5 Habits You Need To Say Goodbye To In Your 70s If You Want To Stay Happy And Hopeful
Your happiest years are ahead of you.
Satrio Ramadhan | Canva By the time you reach your 70s, you've earned the freedom to live with more intention — and that starts with letting go of habits that no longer serve you. This is a decade where mindfulness becomes less of a buzzword and more of a guiding principle: paying attention to what truly lifts you, and releasing what drags you down.
There has been plenty of research on the positive effects of mindfulness as a stand-alone practice, including memory functioning, self-regulation, depression, and stress reduction. It offers a way to incorporate your body, soul, and mind — a kind of zen.
The best part is that you don’t have to sit cross-legged or even be alone to be mindful. Nor do you have to dedicate lots of time to the practice of mindfulness. There are many simple ways you can incorporate it into your day to derive its many benefits, without missing a beat.
Here are 5 habits you need to say goodbye to in your 70s if you want to stay happy and hopeful:
1. Being constantly distracted
When you feel your feet firmly planted on the ground, you can more easily connect to your body and your breath and stay in the moment. If you can take a mindful walk over your lunch break, it can do wonders. If you don't have that luxury, simply take a few minutes to sit up in a chair and feel the soles of your feet.
Once you have your solid footing, feel the sensations through the floor or the earth, then notice your seat in your chair. Sense a long cord from your spine to the core of the earth. Don't worry; you don’t have to close your eyes or hide in a broom closet at the office to do this! Fix your gaze on a spot in the room, and no one will notice.
2. Forgetting to breathe
Ruslan Huzau / Shutterstock
If catching your breath is hard to do when you're running from errand to errand or meeting to meeting, set a vibrating timer on your phone several times a day to remind you of the single-most-important function your body has: to breathe.
Take a few minutes to focus on your breathing:
- Breathe out tension. Breathe in calm.
- Breathe out perfectionism, fear, worry, overwhelm. Breathe in alignment and purpose.
Only you are aware that you are breathing, and you'll be doing it more consciously and more deeply than ever before.
Studies show that adults in their late 50s to mid-70s who practiced mindful breathing for just over 10 minutes a day, five days a week, saw real improvement in their ability to focus and manage their emotions. We tend to get more mindful naturally as we get older, which might be why so many older adults report feeling more positive overall than their younger counterparts.
3. Ignoring what your body and mind are trying to tell you
When thoughts crowd your mind, all you hear are the judgments swirling, and the words ready to come out for the next question and next response.
Throughout the day, you might hear the ping of each smartphone notification, the TV in the background, your colleagues discussing the upcoming product launch, or kids battling over whose turn it is to play with the latest toy. You hear a lot, but are you fully listening?
What if you stopped for a moment to listen to something new? Can you hear the tick of the hands of the wall clock, the buzz of the appliances, a bird singing, or the movements of a sonata?
When you listen mindfully, your brain actually calms down. Your stress center quiets while the parts responsible for focus, clear thinking, and emotional balance light up. And a 2017study found that mindfulness practices have a significant impact on reducing anxiety, depression, and stress in older adults.
4. Disregarding your health
siro46 / Shutterstock
The recommended daily intake of water is eight glasses a day. You're tracking your intake and adding in a few coffees — maybe even a chardonnay to end off the day. As if for the first time, truly taste what you're drinking.
Notice the temperature as it passes your lips. Let the flavor linger on your tongue, then feel it as it goes down your throat. Six drinks a day means a minimum of eight mindful moments.
A study from BMC Geriatrics found that older adults who practiced mindfulness felt more present, more relaxed, and less hard on themselves. You don't need to sit cross-legged on a cushion to get those benefits, but everyday moments like walking or drinking a daily cup of tea work just as well.
5. Isolating yourself
You might spend your evenings and weekends doing chores and running between extra-curricular and family events. Instead of going through the motions, take a step back and genuinely see the people in your life.
Hug your child or grandchild, massage your partner, or snuggle with your pet. Let everything else in the world pass you by, focusing on only your loved one, and fully appreciating them in those moments.
Even if you're super busy, you can easily include some of these simple mindfulness hacks into your day. Take whatever little opportunities you can to pay attention, be compassionate, and consciously live in the moment. As a result, you'll feel calmer, more focused, and more ready to bring on joy.
Lisa Petsinis is an ICF-credentialed life and career transition coach. Her bylines have appeared on Psych Central, The Good Men Project, Parade, Prevention, The Minds Journal, PopSugar, and All4Women, as well as many others.
