Awesome Aging encompasses so many areas of your life. Of course, your physical health is very important. Without it, you may not be around as long as you would like to be. Your mental health is a huge concern with the rapid rise of dementia. Your relationships can be nourishing or toxic. Your happiness can really support positive aging. Finances have been shown to be one of the biggest concerns for women over 50. Will you outlive your money? These are all topics that we will be exploring together with Awesome Aging.
Self-love is one of the areas that can easily be neglected, especially when you are pulled in so many directions just to get by. And yet, it is most important in assisting you in maneuvering through all the other things you have to manage. Setting aside time for yourself should be non-negotiable. What action have you taken in the last few days to love on yourself? Here are a few suggestions:
Your 10 minutes. If you are accustomed to giving too much of yourself to others, you may not know who you truly are or what you really want. You can become so involved in taking care of others that you neglect yourself. It is important to take time for yourself, even if it is only 10 minutes a day. Be sure to commit to a specific action during your 10 minutes. I suggest using a timer if you only have 10 minutes. Believe it or not, 10 minutes is a long time to perform a specific designated action. On the contrary, carving 10 minutes out of your day is easy and should not be neglected. Consider using that time to look at your strengths. Turn the judgment off. You know what your strengths are. Acknowledge them and celebrate them, rather than questioning or judging your self-worth. You can also think about what you love. What makes you happy? What do you want to experience in this last half of your life? Devote your time to one thing each time. Be sure to document your thoughts and epiphanies. Then regularly remind yourself of your discoveries. Don’t put them in a drawer and forget about them. Plan an action to make it happen.
Forgive yourself. Holding onto past mistakes, hurts, and embarrassing experiences can put you in a mindset of unworthiness or self-doubt. Take the time to look at where you were at that time and where you are now. Think of yourself as an evolving human being until you take your last breath, rather than a compilation of your mis-steps. Those experiences helped to make you a better person. Without the failed relationships, you wouldn’t know what you don’t want and how to make better choices. Had you not lost that job you may not have found your new passion. Had you not gotten sick you would not have started taking better care of yourself. Take your lemons and turn them into lemonade with your favorite fruit in it (mine is watermelon). So forgive yourself for that stuff. Remember that forgiveness is for your healing and well-being. It paves your road to freedom.
Treat yourself like you are special. How do you treat the folks that you love? Make a list of the ways you show them you care. Do you compliment them, send them nice greetings, tell them you love them? Treat yourself the way you treat others that you care about. Compliment yourself. Say good morning to yourself. Say I love you to yourself. Do you give them your attention when they are speaking? Listen to what your soul is saying to you. It is speaking all the time. You might recognize it as that little voice that says, “I really don’t feel like doing that, but I will.” Listen and act on it just like you would if it were a loved one speaking. The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. Treasure it and nurture it.
Your yummy relationship. Your relationship with food is also an important one. Don’t worry, I’m not about to beat you over the head with why you should eat healthy. Eating is one of the ways we communicate with our bodies and it communicates with us. Unless you have become oblivious to it and no longer notice, your body tells you what it thinks about what you feed it. For example, if you eat something and feel heartburn or stomach pain, your body is saying, “yo, babe, I’m not feeling that.” If you eat something that makes you feel energized, satiated, and healthy, your body is saying, “thanks, boo! That was good.” Despite the fact that I am a sugar addict, every time I eat refined sugar, my body tells me it’s not feeling it by getting mucousy. Because I don’t like that feeling, I have cut back on my sugar intake. But there are times that I will choose to give myself the pleasure of some sugar ladened dessert, fully aware of the consequences. We get to choose where we get our pleasure from, without guilt, shame, or deprivation.
Feed your mind. Just like your body feels bad after eating junk food, there is also junk food for the brain. What are you feeding your brain? Is what you’re watching, reading, and listening to making you feel good or depressed? The shows you watch, things you read, and stuff you listen to feeds you just as much as a green smoothie or a pepperoni pizza. Choose the most nourishing options. Turn off the things that are sickening your mind. Disconnect from anyone who makes you feel drained or negative. Bottom line – be more conscious about choosing what you feed your mind and body.
Love yourself!