Life Lessons: Dealing With The Fear of Fifty

Although I'm only 46 (soon to be 47), I'm finding myself thinking much about reaching yet another decade birthday. As each one passes, however, I find the one that succeeds it becomes somehow younger; do you feel this way, too? For example, when I was 20, 50 seemed so far away -- and seemed, well, old. I remember my mom and her friends with their "Fifty is Nifty" T-shirts and thinking, "No. Fifty is not that at all. But, no worries," I'd say to myself, "I won't be there for a long, long time."

Yet, here I am looking down the face of Niftyness; and sans a bit of panic, its not as bad as originally anticipated. No, I don't have a traditional set of circumstances; I have no children (I do have an adorable cat); never been married (although we're working on it), but I have had my lumps and bumps. I never really felt "my age" per se until I hit on a debilitating depression at age 39. And then losing my dear father on the heels of that.

So if circumstances "age" us somehow, is there a way to change our daily perception; to stay on course and tracking forward? Although we can't change the numbers, there are ways to find inner peace on this journey, at least in my experience. And that's the goal, isn't it? The goals as I see them are inner peace, health, fulfillment, finding authenticity. Here's how I do it.

Live in the Moment

In the past I've written a lot about the inner journey and have studied some Eastern philosophy as an English major. You can see more of what I mean here:

>>>Why Follow the Tao?

Inner peace can be found at any point in time -- during times of chaos or peace -- by choosing to live in the moment. When times are hard, I've even been known to study each dish as I'm washing it, "One potato, two..." I stay with each thing as I'm doing it. I remember Ray Charles in the biopic "Ray" discussing his anticipated success in putting out a new album: "It's going to do what it does," he said. "I can only write one song at a time." And so it is with living in the moment; detaching from outcomes and embracing what our authentic life holds for us.

Meditation

I've been writing about meditation since I studied the craft with a Buddhist professor in college. Meditation gets you into the present moment. You let thoughts come and go; time slows and following the breath gives life its rhythm and heartbeat. It is all very simple; find ten minutes or more a day to just do nothing. If you wish you can read more here:

>>>How to Meditate; a Beginner's Guide

I could easily expand on many of the topics in this post as they pertain to aging -- and I may very well do just that. But, as it pertains to the fear of fifty; these are just two of the ways I have used to get myself into real time, bring my self back to center and help to find my authentic self. They are my favorite tools to keep me at my place of peace and have moved me through my most difficult times. I hope you will find they make you "nifty," too.

Talk to Me:

Are you nearing a decade birthday and having a fuss about it? I’d love to know. If you’d care to share, please leave a comment below the post on the website. As always, thank you for reading and do consider sharing Body Talk with your friends.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura M. Turner, journalist, author and Certified Natural Health Practitioner is the creator of the Body Talk eZine: Nature's Anti-Aging Treasures Website. She invites you to join her "10 Years Younger" Campaign and to learn more about living younger, healing yourself and those you love with quality retail or wholesale Young Living essential oils and essential oil-based products. Visit today and begin a healthier tomorrow.