How to Age Beautifully and Gracefully

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Aging beautifully and gracefully is all about accepting the aging process and embracing it. As we feel great on the inside, we look fabulous on the outside too. Wrinkles and lines add character, softened skin glows as we move with ease through life. Enjoy my advice on making choices that will help you stay healthy and happy so you can, in turn, age beautifully and gracefully.

Live in a Place of Gratitude

Regardless of your life circumstance you can always find a reason to say thank you.  Gratitude is the best antidote to fear, stress and anxiety. Appreciation is not always easy, especially if you are going through a challenging time. Starting with what you most likely take for granted is a good place to start.

Stay Positive

Thinking and saying positive things about yourself and others goes a long way to staying positive. Positivity is not only about smiling and saying what people want to hear, but it’s also about meaning it. Here- being authentic is what matters. You want thought/word and deed to be aligned. The more authentic you are, the more internal power you can access to create the life you want.

Cuddle Regularly and Often

Cuddling provides an opportunity to exchange energy in a loving way. It’s all about feeling the love. Cuddling with a pet, loved one, or getting cozy with a blanket or, soft toy are perfect ways to achieve just that. Seek professional help if you are uncomfortable showing and sharing affection. Like so many, you may have fears surrounding intimacy. These fears, like others, can be faced and overcome.

Engage in Loving Touch 

Loving touch is always healing, whether sexual or non sexual in nature. As a sexual, creative being, you need both and it’s up to you to decide the optimal mix for your wellbeing. Massage by a professional, or loved one, as well as self-massage are excellent ways to receive touch. I suggest self-massage with an oil of your choice, each morning, before getting into the shower. Various acts of sex, in appropriate, respectful, and consensual circumstances, are other ways to receive loving touch.

Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Health and vitality originate from within, and from your ability to process nutrients and flush out toxins that enter your body. When you feel great on the inside, chances are you will glow on the outside with a radiance that only true health and happiness can bring. You want whatever you apply to your skin, or ingest into your system to be as natural, and toxin free as possible. In addition, you want your exercise regimen to include a mix of cardio, weight bearing, flexibility building, and fun. I recommend non-competitive, non-ego driven yoga and meditation to complement your lifestyle.

Don’t Live in a Place of Fear

If you easily criticize, judge and put others down, it is, no doubt, because you are feeling fear on some level. When you engage in fear-based behavior you become separated from who you truly are and deep connection is not possible. Connected people are happier and healthier. If you worry about what others think or say about you, rather than focus on what you want out of life, you are taking energy away from living the kind of life your soul yearns for. Practicing what I call OTGF- Openness, Trust, Gratitude, and Forgiveness will help you feel the love.

Don’t Hang on to the Past or Cling to the Future

When you relive the past or cling to a future state you are not appreciating the beauty around you. Here you risk missing opportunities to move forward. This happens because you are not living in the present moment. In the present moment you are present with what is. In this place stress can be managed and acceptance achieved. Consequently, new, fresh energy can be let into your life to rejuvenate and age well.

Don’t Skimp on Quality or Indulge in Quantity        

Quality and Moderation is the key here. In everything- get the best you can afford, in quantities you will use -without waste or deprivation. This applies to love, to what you purchase, to what you ingest, and to what you do for work and for fun. Extremes, while exciting, lead to burnout, disappointment, and often illness and depression. Remember that life seeks balance, so the greater the height, the greater the fall. This does not mean you don’t strive to reach your potential, it just means you do it moderately and slowly. It will be easier on you and gentler on your body.

Don’t Ignore Personal Grooming

Though vitality originates from the inside, it is also important to tend to your physical vessel as well. Unkempt hair, nails, skin will not keep you looking your best. As you age, you need to pay attention to the changing needs of your hair, nails and skin. However, a healthy, happy body will need less work than an unhealthy, unhappy one.

Don’t Accept Boredom

It is said that great suffering often leads to great happiness and vice versa. While those extremes can take a toll on how you age, the flip side of playing it safe will affect your ability to age beautifully and gracefully. Depending on your nature, you are perhaps more or less of a risk taker than others. The important point here is to be true to who you are. If you like risk, honor that while taking care to not go overboard. By the same token, if risk makes you uncomfortable honor that as well, while ensuring you push out of your comfort zone to some degree. Life is all about learning and growing.  When you do this you ensure that boredom stays at bay and inspiration takes root so beauty and grace can prevail.

Conclusion

Aging well is really about being happy and healthy at each stage of life. No age is better than another – each one has its charm. You are the creator of your life and you have the power to create what you want. Accepting change, transformation, letting go of resistance, and doing what you need to do at various life stages to thrive is key. It’s about releasing fear, facing it head on and going for it. The more you do this, the more you will see beauty and grace around you and when that is what you see that is indeed what you become.

Nicky Rolland is a spiritual teacher and author. She just released Stepping into Consciousness: A Guide to Living a Life of Meaning, Joy and, Abundance. Nicky holds a Bachelor in Commerce from Concordia University. She completed her medicine wheel training with the Four Winds Society before becoming a certified Kripalu yoga teacher. For more information about Nicky, her teachings, and the on line tools she offers in spiritual healing, growth, and transformation please visit her website NickyRolland.com..