How much time and effort should one devote to psychological fitness? Many of us pay attention to physical fitness, especially after the December holidays. January is the time of year when people typically start new exercise programs or go back to the gym after a couple of weeks away. Sadly, most of us give little […]
Models of Aging
Understanding the Science of Happiness
In the past few days, almost everyone who I’ve met wished me a ‘Happy New Year’. These wishes reinforce the truism that people generally seek happiness for themselves and for others. Bookstores, bloggers, and podcasts offer countless self-help ideas to improve happiness. We’re urged to drink more water, get enough sleep, practise mindfulness, exercise regularly, […]
Nurturing Curiosity in Retirement
Last week, when my six-year-old granddaughter was visiting for her weekly ‘date’ with me, she posed questions about why leaves on trees change colour in autumn, fall off, and re-generate in spring. She asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier for the tree to keep its leaves all the time”? We were admiring the yellow, red and […]
What do you want ‘to be’ when you grow old?
Have you noticed that as you grow older, nobody asks what you want ‘to be’? People stop asking questions about what’s next in your life. Is there an assumption that who you are at 60 or 70 or 80 is who you want to be for the rest of your life? Do we stop learning and […]
Have You Outgrown Yourself?
When your retirement life feels constricted, you might ask whether you have outgrown yourself. Whaaaat — you ask? How can that happen? In all likelihood, you have outgrown your retirement lifestyle. You planned a fulfilling and exciting retirement — not one that feels smaller with each passing year. Outgrowing oneself may be a natural progression of […]
Daily Encounters with Ageism
Readers who reach a certain age and stage of life are familiar with the negatives of ageism. Older people are stereotyped — to a greater or lesser degree — as frail, helpless, irrelevant, troublesome, invisible, or demanding. Ageism is part of Western culture. It is often unintentional. Once someone is no longer in his or […]
Recognize and Manage Life’s Transitions
The guided meditation at yoga class this morning began with a short discourse on how to recognize and manage transitions. The yoga teacher referred to sudden transitions in temperature as the cold spring weather suddenly turns summer-like and then gets chilly again. She reminded us that the change from day time highs of 10 Celsius […]
Are You a Night Owl or a Lark?
Whether you are a night owl or a lark, it’s important to understand when you are most creative and most productive. I’ve always been a bit of a night owl. In younger years, I regularly stayed awake into the wee hours as my most energetic and focused time extended until 2 or 3 am. This […]
Make your life a ‘work of art’ by living well
“Art is the proper task of life“ — Friedrich Nietzsche Nietzsche’s 19th century writings on philosophy and the meaning of existence encouraged people to live artistically, attaining satisfaction with the self through adhering to aesthetic values and creating works of art and poetry that capture and convey some form of beauty. Did he mean that […]
How Will You Celebrate UNIDOP?
UNIDOP or United Nations International Day of Older Persons happens on Sunday, October 1. In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as a day to celebrate the contributions seniors make to society. Seniorszen blog https://www.seniorszen.com/blog/2017/09/26/celebrate-seniors-october-1 notes that the theme for 2017 is ‘Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions, and Participation of […]