Human beings are creatures of habit and patterns. We’re usually best at understanding the world we know, rather than being good at accessing or learning how to use something new. For example, your brain is most comfortable processing information you’ve had lots of practice with versus seeking out new interests in unfamiliar spaces. It can be difficult to become more confident in senior years when everything feels like it’s getting harder and you lack that confidence you once had. Here are 5 ways to become more confident as you age:
#1 – Respect Your Age
Realize you cannot be who you once were (but you can find the new you). Recognize that your body is changing, and it’s common to feel less energetic with each passing day. Focus on what brings you joy and what makes your life better. If something doesn’t, do something different. Don’t get seduced by the “what if’s,” focus on today and what matters now. Understand that we have access to vast amounts of wisdom as we age because we’ve lived longer, seen more, learned more, and experienced things others haven’t.
#2 – Define Your Happiness
Many of our choices in life will revolve around our definition of happiness. What gives you joy, happiness, and meaning? This is something to discover on your own, and it will change over time as you do. As we age and grow more confident, we realize that happiness is not something that’s handed to us; it is what we create ourselves. It’s not a destination but ever-changing. We are responsible for making it happen each day by the way we think and act.
#3 – Understand Your Limitations
As you age, you will find that your body doesn’t do the things it could in the past? The reality is that everything we do in life comes with a cost, and we have to be willing to accept the fact that aging does not mean our bodies are free from limitations. There may come a time when it is prudent to move into assisted living such as Belmont Village Senior Living so you can receive help with the daily tasks you can no longer do alone. Knowing there is help nearby if needed will help build up your confidence.
#4 – Embrace Your Sense of Humor
Laughing and having fun will improve your confidence and make you feel better. Have you ever felt like a kid that breaks into laughter? It’s infectious; we all want to laugh if others are laughing. Humor is not something we associate with being confident as seniors, but there are many connection points. A sense of humor can help us overcome the most difficult challenges in life and gives us the ability to cope with what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future. Learning how to laugh at ourselves is a great way to start down this path.
Our twilight years might not be our golden years, but it’s got to be worth trying to make them as good as possible.
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