Mindfulness for Seniors

Mindfulness For Seniors: The Key to Aging Well

 Aging is a part of life. But the quality of our lives as we grow older depends less on our physical state then on our attitude. Growing old is inevitable, at least on the outside. But we don’t have to grow old on the inside. Meditation, guided imagery and self hypnosis are tools we can use to keep our spirits young even as our bodies grow old.

Aging can be a scary proposition; bit by bit your body loses muscle tone, strength and flexibility. Your eyesight begins to fade, hearing becomes difficult and moving around is laborious. We begin to lose our friends and family to death. The world around us changes leaving us confused and lost. Society dismisses us as irelevant as we grow old.

This leads many people to chase the fountain of youth. They race towards one diet fad, to another nutritional supplement, to another scheme designed to slow down the process of aging in turn by the hands of time. Pushed on by an irrational fear of aging and dying, many people panic at the thought of growing old instead of stepping into the wisdom and serenity of old age.

It’s a fact. You see it for yourself. Some older people are full of vim and vigor, others are worn out, cynical and pessimistic. Some senior citizens celebrate the fullness of their life experience as they enter their golden years while others tried desperately to disguise themselves as younger.

So how do you find serenity in your senior years? It all starts with mindfulness. First, accept reality. Accept who you are. Accept your current condition. Next, envision the reality you want. Picture the person you want to be. Imagine your future conditions.

No amount of wishful thinking will stop time. The universe did not design us to live in our bodies forever, so accept it and embrace it for what it is. Determined, positive and grateful seniors will outlive, and live better than those who live in denial, fear and neediness. Look to improve what you can improve.

The great secret to growing old gracefully, gratefully and with joy is within your reach. You already have what it takes, you just need to still your mind and direct your thoughts to actualizing the reservoir of inner strength contained within every human spirit.

Mindfulness can be the key to turning off negative and debilitating thoughts that cripple our spirit and crush our physical well-being. When senior citizens practice mindfulness they can lower blood pressure and reduce hypertension.  When they live their lives with their eyes wide open making conscious intelligent decisions about their health and well-being, senior citizens can live safer and more secure.

There are many paths to this enlightenment. Some find their way through daily journaling. Others use self hypnosis, guided imagery and meditation to tap into their spiritual strength. Still others find that prayer and spiritual exercise unlocks the gateway to serenity.

This entry was posted in Developing the mind and tagged aging, mindfulness.