As the baby boomer generation continues to “grow up,” and we see a larger and larger population facing age-related issues, America finally begins to pay more positive attention to the second half of life and the people that inhabit that age group.
When we only place value on youth and the young, we set everyone up for fear, declining self-esteem and a feeling of uselessness as we grow older.
As more attention is paid and more studies are completed, we discover more of what “successful aging” is all about. And clearly, we learn that growing older and maintaining one’s health has just as much to do with emotional factors as with physical.
Two studies in particular have revealed the characteristics of persons who remained healthy throughout the latter part of their life. The first, conducted by Dr. Stephen Jewett, explored the lifestyles of 79 healthy people age 87 and up. The second, by Albert Rosenfeld, involved interviews with 1,200 people ages 100 and older.
The combined general findings of these studies show the following psychological characteristics as common among the healthy elders:
*Enjoy life; optimism and a sense of humor.
*Great adaptability.
*Freedom from anxiety; not prone to worry.
*Live with satisfaction from day to day.
*Respond to life’s simple pleasures; see life as a great adventure.
*Keen interest in current events.
*Religious in the broad sense, but no extreme orthodoxy.
*Sense of self-sufficiency.
The same people also shared a number of physical characteristics, including the following:
*All early risers; average six to eight hours of sleep.
*Nonsmokers.
*Few on medication.
*No special diets; high variety of foods; moderate eaters.
*Not seriously overweight or underweight.
*Little weight fluctuation over lifetime.
*Good general muscle tone.
“Adaptable” was the word most often applied by scientists. The healthier people were able to move on after losses.
Rosenfeld summed up the information: “It was clear that, though these individuals worked hard and enjoyed their work, there was a marked lack of high ambition. They had lived relatively quiet and independent lives, were generally happy with their jobs, their families and their religion, and had few regrets. Nearly all expressed a strong will to live, and a high appreciation for the simple experiences and pleasures of life.”
We have no choice about aging. Whether you are reading this at age 20, 42 or 67, you are somewhere along the road that we all take. The choice we do have, however, is the style in which we will take that journey.
Will we kick and scream? Will we enjoy the scenery along the detours? Will we roll with the punches? Will we butt heads with reality?
These are the choices we can make that will influence the quality of our lives and our health no matter how old we are chronologically.
Rosenfeld’s description of the healthiest senior citizens does not exactly mesh with the common American lifestyle in the 21st century. There seems to be an almost constant restlessness, a desire for more, a drive to progress, a feeling that nothing is ever enough.
Instead of an appreciation for the simple experiences and pleasures of life, our kids are raised seeking to fill every spare moment with activity, start considering college choices in middle school, and feel their parents’ pressures and stresses long before they have the resources to handle them.
Think about the personal characteristics of those healthy elders: “freedom from anxiety,” “live with satisfaction from day to day,” “great adaptability.” A healthy family today will be helping their children and themselves not only to make smart education and career choices, but to develop an inner peace and personal fulfillment, a sense of their own spirituality, and the ability to take the ups and downs of life in their stride.
Physical and emotional health throughout our life span has more to do with our attention to these characteristics than to material wealth or social status. When considering the “gifts” that you give to yourself or your children, material or otherwise, realize that the best you can do is to work for these abstract qualities that will contribute to a successful and happy journey through life at any age.