– ढलते वर्षों में किसी के जीवन को प्रासंगिक और उपयोगी कैसे बनाया जाए
-एक उद्देश्य के साथ सार्थक जीवन कैसे जिएं।
इससे निपटने के लिए कोई क्या कर सकता है:
1. सकारात्मक और प्रसन्नचित्त होना वे महत्वपूर्ण गुण हैं जो वरिष्ठ नागरिकों में सफलतापूर्वक उम्र बढ़ने के लिए होने चाहिए। समान विचारधारा वाले लोगों के साथ अच्छे रिश्ते और स्वस्थ सामाजिक संबंध आपके जीवन को सुखद और आरामदायक बनाते हैं।
2. गतिशीलता के साथ अच्छा स्वास्थ्य उम्रदराज़ वरिष्ठ नागरिकों के लिए सबसे महत्वपूर्ण कारक है। अपनी पसंद के स्थानों की यात्रा करने में सक्षम होना, एक बड़ा वरदान है।
3. स्वस्थ आहार लें, पर्याप्त नींद लें और धूम्रपान और अत्यधिक शराब पीने से बचें। यह समग्र कल्याण को बढ़ावा देने में मदद करता है।
4. नियमित चिकित्सा जांच से गुजरें, क्योंकि ये आपको चेतावनी दे सकते हैं और सावधानी बरतने के लिए प्रेरित कर सकते हैं, जिससे भविष्य में होने वाली कुछ बीमारियों से बचा जा सकता है।
5. बढ़ती उम्र में चिंता को मात देने के लिए शांत और शांतिपूर्ण दिमाग बहुत महत्वपूर्ण है। आध्यात्मिकता आपको शांत और शांत रहने में मदद करती है।
6. जीवन में उद्देश्य की भावना रखने से आपको उम्र बढ़ने के साथ प्रेरित रहने में मदद मिल सकती है
7. वरिष्ठ नागरिकों के लिए कुछ रचनात्मक समय बिताना महत्वपूर्ण है जो उन्हें प्रासंगिकता और फलदायी होने का एहसास दिलाए।
8. सफल वृद्धावस्था में वित्तीय स्वतंत्रता महत्वपूर्ण कारक है। वित्तीय निर्भरता आपको बहुत तनाव में डाल सकती है। यदि आपके पास अभी भी समय है, तो यह सुनिश्चित करने के लिए अच्छी तरह से योजना बनाएं कि आपके सेवानिवृत्ति के वर्षों में आपके जीवन भर के लिए पर्याप्त आय प्रवाह हो।
9. अधिक सामूहीकरण करें. एक अच्छी सहायता प्रणाली के साथ सामाजिक रूप से जुड़े रहना सफल उम्र बढ़ने के लिए महत्वपूर्ण है।
10. आपके मतभेदों के बावजूद, आपके जीवनसाथी के साथ सौहार्दपूर्ण संबंध, सफल उम्र बढ़ने के लिए एक और बहुत महत्वपूर्ण कारक है। दोनों के बीच का सामंजस्य आपको सभी कठिनाइयों और कठिन समय से उबरने में मदद कर सकता है। समझ की कमी और बार-बार बहस करने से विपरीत प्रभाव पड़ेगा।
11. संज्ञानात्मक गिरावट को रोकने के लिए पढ़ने, लिखने, पहेलियाँ और नए कौशल सीखने जैसी बौद्धिक रूप से उत्तेजक गतिविधियों में संलग्न रहें।
12. अपनी रुचि के अनुसार अच्छी किताबें पढ़ने से न केवल आप रचनात्मक रूप से व्यस्त रहेंगे बल्कि आपके ज्ञान में भी वृद्धि होगी।
13. आराम, मनोरंजन, कल्याण और उत्पादक गतिविधियों के लिए पर्याप्त समय देने के लिए अपनी जीवनशैली पर दोबारा काम करें।
14. हमेशा अपने आत्ममूल्य को पहचानें और जीवन में अपनी उपलब्धियों का जश्न मनाएं। इससे आपको प्रेरित और ट्रैक पर बने रहने में मदद मिलेगी।
15. आपने अतीत में क्या किया या क्या नहीं किया, इसके लिए कभी भी अपराध बोध न रखें। आत्म-दया में डूबे रहने के बजाय बस प्रयास करें और वह करें जो आप सुधार कर सकते हैं। वर्तमान में जियो। आपके पास जो कुछ है उसके लिए आभारी रहें।
16. ऐसी गतिविधियों में शामिल होने का प्रयास करें ताकि जब आप इस दुनिया से विदा हों तो अपनी छाप छोड़ सकें।
17. अंतिम लेकिन महत्वपूर्ण बात, यह कभी न सोचें कि आप बूढ़े हो रहे हैं। सामान्य रहें और वर्तमान में जियें। दरअसल, अगर आप अच्छा आहार लेते हैं, अच्छा व्यायाम करते हैं और अपना समय रचनात्मक तरीके से बिताते हैं, तो आपको कभी महसूस नहीं होगा कि आप बूढ़े हो रहे हैं। सफल मनोवैज्ञानिक उम्र बढ़ने के लिए यह सबसे महत्वपूर्ण कारक है।
The two psychological fears to successful ageing are:
– How to make one’s life relevant and fruitful in the fading years
–How to Live life Meaningfully with a Purpose.
