Getting older seems to come with lots of negativity about the supposed “decline” that comes with the aging process. But, that’s total crap, because growing older doesn’t have to mean “getting worse.” I mean, look at Anne Hathaway? Sandra Bullock? JLO? If these ladies can age like fine wine, so we can we.
Your 40s, 50s, and beyond can be some of the most exciting times of your life if you shift your focus to appreciating the aging process and challenging these stupid stereotypes. Because what we think about ourselves affects the way we feel.
In fact, worrying about the fact that we’re all growing older (which is pretty inevitable) can make you age faster. Um, NO THANKS! A study by psychologists at Yale University proved this, stating that older people with more positive mindsets about the aging process lived 7.5 years longer than those with a negative mindset.
It sucks how people act like life is over once you’re a certain age. But we’re here to tell you that the best is yet to come. In this guide, we’re sharing simple tips on how to shift your mindset about aging and embrace the process. The best is yet to come, guys!
Let’s rewrite the script on aging:
How To Change Your Mindset About Aging and Make the Most of It
Take up meaningful hobbies.
Life gets busy when we’re raising kids and working our cute little butts off. But, when we enter those retirement years and you suddenly have way more time, you NEED to embrace your creativity with some cool hobbies. You can hear more on this in the episode of Balanced Black Girl called Why We Need Hobbies for Self-Care.
This means finding an activity that fulfills you and brings you joy. You can indulge in a passion project or try your hands at pottery, painting, yoga, learning to play an instrument, or volunteering in your community the options are endless.
Finding hobbies you love is a great way to stay engaged, keep your mind sharp, meet new people, better your quality of life, and feel excited about each new chapter. You’ll feel younger just by having fun with these activities.
Be grateful.
One of the easiest ways to have a positive energy and attitude towards aging is by being grateful. It may sound cheesy, but being thankful can help promote positive aging. We sometimes get so caught up in what we don’t have or what we wish was different that we forget to pause to reflect on the things that are fricken amazing about our life.
You can start by keeping a gratitude journal to jot down what you’re grateful for daily in your SLAY ERA notebook. Don’t worry about it sounding corny. Just write down the littlest, simplest, and funniest things you’re thankful for (it could be the delicious latte you sipped at your favorite cafe.)
If you do this often, you’ll soon realize that you have so much to be thankful for as you grow older. Suddenly, aging won’t sound so bad. You’d have trained your brain to be happier, more optimistic, and handle stress better. Jump into this with Heather McMahan of Absolutely Not with her episode Attitude of Gratitude.
Nurture relationships.
There’s nothing more beautiful than our relationship with other people. As we age, these relationships become even more important for our well-being. Instead of wasting time stressing over wrinkles, put your energy into the people who make you happy.
Send them cute cards (like this ILYSM one). Plan fun get-togethers. Make an effort to spend time with people who appreciate you for you. Your tribe is EVERYTHING. Dive more into this in the episode of The Papaya Podcast called The One About Friendship, Community, and Life Harmony.
The next time you have those negative thoughts about aging creeping in, pick up the phone and plan a girls’ night out. Surrounding yourself with people who love you as much as you love them is the best anti-aging magic potion.
Set goals for yourself.
In your younger years, you probably set a lot of goals . . . and you probably reached them too! Sometimes when you hit a lot of your main life milestones, we can feel like we’ve reached “the end.” But, no way!!! It’s just time to set new goals and smash them!
Why shouldn’t we get to dream big well into our golden years? Giving yourself something to work towards, whether big or small, keeps your mind active and gives you a sense of purpose. Besides, smashing those goals reminds us we’ve still got it at any age.
Your goal could be to learn a new language, finish a marathon, conquer a fear, or build a successful business if Martha Stewart can do it, so can you. If you’re ready, listen to How To Achieve Your Goals, Enjoy Success, Strive For More, & Hold Yourself Accountable, All While Avoiding Burnout from Him & Her!
Stay physically active.
You’ve heard this a gazillion times already, so we won’t overdue it. Exercise makes you feel better in EVERY way. Not only does it lower our blood pressure and reduce the risk of age-related complications, it actually helps our mental health and confidence.
Small amounts of daily activity, like a lunchtime hot girl walk, a 30 minute yoga session in the park, or a Beyonce dance party in your living room, can make you feel amazing.
Learn from some aging role models.
Sometimes, a little inspiration is all we need to start shifting our mindset as we age. And what better motivation is there than strong, sexy women ladies like ourselves living their best lives in their positive age?
Of course, there are the obvious choices like Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Serene Williams, Reese Witherspoon, and Sonia Sotomayor, but there are so many more out there. Some are even our Dear Media family. Here are some podcast from strong, smart (and smart ass) women over 40+:
Understand where your negative age beliefs come from and tackle them.
Embracing aging is all about caring for your physical AND mental health. Rather than continuously internalizing those negative stereotypes about aging, why not stop to trace where those beliefs started from? To be able to change your outlook on aging altogether, you need to dig deep and get to the root of the problem.
It could be from watching some of your family members struggle with aging or losing a grandparent at a young age, or they could sneak in from watching movies where vibrant women get pushed to the sidelines once they hit a certain age. Social conditioning is REAL, ladies!
But regardless, those aren’t your truths, so you should figure out what your beliefs about getting older stemmed from, try to outgrow them, and rewrite your own story. For more on this, listen to the episode of Trying Not to Care called Why Are We So Afraid of Aging?
Keep a positive mindset about aging.
Much of aging is mental. Like we said earlier, what you think is how you’ll feel. Your perception becomes your reality. So, to change your mindset about aging, you’ve got to always see the glass as half full. Make a choice every day to replace negative thoughts with gratitude, and never forget you’re a QUEEN who has and will accomplish so much.
A positive attitude towards aging puts you in a good mood and rewires your subconscious to always be happy regardless. We know it’s easier said than done when those gray hairs start popping up, but you’ll be glad you did. You can get some help from The Mindset Mentor in this episode of Shenanigans with Scheana!
It will definitely take practice; in fact, you might need to fake it till you make it. Fake excitement over the little things, and with time, you’ll actually be happy about them.
Aging is a natural process, so just OWN it!
Aging is simply life unfolding according to its own rhythms. And, you can achieve many great things as you grow older. We dare say that the older you grow, the better your glow!
So, we truly hope this guide has encouraged you to take these few steps to shift your mindset to a positive one because getting older is simply what you make of it. Pretty soon, you’ll have a confident new mindset towards your new age. If you’re still struggling, jump into the episode of Being Her called Scared to Age as a HIGH VALUE FEMININE WOMAN? Listen to this.
Most of all, surround yourself with other women or role models, like our Dear Media girlies, who are on the same journey of positivity toward aging. Our DM women of all age grades are always ready to share how they overcome their struggles to encourage others.