failing and getting up again-all that will make you look smarter than Einstein and more fun than Bear Grills. Actually, you will never be more interesting than as a senior because you’ve lived a full life. It’s impossible to have really valuable stories and plenty of advice to give unless you’ve been through the meat grinder once or ten times.
You become kinder to yourself
This may be the best thing about getting older. With age, you get a lot less judgmental, but more loving, respectful and caring about all you and your body have been though over the years. You’ve also spent a lot of time working on yourself and developing your personality, so you can finally love yourself and be kind to yourself. Your self-esteem will also skyrocket when you turn 60 and leave all those insecurities of youth behind.
Are you still dreading old age? It’s time to stop and celebrate every single additional candle on your birthday cake because with each new year, you’re one step closer to being a truly content individual with quality relationships, stable income and plenty of time to live life to the fullest.
I think you left off a very important one. You stop doing ridiculously stupid stuff. LOL.
I really love this post. Some people fight getting older, but I rather enjoy it. I’ve found that I am much more centered and kind to myself as I age.
I think there are always important decisions to be made. No matter what age you are.
For me, the career and financial stability are the best things about being older. Most of the money worries are gone for good.
This post reaffirmed my love for senior caregiving. It has been a long time passion and I truly love experiencing that side of the aging process. I don’t dread aging like I once did but actually embrace it.
Ah yes….the stories are simply too good! I attest to that, having been a good listener to Mummy’s stories!
Getting older is such a blessing, but most people don’t realize it. Sure, we lose some of that radiance we had when we were younger, but the benefits we receive in our minds and spirits are so much more valuable.
I’m actually looking forward to getting older and going through the process of life — not fearing it!
Obviously, these can happen. Don’t know about others but 2 I am sure of. I’ll have great family and friends and I will have a lot of stories to tell.
Those are some great points to keep in mind and it would be nice to achieve them someday.
I use to be afraid of getting old but as I approach 50 in a couple of years, I don’t feel old at all! Coincidently I live in Victoria, Australia and I truly believe I live in the lucky country. Aged care facilities here are amazing.
It’s amazing how things change as we grow. Our perspectives, our joys, our stresses, our every day life all evolve with us. Thanks for sharing some lovely things we have to look forward to ♡
Yay to stable relationships, great stories and stable life! It’s just amazing how things get easier.
Love the positive note this post ends on.
Not fearing old age, but embracing it.
I love this! Such a good perspective.
well, I hope that all of those things are true – especially the being kinder to yourself thing – I think we all could be a little kinder to ourselves sometimes, and not wait until we get old to do so. Blessings!
I love the positive spin on all the pros of aging since we always hear negative. Especially the stabilization of friendships
a very personal topic ~ thanks for sharing. Sometimes I do think what will happen for me in my old age… and now I think it is just too hard to predict what would happen even for tomorrow. However, it’s important to always be prepared. – Knycx Journeying
Such good, positive thoughts in this article. I love it. Much better to focus on the good things in my opinion. Thanks for sharing.
So true! I love the idea of becoming wiser and more experienced with life as I age. You can focus more on the things that truly matter most.
which is true you don’t need to worry about career or study!Nice article thanks for sharing
I think another one could have been added here. “You don’t make incredibly stupid decisions all the time.” LOL Love this.
First of all thanks for this amazing reminder and thoughts that everybody should consider and be happy about. I’ll definitely want to make this as a reference going to this stage of my life.
At 45, I have developed a completely new perspective as I look forward to a new chapter in my life. I have only entered this second half of my life. I have began to think about things I have never thought about before, and I am excited! I am excited for more wisdom, embracing all that will come, even the wrinkles, lol. I don’t fear getting older, I am actually excited for this half of life to come.
This is a wealth of information! I’m so happy I found this article — I’ve learned a great deal from it.
Yes! We often grumble about getting older, but this post reminds us about the beauty and joy age brings. Thank you! I needed this today, especially that my birthday is next week! 😉
This is so true. I understand the saying, that youth is wasted on the young! It is nice to feel stability in my life as I get older.
Aside from the occasional aches and pains that come with aging, growing older has its perks. I love the stability, the laid back lifestyle, and the grandchildren!
I think it’s superimportant that we you have a good retirementplan set in motion for when you retire, I am working on mine =)
I liked this positive post. Don’t fear of getting older 🙂
This makes some great points. Our perspectives certainly change as we get older.
Good post. I don’t know if I totally agree with the Big Decision thought. As I get older, it can seem like all of the decisions are getting bigger in a way. You don’t have as much time to correct course if you make the wrong decision when you are older…