What one can do to cope up:
1. Being positive and cheerful are important attributes that Seniors must have for ageing successfully. Good relationships and healthy social connections with a like-minded people make your life pleasant and realaxed.
2. Good health with mobility is the most important factor for ageing seniors. Being able to travel to places of your choice, is a big boon.
3. Eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and avoid smoking and excessive drinking. lt help to promote overall well-being.
4. Undergo routine medical checks, as these can warn you & prompt you to take precautions which can avoid certain future ailments.
5. A calm & peaceful mind is very important to beat anxiety in ageing years. Spirituality helps you to be calm and peaceful.
6. Having a sense of purpose in life can help you stay motivated as you age
7. It is important for seniors to have some constructive pastimes which gives them a feeling of relevance and being fruitful.
8. Financial independence is important factor in successful senior ageing. Financial dependence can put you under a lot of strain. If you still have time, plan well to ensure that you have adequate income flows in your retirement years to last for your life.
9. Socialise more. Staying socially connected with a good support system is vital for successful aging.
10. Cordial relations with your spouse, in spite of your differences, is another very important factor for successful ageing. The harmony between the two can help you overcome all difficulties and hard times. Lack of understanding and frequent arguments will have the opposite effect.
11. Engage in intellectually stimulating activities like reading, writing, puzzles, and learning new skills to check cognitive decline.
12. Reading good books as per your interest will not want to make you constructively busy but will also add value to your knowledge.
13. Rework your Life-style to factor adequate time for rest, recreation, wellness & productive activities.
14. Always recognise your self worth & celebrate your accomplishments in life.This will help you stay motivated and on track.
15. Never ever have a guilt feeling for what you did or did not do in the past. Just try & do what you can to improve rather than indulge in self pity. Live in the present. Be grateful for what you have.
16. Try to engage in activities so as to leave a mark behind when you depart from this world.
17. Last but not the least, don’t ever think that you’re ageing. Be normal and live in the moment. In fact, if you take a good diet, exercise well and spend your time constructively, you will never feel that you are ageing. This is the most important factor for successful psychological ageing.
Ageing is inevitable and everyone has to go through it. With improved health consciousness and medical facilities, the Life Expectancy has increased across the world and the definition of becoming old has undergone a change. Today, 60 is the new 40. One has nearly 30 to 40 yrs more to live after 60. With age one goes through certain physical, mental and psychological changes. One needs to be aware about these changes and accept them gracefully. Enjoy your golden years of life by taking good care of your physical, mental and emotional health.
Changes after Age 60
Changing Priorities after 60
So your priorities in life change after 60. Till 60, you are presumably employed and have a busy life. Your priorities generally are your job, career, health and your family, in that order. However, after retirement when reaching 60, your priorities change to Health, your post-retirement finances, living life meaningfully, staying relevant, being socially active and fulfilling your Bucket List.
Physical Changes after 60
With ageing, You will gradually start seeing changes in your body. Don’t get disturbed when you observe wrinkles, sagging of skin or shrinking body shape due to loss of muscle mass, increase in weight, greying/balding of hair etc. There will be other physical changes too which happen gradually as we age like painful joints, stiffening of arteries, loss of hearing and change in your vision. Accept these changes positively as a part of your ageing process. Do your best and take care of your body by staying physically and mentally active.
Mental Changes after 60
There are mental changes too. You may realise that you are not mentally as sharp as you used to be. You may have difficulty in recalling names, recognising people and remembering facts. Stimulate your brain by undertaking activities like jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, building your vocabulary, learning new skill, painting, playing music etc. Remember that mental health has an impact on physical health and vice versa. Use your experience, knowledge and wisdom effectively to stay mentally active and arrest you cognitive decline.
Psychological changes after 60
Gradually, one also starts to feel the loss of identity, the purpose of life and how to be meaningfully and productively occupied. The feeling of ageing with fear of sickness and health also start haunting, at times. The older you grow, the more isolated you become. There are times when you are anxious, worried and lethargic for no specific reason. Life appears worthless to you. This is when one starts having bouts of anxiety and stress which further harms both the physical and mental health.The main causes of these psychological effects are:
Availability of more time for yourself after retirement than before and the freedom to pass this time the way you want to do
Reduction in disposable income with stoppage of regular monthly paycheques and fear of losing out on finances
The realisation of the need to make your life relevant by being helpful and contributing to society in any manner.
