We were recently presented with several interesting questions regarding what it means to age, what aging gracefully can look like, and what advice we would give as we all continue through life’s journey. Please enjoy these thoughts from Touchmark Vice President of Clinical Services Angela Stewart on her perspective of embracing aging. 

Do you feel your age?  

Most people would answer they feel younger than the date on their driver’s license. Aging never feels immediate, but it is imminent. Therefore, we cannot postpone proper preparation—physically, emotionally, and mentally.  

What do we gain through aging?  

Aging is a process of living through changes, most often beyond our control. Life offers the opportunity to actively respond. As we respond, aging becomes the most important experiential source of knowledge, gifting us with what we need next. This process should be seen as deeply significant in living to one’s fullest life. 

The slow emotional and physical calibrations allow an opportunity to grow gracefully while accepting these changes. Grace in aging is gifting oneself with elegance and dignity during the process. I don’t know if one ever truly surrenders to aging; instead, we learn to accept and adapt as one’s physical, emotional, and medical needs change.  

How can we embrace getting older?  

Empowering people to plan and prepare for older years is a very important aspect of embracing our age and circumstances. It is easier to make logical decisions when one isn’t in crisis mode and amid health challenges. Good communication with family about your preferences is critical, for everything from desired medical decisions and having appropriate legal paperwork in place, to choosing where to spend your retirement years, what you want daily life to be like, and what you want your legacy to be. 

I’m feeling older ... what now? 

Never surrender—stay active and remember the importance of mind and body training, because if you don’t use it, you lose it! Keep learning, lifting weights, walking, and engaging with a social network to stay sharp and live a longer, fuller life.