Tips for Coping with Age

Staying healthy over 50

As you age beyond 50, there will be periods of both joy and stress. It’s important to build your resilience and find healthy ways to cope with challenges. This ability will help you make the most of the good times and keep your perspective when times are tough.

• Focus on the things you’re grateful for. The longer you live, the more you lose. But as you lose people and things, life becomes even more precious. When you stop taking things for granted, you appreciate and enjoy what you have even more.
• Acknowledge and express your feelings. You may have a hard time showing emotions, perhaps feeling that such a display is inappropriate and weak. But burying your feelings can lead to anger, resentment, and depression. Don’t deny what you’re going through. Find healthy ways to process your feelings, perhaps by talking with a close friend or writing in a journal.
• Accept the things you can’t change. Many things in life are beyond our control. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems. Face your limitations with dignity and a healthy dose of humor.
• Look for the silver lining. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
• Take daily action to deal with life’s challenges. When a challenge seems too big to handle, sweeping it under the carpet often appears the easiest option. But ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away; it allows both the problem and your anxiety to build. Instead, take things one small step at a time. Even a small step can go a long way to boosting your confidence and reminding you that you are not powerless.

Source - HelpGuide.org, Staying Healthy Over Fifty

Myths About Aging

MYTH: Aging means declining health and/or disability.
Fact: There are some diseases that become more common as we age. However, getting older does not automatically mean poor health or that you will be confined to a walker or wheelchair. Plenty of older adults enjoy vigorous health, often better than many younger people. Preventive measures like healthy eating, exercising, and managing stress can help reduce the risk of chronic disease or injuries later in life.

 MYTH: Memory loss is an inevitable part of aging.
Fact: As you age, you may eventually notice you don’t remember things as easily as in the past, or memories may start to take a little longer to retrieve. However, significant memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging. Brain training and new learning can occur at any age and there are many things you can do to keep your memory sharp. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll reap the benefits.

MYTH: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Fact: One of the more damaging myths of aging is that after a certain age, you just won’t be able to try anything new or contribute things anymore. The opposite is true. Middle aged and older adults are just as capable of learning new things and thriving in new environments, plus they have the wisdom that comes with life experience. If you believe in and have confidence in yourself, you are setting up a positive environment for change no matter what your age.

Source: HelpGuide.org - A trusted non-profit resource

Keeping Your Health

Staying Healthy Over 50

Staying healthy and feeling your best is important at any age and that doesn’t change just because you have a few more grey hairs. As we grow older, we experience an increasing number of major life changes, including career changes and retirement, children leaving home, the loss of loved ones, and physical changes. How we handle and grow from these changes is the key to staying healthy. These tips can help you maintain your physical and emotional health and live life to the fullest, whatever your age.

Coping with change is difficult, no matter how old you are. The particular challenge for adults over 50 is the sheer number of changes and transitions that start to occur—including children moving away, the loss of parents, friends, and other loved ones, changes to or the end of your career, declining health, and even loss of independence. It’s natural to feel those losses. But if that sense of loss is balanced with positive ingredients, you have a formula for staying healthy as you age.

Healthy aging means continually reinventing yourself as you pass through landmark ages such as 60, 70, 80 and beyond. It means finding new things you enjoy, learning to adapt to change, staying physically and socially active, and feeling connected to your community and loved ones. Unfortunately, for many, aging brings anxiety and fear instead. How will I take care of myself late in life? What if I lose my spouse? What is going to happen to my mind? However, many of these fears stem from myths about aging that are exaggerated by the media or simply untrue. The truth is that you are stronger and more resilient than you may think.

Source: Age In Stride, ENewsworks.com

Appreciating our Country

We're free to express all that it is wrong with our country but we should also teach our children and grandchildren what is right about our country.  Instilling your values should not be left to chance. Make it a part of your family heritage to love your country, or at the very least clearly learn the history.

Sing patriotic songs.
Raise the flag.
Participate in your local community.
Vote and lead by example.
Share media that bring a spirit of patriotism.
Take road trips to visit national monuments and historic sites.
Share your family heritage.
Show respect by thanking a serviceman for their service to our country in front of your child.


--From "8 Ways to Teach Patriotism to Your Children" by Sylvie Branch, Yahoo! Contributor Network

Paying Attention

"It's so important to give your children and grandchildren inspiration ... Teach them to notice, to pay attention, to appreciate, and to be inquisitive. Don't just look, try to see."

 Irina Baronove-Tennant

July 4th Fun!

Teaching our children and grandchildren to be patriotic is a good thing and not outdated. Patriotism helps children feel connected and that makes our efforts worthy.  Below are a few fun July 4th activities you could share with your grandchildren that should not only help them connect with America, but with you:

1. Balloon Fireworks

Have a safe firework show inside you home.

Fill up balloons with confetti and pop the balloons for a loud and sparkly explosion.

2. 4th of July Stars

Grab some construction paper, glitter and glue and decorate stars.

3. Independence Day Piñata

Buy star or flag piñata and fill it with confetti and treats.

4. Fourth of July puppet show on America’s History (Both fun and educational)

Build a small stage in your backyard and grab puppets, put on a show and teach your kids some history.

5. Movie night

Grab a blanket and some popcorn and enjoy a movie such as “This is America, Charlie Brown.”

6. July 4 Glow Stick Pictures in the dark

Buy red white and blue glow sticks and bring a camera outside.

Move the glow sticks quickly to make a shape and snap some pictures.

7. Camp under the stars in your backyard

What a wonderful excuse to go camping in your backyard. Bring a tent, a sleeping bag and a flashlight and tell ghost stories with your kids.

8. Water balloon fight

It is summer and very hot out. Buy some red, white and blue balloons and have a huge water balloon fight with your kids.

 9. Cookies and Cupcakes and Ice Cream

Bake sugar cookies and confetti cupcakes and decorate with red, white and blue sprinkles.

Buy Vanilla ice cream and top with red and blue starred sprinkles.

Needing Help Managing Stress?

Some other signs that you or someone you know needs help managing stress include:

• Anger or irritability
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Pulling away from people
• Constant worrying
• Feeling sad all the time
• Problems sleeping (too much or too little)
• Worsening of health problems
• Difficulty concentrating

What Types of Help Are Available?

Family Therapy: Custodial grandparenting impacts all members of a family. Family therapy can help individuals and families cope with their feelings about their family structure and improve the quality of their relationships. Family therapists are specially trained to understand the complicated feelings and relationships within grandparent-headed families. If you feel that your family could benefit from family therapy, find a therapist who has experience working with grandparent-headed families. 

Support Groups: Many communities offer support groups for grandparent-headed families. Most of these support groups are for grandparents raising grandchildren. However, support groups are also available for grandchildren. Support groups provide participants with an opportunity to talk about their experiences and feelings in a safe, supportive environment. Participants can also gain information, learn from one another, and meet people dealing with similar issues. Good support groups allow time for personal sharing, but also take a positive outlook, structure sharing time, connect participants to sources of support, and help participants set and reach goals.

By Megan L. Dolbin-MacNab, PhD and Ryan M. Traylor, MS  
American Association of Family Therapy