One of the best parts about being young is imagining to the future; but one of the best parts about growing old is getting to live out that imagined future. And that’s just one benefit of aging.
Society places a lot of emphasis on dreading old age with 56% of young American adults having a fear of aging. However, the older one gets, the more they have to appreciate about life and the less they fear the aging process.
There are a few benefits of aging that you can only experience once you start growing older and some people may consider them the best parts of living.
Aging means more time with loved ones
So long are the days of not attending your grandson’s soccer game or having to miss out on a lunch date with an old friend because you’re too busy at work.
Considering most people retire between 62 and 65, growing older means your days consist of a lot more free time than when you were younger. As your friends and family grow and expand, you might find yourself adding new grandchildren, godchildren or great grandchildren to the mix.
Now that you have the time, you can spend those extra moments making memories with your loved ones.
As you age, you have extra hours to take up a new hobby
Just because you‘ve already lived a good deal of life doesn’t mean you can’t keep investing in your interests and hobbies. It is the perfect time to invest in yourself and maybe even learn something new.
Although it might feel difficult, it is completely possible to take up a new hobby in your older age. In fact, it is proven to help support healthy aging. Partaking in a hobby that you find meaningful is shown to lead to lower amounts of depression and anxiety.
Ever wanted to learn the piano? Or did you ever have a desire to become a painter? Now is your time to do it!
Take the extra time that life has given you as a benefit of aging. A few more hobby ideas include:
- Birdwatching
- Swimming or exercising
- Yoga
- Gardening
- Photography
- Cooking
- Geocaching
- Fishing
- Bowling
- Volunteering
- Antiquing
- Book clubs
There may be financial benefits to aging
You’ve spent your working years having money pulled from your paychecks and set aside for your Social Security. Now is the time to harvest the fruits of your labor.
American government financial programs like Social Security and Medicare provide a safety net of minimum income and health insurance to help support you in your old age.
Even if you don’t have a retirement fund or loved ones who are able to help support you, there are programs in place to provide financial assistance.
Additionally, a benefit of aging is saving money through senior discounts. A lot of restaurants, retail stores, fast food joints and pharmacies offer substantial discounts if you provide your ID or AARP membership card.
You may experience increased happiness and contentment
Studies show that older adults are among the happiest people in the world. While happiness most likely correlates with health and economic status, there are significant differences in levels of happiness between different generations.
Studies show that happiness tends to decline around the middle-of-life ages of 40-50 due to the increased life stresses and pressures that come with this age. Older adults have less stressors that fog their everyday thoughts and feelings. They tend to have been through a lot of hard events and traumas in their lives already.
An unforeseen benefit of aging might be that older adults have picked up good coping strategies to deal with their current hardships.
They’ve also had time to learn what makes them happy and what does the opposite. They’re less likely to care what others think, to fawn over the newest trends and crazes and to not be themselves.
You will gather a great deal of wisdom with age
As Oscar Wilde said, “With age comes wisdom.” Even though older adults may experience a slowdown of cognitive functioning in their older age, research points to this happening due to more information present in an older brain. Older brains are also more likely to find patterns quickly and be able to sort through more information.
Although it is not a guarantee that you will automatically become wiser when you reach an older age, you’re likely to have had a number of life experiences that you learned from. Small issues become less of a big deal and you’re likely to appreciate the little things in life and the time that you get to spend with loved ones.
Instead of looking at the negative aspects of growing older, it is important to see the benefits of aging.
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