The greater need for a fulfilling social relationship and feeling of being wanted.
The realisation of Living life Meaningfully with a Purpose.
The need to rework your Life-style-activity plan factoring lower income and increasing expenditure on health and wellness in future.
Desire to engage in productive activities so as to leave a mark behind when you depart from this world
What 60 Plus must do to cope up
Maintain a good Health
Always remember, you are an asset to this world so long as you enjoy a good health or else you become a liability. Your holistic health includes physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual health.
Keep a check on your Biological and Subjective age to remain younger than your age.
There are three ages, chronological, biological, and subjective or psychological. The first is calculated based on our date of birth; the second is determined by the health conditions and the third is how old you feel you are. While we don’t have control over the first, we have some control over the later two. You can reduce your Biological age with Exercise, Nutrition, Emotional State and control over stress levels. A positive attitude and optimistic thinking can reverse the third age. It makes you feel younger. Lower ‘subjective age’ or ‘psychological age’ has a significant effect on your physical and mental health.
Add balance, flexibility & strength exercises in your daily routine. It improves your balance, posture, and the quality of your walking. It also reduces your risk of falling or fear of falls.
Always keep Learning something new
Learning something newadds value to your life and keeps you sharp. Learning builds your brainpower, keeps you sharp and extends your life. Every time you learn something, your brain grows new cells. It will always keeps you young, no matter what your age is. Your experience, knowledge and wisdom will decay if you don’t boost it by continued learning.
Monitor your Finances
Most retirees have mainly retirement corpus, pension and social security (in some countries) to live on. You may have income from any part-time job that you may undertake or rental income, if any. You have not only to preserve your nest egg but also make efforts to make it bigger through investment to last your entire life.
Be Relevant through Meaningful engagement
After Retirement, it is easy to while away this time by sleeping late, watching TV, doing household chores or playing with your grandchildren. These activities may keep you busy but will not give you a sense of fulfilment. So engage in activities which add value to your life like learning a new language or skill, starting a new venture or doing something which contributes to the community. Before departing from this world, you must leave a mark, create a memory or make as many people happy as possible.
Have a Good Social Life
It gives you a sense of belonging and makes you feel wanted. It makes your life worthwhile and enjoyable. It provides support and help keeping your stress levels in check.
Make & Fulfil your Bucket List
Make a Bucket List, if you do not have one. Make all out efforts to achieve all items in it before it is too late. Your list may include places to travel, skills to learn, people to meet, and doing anything else that matter to you most. Life is not endless, and you may not have the adequate strength to achieve many of the activities, if you postpone it indefinitely.
Modify your Life Style
Make a routine which balances leisure and entertainment with activities which give you a feeling of fulfilment. Your routine must cater for time for your wellness activities, your productive pastimes, entertainment and socialisation.
Exploit your Experience and Knowledge
Volunteer and use your knowledge and experiencefor the benefits of others. Consider activities like coaching and mentoring to help others. Your mind will always remain sharp.
Have a good night sleep
Sleep is as important after sixty as in childhood. You need 7 to 9 hours of slumber every night.
Overcome the fear of death
by going spiritual. Spirituality frees you from the psychological fear of dying which is a common cause of worry and anxiety.
Therefore at age 50 one needs to take a stock of his achievements and failures, one’s assets and liabilities and plans for future. At this age one still has about 10 to 15 years of working life to set the things right and make changes, if required.
Important questions that one must ask short of Retirement:
-Am I doing adequately to keep myself physically fit and in good health which will see me through for the next 25 years?
-Have I taken care to be financially sound to be able to maintain my current life style even after retirement ? Am I saving adequately for my Retirement?
-Will I be able to sustain myself without having to work after 65 to meet my financial commitments?
-Are my Children well settled and financially independent? If not, do I have plans in place to finance their requirement?
-Have I decided the place where I am permanently settling down? Do I have a house of my own?
-Do I have plans on how to spend my time constructively and meaningfully after retirement?
-Do I have a social network to keep me socially active?
-Do I have hobbies and pass times to keep me occupied in the activities I like?
-How is my relationship with my spouse and my near and dear ones?
-Do I have a routine to calm my mind periodically through techniques like Yoga, Meditation etc?
These are some of the questions that one needs to ask himself/herself at the threshold of retirement to build a clear vision of the life that lays ahead. If the answer to these questions is in the positive, you are well prepared to play your second innings of life. However, if the answer to many of these questions is in the negative, then it is a wake up call for you to make necessary amends. The fading years of life can be made the best period of you life by timely planning and positive action.
