How To Celebrate Your Age

It happens to the best of us. We're going merrily along, enjoying our day when suddenly it hits us...we are past the halfway mark.

While we have talked about how we can use death as a motivator instead of something to be feared, as we did in "How to Act Your Age for Women Over 50", the idea can still catch us off guard. The notion that we are currently enjoying the second half of our life can be scary. 

Five Ways To Celebrate Your Age

When we're feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of time we've spent in existence or, rather, how little time we may have left, it's important we put it into context. When we feel our bodies begin to tighten and our minds race, we focus on gratitude and utilize these five methods to celebrate our age. It always gets us out of a funk!

1. Focus on what you can do now

   Youth is so often celebrated, but there are so many things that we can do now that we couldn't when we were younger. 
   
   We are able to look critically at situations that would have overwhelmed our younger selves. We are able to draw on the lifetime of experience we have and make well thought out decisions. We are able to have conversations with those we disagree with and hear ideas different to ours. We've become experts in our field and leaders in our community or workplace. None of this would have been possible without years of experience! 
   
   

2. Focus on what you love about your body

   It's important to note that while we do advocate for separating our sense of self from our bodies, like in "How to Dress Your Age Over 50", it is crucial to still take time to appreciate all that they can do for us.
   
   Our bodies change so significantly over time that these changes are often viewed negatively. But, what if we chose to view it as metamorphism? Our bodies are meant to change, to accommodate the newness in our lives, to keep us safe and healthy. 
   
   When we look at our own bodies, we see beautiful vessels that allow us to interact with the world. We have eyes that still allow us to read and twinkle when we're excited. Hands that can hold and comfort others in need. Lips to kiss and speak with. Legs and feet that enable us to explore the world, even if we move a little slower than we used to. Our bodies have kept up with all the ebbs and flows of our lives and are still here for us. How incredible is that?!
   
   

3. Have a Literal Celebration

   This doesn't just have to be a birthday party, though that is the most obvious way to celebrate our age. Any milestone or moment that is note worthy is cause for celebration!
   
   Retiring from a career you've loved? Time for a celebration! Picked up a new hobby or started a new career? Bring out the cake! Hit a milestone with one of your best friends? Let's get some balloons! You're excited to be trying something new for the first time? We'll bring the wine!
   
   Whatever it may be, whatever this age is providing you that brings you joy, celebrate it. No matter how big or how small. No matter if you think it might be silly. If it's important to you, it's important to celebrate.
   
   

4. Reminisce With A Friend

   As the years tick by, we have the pleasure of experiencing an immeasurable number of moments. At times, it can be hard to look back and remember all of the good times. But, do you know what makes that easier? Spending time with a lifelong friend and telling each other your favorite stories of days gone by! Suddenly, you're recalling all kinds of incredible happenings that you hadn't thought about in ages!
   
   Taking time to reflect back on all the moments that brought you to the present day is a wonderful way to feel excited about your age. Again, this comes back to gratitude! Being thankful for the time you've enjoyed and looking forward to future days with an open mind. We never know what the universe has in store for us.
   
   

5. Dream Big

   One of the reasons that our age can seem so scary is because we feel like we're running out of time. One of the best ways we've found to combat this is to consistently dream big! We remind ourselves that we have all the time we need and then think about all the wonderful things we want to do with that time.
   
   Perhaps that's traveling to a tropical beach somewhere on the other side of the world. Maybe that's taking up a new hobby and learning a new skill. It could be dying our hair a fun colour or changing the way we dress entirely. Whatever it is we think of, we allow ourselves to visualize it happening and how we're going to feel when we do. We allow ourselves to get truly excited about all the fun things we're going to do and, suddenly, we're not so worried about time anymore!

Age Is Not Just A Number

As we've spoken about in our other article, Why Age Is Not Just A Number, it helps ground us to remember all of the incredible things that have along with our age. With age comes experience, wisdom, confidence, acceptance and plenty of wonderful memories. We wouldn't change that for the world!

Anytime we are feeling less than fantastic about our age or what it might mean in the grand scheme of things, we take a pause and remember to celebrate all that we have and all that we are. If you take a minute or two to look, you'll always find something worth celebrating!