Society & Culture

Growing old gracefully without depression

Society & Culture

Posted by: Rose

9th Oct 2011 08:59pm

getting older is not talked about, so knowing what to expect would be a little bit easyer if there was more information about coping can anyone nelp. THANKS


DeNiro
  • 19th Oct 2011 11:59pm

Old age is a gradual thing. You're not young 1 day and old the next. Don't worry about it - it's inevitable and there are advantages. Inevitably you'll look in the mirror 1 day and realise you no longer look quite as lovely or as trim as that young lady (was it really you?!) in your wedding photos. Yes your body will slow down too and that can be frustrating but you can still do most if not all of what you want - it just takes longer! You can slow down the latter by regular gentle exercise. If like me you initially hate this idea, then save a shelter dog from death row or offer to walk a neighbour's canine. The pleading look in their big brown eyes as they shift their gaze from you to their idle leash and back again will melt your heart at least once a day, and their obvious joy as they excitedly wag their tail, strain at the leash and sniff everything around will more than compensate for your initial reluctance to get out of your comortable chair. I do half an hour a day and it has done wonders for my blood pressure and pre-diabetes. The biggest advantage of old age is retirement. At last you can devote most of your time to what you WANT to do rather than what you HAVE to. I retired about 2 years ago and have never been busier. Whatever your hobbies and interests are - expand on them. Check out your local U3A and community house - they have all sorts of interesting groups and classes. If you haven't yet learnt the basics of computer usage and these places can't help, then your local library can. Learning how to search the internet is invaluable for finding local groups who follow your interests whether they be tennis or Scrabble or whatever. You don't have to buy a computer - the library allows you to book theirs by the hour. Finally - complaining about what you can't change only leads to depression and this will reduce your enjoyment of everything good in your life. So make the best of whatever stage of life you're at.


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