Many of us are at a stage in life where we can still afford to deny aging or its successor, old age.
What is undeniable, however, is the growing number of aches and pains in the body that detract from the quality of daily life. They can be transient: going mysteriously from a burned knee to an aching shoulder, while chronic problems can worsen: arthritis becomes more debilitating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) turns into Crohn’s disease or diverticulitis, elevated of sugar in the blood becomes diabetes. You get the picture.
You are so used to your healthy, strong and resilient body that, at first, you cannot believe it. But time, wear and tear and the years take their toll. Even if you’ve been scrupulous about your diet, exercise, and stress management, you’ll get old. However, depending on your lifestyle and genetics, the level of impairment can be mitigated.
The only thing you have control over and need to cultivate on a daily basis (so it’s already in your nature if you experience any insanity later) is your attitude. A positive, upbeat, funny, and appreciative attitude helps the pain lessen.
Picture this:
You are taking care of your granddaughter, she decides to experiment by exploring the stairwell. You jump to avoid an accident and inadvertently jam your foot on the edge of a table. At the same time, the baby falls down some stairs. As you rush to catch her and protect her, you don’t think about your throbbing fingers, you’re so grateful that she’s okay that you hardly think about your injury. The distraction of feeling gratitude shifted the awareness in your brain from pain to the well-being of your little explorer; you were able to avoid, mentally and physically, BECOMING THE PAIN. You don’t want to get caught up in fear and pain, which only make the suffering worse.
As you get older, you learn to live on another level, to give up some of what you once had, taking advantage of and cultivating what works for you now. This readjustment keeps you alive and vital. Severe chronic pain can be debilitating, but living with a borderline level of pain keeps you conscious and flexible; you become a health warrior, physically and mentally. Your strength comes from continual learning, struggling, and adjusting to push yourself and achieve your best.
Pain-focused awareness can be a catalyst for growth. As your body ages and deteriorates, you want to increase your awareness around your pain.
How to learn from your bread:
* Determine its origin.
* Do what you can to fix it (exploring Western and Eastern medicine, as well as energy work and natural alternatives).
* Be your own best advocate for your care, don’t hand over your power to the medical and pharmaceutical profession.
* Recognize where in our life cycle you are right now and shift your focus to living the best life you can right now.
* Listen to your body.
* Your pain is a feedback loop that helps you tune your dials to what you can do, what is too much, how much sleep you need, and what kind of food feels most nutritious for your body.
* Listen to your body, it can guide you to know what calms you down or aggravates you.
It helps to have a sense of humor as the years go by. Maybe your pretty curvaceous body will shrink into a skeletal shell, or magically explode into a nerf ball. You notice that your features begin to take on a life of their own and begin to blend into one another. You can’t remember the name of your favorite TV show, or you find yourself arguing that it’s not that you’re not listening, it’s that you “can’t hear.” You have to learn to laugh until it hurts!
Never give up hope, even at the ripe old age of 80 and above. By caring for your body, nurturing your spirit, and cultivating closeness with friends and family, you will have the personal resilience to face all of the amazing changes of aging. Then, you’ll be ready to navigate what David Sedaris called “the five rings of hell” in your later years, with peaceful resolve and light (albeit assisted) step!
Today is the best day to really start living the rest of your life, no matter how old you are.