Aging is inevitable it starts the minute we are born and as we grow we are taught about healthy aging and what we can do to stay healthy by eating right and exercising so we are prepared to love and embrace life to the fullest. We are taught these things, but we don’t always follow through, that of course is why we have so many diets floating around and obese people in our country. With all the stress people endure during their life time we seem to find unhealthy choices to help us cope instead.

Is there really such a thing as aging gracefully and still being able to love life with retirement in view? I know many people start to feel like their usefulness and productive days are now over. It doesn’t have to be a scary transition and even though they may think that this has always been their dream of having the permanent vacation it seems we start worrying about ill health and other aspects of aging. We dream of doing as we please provided the money aspect has been planned for this time period.

Many people find that they don’t like being retired as much as they thought they would and go out and do volunteer work or even get part time jobs. Some older people actually go back to school which is great especially if it’s something they have always dreamed about and can now afford, but just never had the time. There are many adult classes that you can take at your local high school even, learn about computers, take an art appreciation course and learn to paint among a few that are offered.

I’ve been retired for a few years now because Bill gave me that opportunity and personally I love it even though I don’t have the money I had when I worked. I mentioned before that I have been thinking about opening a beauty shop only because I don’t feel productive and at times I feel useless and even start to wonder what good I am. Depression can run rampant among the elderly because we sometimes experience mild impairment of thinking and memory and we’re no longer able to do the things that we were able to do before.

Some of the symptoms of depression for older adults are an expressed feeling of being unworthy and being a bother or a burden, withdrawal from social activities and any decreased activity with no apparent physical cause, loss of interest and pleasure in things we previously enjoyed, loss of weight, loss of appetite, and restlessness. Of course these signs can be seen in any age group not just the elderly so even if someone you know is young and showing these signs you should be alert to them and see how you can help, seek advice from a professional. 

Anyone can benefit from being around family and friends who can give security and support and that isn’t exclusive to just the older generation everyone young or old needs this, but often times don’t find it in time. We all want to achieve healthy aging and to be happy and embrace life, it is important to have close relationships with others and participate in regular activities that give meaning and excitement to life. Many things as I’ve mentioned include volunteering, visiting friends, maintaining some form of physical activity and even going back to school, with me learning to ride a bike.