The Art Of Aging Impeccably: 11 Lifestyle Habits That Keep You Vibrant Well Past 50
Jacob Lund | Shutterstock When you think about the art of impeccable aging, you probably don’t consider that figuring out how to relax might be a difficult task for certain people as they age. There are some who are addicted to being busy throughout their entire day. While it's great to be on top of things and cross everything off your to-do list each day, there's a huge difference between being busy for the sake of being busy and being productive.
In her book, Daring Greatly, Brené Brown explains that the reason many of us feel the need to stay busy, especially as we get older into our forties and fifties, is that it acts as a universal numbing strategy. When we avoid dealing with the inevitability of growing older, it’s natural to want to keep occupied with busy schedules and plans. But the truth is, avoiding these deep emotions will only lead to more stress. When you're not used to idle hands, figuring out how to relax might seem impossible.
Here are 11 lifestyle habits that keep you vibrant well past 50:
1. Get out in nature
It’s up to you how you decide to immerse yourself in nature. Will you go for a walk in the park? Or are you more inclined to sit by the lake and take some deep breaths? Being in nature is said to reduce levels of stress hormones in your body.
Time in nature will also center your focus on something that isn’t concerned with external factors, actually making you feel relaxed and calm. A study of the physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku, or taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing, showed that "forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments."
2. Meditate
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Many people are afraid of mediation, but it’s one of the best things you can do for your body. Research on the benefits of meditation during times of crisis supported how a focus on your breathing sends a signal to your brain saying it’s OK to surrender. With this signal, you can then focus on tactics to keep you in the present and release negative thoughts. You can even do this all while mindfully drinking your morning coffee.
3. Plan time for relaxation
Obviously, we’re more likely to relax if it’s made part of our busy schedules. Relaxation should be a non-negotiable like eating dinner or taking a shower. It’s also easier to feel relaxed during this planned-out time because you know that’s what it’s meant for. Be clear about your goals for this relaxation period and allow yourself to really play into this downtime.
4. Do something that makes you happy
When we’re so focused on keeping busy, it becomes easy to neglect the things that bring us true joy. Maybe this is watching a new series or reading a book — regardless of the specifics, doing something that makes you happy is ultimately relaxing. Hobbies give us a chance to find pleasure in things that aren’t tied to work, chores, or other responsibilities that keep us from relaxing.
5. Change your mindset
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For people (like myself) who might feel guilty about vegging out on the couch as opposed to tackling the day, it’s important to re-prioritize your mind. This means you must change your outlook on relaxation to make it appear as a necessity. We should begin to see relaxing with equal importance to something like working on projects with a deadline. There’s no reason for guilt when you have to relax.
Life coach Heather Moulder emphasized, "You must change your mindset around relaxation. And part of that is to acknowledge the benefits of relaxation. Studies show that relaxation techniques can lower blood pressure and reduce levels of cortisol, a main stress hormone in the body. The relaxation response counters the stress response by slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing oxygen consumption."
6. Recognize burnout
If you're used to being "on" all of the time, you may not even notice just how burned out your body and mind actually are. Burnout is a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that occurs as a result of being overworked. Affecting many people who are workaholics, burnout can alter your normal functioning. This state of exhaustion can be extremely hard to push through, and it’s vital to recognize the power of relaxation has for decreasing the symptoms of burnout.
"As you age, your natural ability to handle stress decreases," cautioned burnout coach Rachelle Stone. "You draw on various other hormones to support your body’s natural stress response hormone, cortisol. When those other hormones run low, your stress response system has very little or no backup and, therefore, you begin to experience all sorts of physical reactions — including chronic illnesses — in response to the constant stress."
7. Relax for stronger immunity
We’ve always been told that excessive stress can lead to a weakened immune system. So what do you need to do if you keep getting sick? Relax, of course! Research has shown how the immune system becomes unable to fight off antigens that cause disease and infection due to heightened stress responses. We must be aware of how a lack of relaxation affects us physically.
8. Destress for better sleep
Studies of nightmares and sleep disorders support that one of the most common causes of frequent nightmares is linked to high stress and anxiety levels in your waking day. If you’re too busy and are finding it hard to handle all the responsibilities you hold, you may experience nightmares each night. Taking time to relax and practice some of the techniques already discussed, it will help minimize nightmares and create a good night’s sleep.
9. Take short breaks to boost productivity
Taking time out to relax each day will help even the busiest people. Sometimes we’re so focused on accomplishing tasks in a quick manner that we forget the mental toll that inevitably ensues without any time for relaxing. But research shows that taking short, frequent breaks will actually improve your productivity. We should do what’s best for our level of productivity, and if that means relaxing, I think that’s a pretty sweet deal.
10. Keep a clear perspective
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When you don’t give yourself the time to relax, stress and anxiety can become an overwhelming hole that you can’t dig yourself out of. Your perspective might be blurred, and you can lose sight of simple coping mechanisms. However, when you let relaxation into your life, you gain a clearer vision and can easily get back to the basics of dealing with stress and anxiety.
Professional organizer Aubrei Krummert recommended "to focus on three priorities: Sleeping well, eating well, and exercising. These are, after all, the building blocks upon which your life and livelihood depend. And really, life just works better when they're in place. So, I decided they would come above all else. And if I didn’t get anything done in a day, I could at least say that I accomplished these most important tasks."
11. Set aside time for happiness
Life coach Moreah Vestan suggested, "Paying more attention to your well-being has a positive effect on overall happiness, and that awareness of that fact might lead to people initiating more activities that make them happy. When you pause throughout the day to ask yourself what's going well, you're training your brain to actually notice the good stuff instead of letting it fade into the background noise."
There’s nothing better than genuine contentment within your life. When the weight of the world doesn’t seem too heavy to carry, you become a happier person who can live fully and without limitations. Setting aside time to relax is one of the best ways to guarantee happiness within yourself and your responsibilities. It’s all about taking time for you until you’re actually you again.
Isabella Pacinelli is a writer who covers relationship, self-love, spirituality, and entertainment topics.
