Healthy Aging Month

by 26Health Staff

September is earmarked as Healthy Aging Month. Sitting down to write this article, I reflect on my own aging journey. Yes, my body has changed and my energy level has changed. I am not the same as when I was 20 years old and could burn the candle at both ends. My perspective has also changed. I now focus on what is really important, on my purpose, and on what I have accomplished in my 70 years. I have lived a good life and see my age as just a number. I know I have many more years to go and so much more to accomplish in helping the world to become a safer place for all of us to co-exist peacefully & harmoniously.

I would like to share some tips on what it means to “age gracefully.”

• Exercise

• Be kind to your skin

• Eat Healthy

• Lower your stress level

• Practice mindfulness

• Get enough sleep

• Quit smoking and lower your alcohol intake level

• Drink plenty of water

• Find new hobbies

• See a doctor regularly

• Take care of your mouth

• Spend time with friends and loved ones

• Accept your physical, emotional & psychological changes

• Eliminate negative self-talk

• Reach out for mental health services if needed

• Dance like you have never danced before

• Bring laughter & humor into your life

• Do not sweat the small stuff

• Wake up each morning & be grateful for all that you do have in your life

I leave you with this heartfelt story that I came across several years ago.

“Harry and Charles shared a hospital room together. Charles’ bed was next to the window and Harry was next to the door. Every morning when they awoke, Charles would look out the window & share with Harry what he saw. One day it would be blue skies, the sun shining and birds flying by. Sometimes he would see children playing together, laughing, hitting a ball, or jumping rope. Every day he would tell Harry how beautiful it was outside and that he could not wait to be outside again in the sunshine and fresh air. On a Thursday morning, Harry woke up to find that Charles’s bed was empty. He was confused and rang for the morning nurse who shared with him that Charles had passed away during the night. Harry was saddened by the news and asked the nurse if his bed could be moved to the window so that he could experience all the beauty of life that Charles had shared with him. The nurse moved his bed to the window and all that Harry could see was a cement wall. He was perplexed: How could Charles see all the beauty and all he saw was a cement wall? He questioned the nurse in his confusion and she shared with him that Charles was blind and all the images he shared were what he imagined in his mind. The moral of the story is that our minds are powerful and as you age allow yourself to imagine happy, calming, beautiful images that will let you create a more positive space to live in. It will help your mind to stay healthy, reducing stress and anxiety.

Remember, you are put here to relish life; its excitement, its miracles, and its rewards.

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Real stories are a powerful way for families to understand the benefits of foster care and being adoptive parents. Whether you are a birth parent, adoptive parent or adoptee, adoption changes you. Each time you share your story with someone, you will be reminded how all the pieces of your adoption or foster care journey came together.