If You're Over 70 And Can Still Do These 5 Things, Experts Say You're A Rare Soul
Most people slow down as they age, but if you're still doing these things, you're part of a rare and inspiring group.
RDNE Stock project | Pexels We have many choices in how to face the time when old age comes. We can fear aging, run from it, or stigmatize it as offensive. Those are all understandable perspectives. Getting old and eventually dying is the ultimate fear, the thing we will never control. Yet, some rare souls can dance into their 70s with grace.
A 2019 study investigated aging as a mindset and how our perspective on growing old is a vital key. The study found "important psychological factors contribute to the aging process, specifically age-related stereotypes or cognitive mindsets which can have a strong influence on health and life satisfaction, specifically through self-fulfilling prophecy mechanisms."
If you're over seventy and can still do these five things, experts say you're a rare soul:
1. You continue to learn
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Though this relates to any age, it perhaps becomes more crucial the older you are: Continue learning in ways you will share across generations, advises career and life consultant Ruth Schimel.
The criteria of learning and sharing can be fun, add value, be accessible, and be a good use of your choices. Communication and interaction with others are important for neuroplasticity, as supported by research, as well as one's health and giving meaning and purpose to a person's life.
2. You are open to listening to younger generations
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Suzanne Geimer, RN, uses music, along with carefully selected musicians, to open discussions with teens about real-life issues and the importance of being able to talk about our feelings. Age is not a problem here. If you are open and willing to listen to how they feel and the issues they see, they listen and think we are pretty cool. This helps dismantle age-related stereotypes and perspectives while developing friendships.
A 2019 study revealed that "Aging is about performance, how they perform as older adults in their pursuits or interests, and not about chronological age. Intergenerational friendship is an integral part of this strategy for aging in a meaningful yet mundane (everyday, taken for granted) way."
3. You stay active, involved, and curious
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When you are actively involved in life, follow healthful routines (exercise, eating nourishing foods, getting enough sleep), and actively socialize, you are aging beautifully, says therapist Dr. Gloria Brame. There are so many ways elders can maintain their youthfulness.
Other keys to staying vibrant include maintaining a curiosity about life, making new friends, embracing today's world instead of wallowing in yesterday's nostalgia, and continuing to develop new skills. These all point to someone who is fully present in the "now," and living life to the fullest.
4. You maintain a social life
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Dr. Brame continues to state, you are doing better than most if you can maintain a full social life. Social activity might be daily involvement and being an important, positive role in the life of your children and grandchildren. Or, it could be maintaining a solid network of friends you've known for decades or since childhood. This shows you have developed wisdom and emotional intelligence over the years.
Finally, if you are still meeting and making new friendships with people of all ages, you are a rare soul who will always have companions and caring relationships. The World Journal of Psychiatry showed that social isolation can lead to rapid aging and depression in elders, so staying involved with others and continuing to have positive social experiences are boons to mental health and longevity.
5. You can adapt to change
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Growing up with a mom who worked in nursing, I had an opportunity to spend time with people over the age of 70, shares senior editor Aria Gmitter. One rare trait I've observed is the ability to remain optimistic about the future and adapt to change.
A study co-authored by experts at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that "the people who had the highest satisfaction with aging had a 43% lower risk of dying from any cause over four years compared with those who were the least satisfied."
We can easily get stuck with how we feel is the right way to do things, and when life changes and doesn't reflect the past, it's easy to become bitter and disgruntled. However, the rarest and most special type of soul is a person who continues to see the future as full of potential and possibilities.
People in their 70s who are rare-beyond-words can change and adjust to uncertainty and meet the challenges of life. They don't think they know everything, but still live in curiosity and wonder to maintain the innocence of a child and the wisdom of an adult. They force themselves and others to question our collectively held perspectives of aging.
Will Curtis is YourTango's expert editor. Will has over 14 years of experience as an editor covering relationships, spirituality, and human interest topics.
