Healthy Living

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Strategies for aging well
By Chaplain Dan Langerock

Imagine yourself ten or twenty years from now! What will your life be like? Will it be better than it is now or possibly worse? How have you taken care of your mind and body as you’ve lived? These are questions we must face, if not now, then when that period of time comes. Here are a few suggestions to help you make your life better “down the road”:

Sleep
What are your sleep habits? Are they good or bad? For instance, do you stay up until very late such as 3:00 o’clock in the morning? When you do sleep, are you rested when you get up? Are you a restless sleeper? Do you worry about things when you should be sleeping? Work on this aspect of your life and you will see a big difference in your stamina and energy levels. There are sleep clinics that can help if you need it.

Diet
Your body needs fuel just like a car does. Do you have regular meal times or are they haphazard? Do you skip meals, maybe eating snack-type foods, or not at all? What you eat will determine how you feel. You won’t feel your best if you have neglected vital nutrients for your body. Besides, if you are taking medications, you need food in your stomach so they won’t have adverse reactions.

Mental Acuity
Keeping your mind active will help you with other areas of your life. Read and discuss new ideas with friends. Do puzzles like crosswods and word search or whatever you like. These will help to keep your mind sharp. If you watch TV, turn to something that will stimulate your thinking, not just sitcoms and entertainment. There are so many specialty channels now that you can choose from to help you in your journey.

Subscribe to a magazine that interests you or go to the library and check out books on different subjects you have never explored before. If you like to paint, try a new form of art that will challenge you. There are many things you can do to help your mind stay in good shape.

Spiritual
Do you have a place where you worship with others? Is worship a vital part of your life? Think about why you worship and write them down. Is it just a social gathering or does it energize you for the week ahead? Sometimes we take this for granted and do it out of habit because we feel obligated. Do you feel this way? It can be helpful to rededicate our lives to God at intervals in our life to help us remain focused .

Parameters
For example, is there someone besides you seeking to control your life in a bad way? It has been said that when someone is in this mode of controlling of others, they are out of control in their own lives. While some of these may not be dangerous to you, others can bilk you out of your hard-earned money and other valuables. Be careful whom you allow to be in your inner circle of confidence. Be wise about who knows what in your life, about your assets, etc.

Medical
If you need help medically, do so, but be proactive on your own behalf. Write down questions you have for your doctor as you think of them, then discuss them with him. Professionals are there to help you, but you must make an effort to keep them informed about what is happening in your life. They are not mind readers. You must be aware of what is happening so you can get answers. You will get exactly what you put into your treatment. They are very busy, so be direct in what you say. Find out the side effects of medications you are taking, then be alert in case they should happen.

Don’t be stubborn and wait too long to go for treatment, because then your body will take longer to heal, and you can possibly jeopardize your life. When you are not getting the answers you need, seek a second opinion---don’t just be passive.

Relationships
Cultivate quality into your relationships. When you were working, if you did not put quality materials into what you were making, you would not have a quality product as the end result. The same is true of relationshps. If you treat people badly, you will not have the friends and others you need at the proper time.

If you allow unforgiveness to dominate your life, you will be isolated from those whom you will need to help you someday. The longer you let hurts simmer, the more bitter you will become. Your life will be miserable unless you deal with unforgiveness as soon as possible. If you had a splinter in your finger, you would attend to it, so why not this important aspect of your life? Your mental and physical health are more vital than a splinter. Grudges will only erode your happiness whether you believe it or not.

These are just a primer to get you started thinking about what your life will be like in a given future time span. You can do nothing about these and other areas, that is your choice. What you choose to do about them will help determine your quality of life later on. You can believe them to be unimportant or procrastinate them away into oblivion, but what will you say when you look back at some future time? Take an honest look at your life and see if you can implement these ideas. The future does not have to be a bad thing to look forward to, but it does need preparation ou your part so you can have a quality existence. Perhaps these and other ideas can help in some way.

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