Ways to appreciate our elderlies and important lessons that we can learn from them

Most of us of course would want to live a long, happy and healthy life. But the surroundings and environment where we live can either be helpful or harmful to our health and wellness. An unsafe environment, the food we eat, the lifestyle we have, our access to proper health care, and the circumstances that aging brings could all affect our health.

Aging is a normal part of our journey in life.

It’s something that each of us will go through if we are meant to reach that process. It’s sometimes referred to as the final stage of the physical life of a person here on Earth. And one way to contribute to the happy days of our loved ones is to make them feel appreciated.

Below are ways on how we could appreciate our elderlies.

• Communicate, listen and spend time with them. Our elders would love to feel that we listen to them and share some of our time talking or sharing stories about what is going through in our lives and asking them as well what is going through in their lives. Oftentimes we don’t observe that when we talk with them they are eager to talk more, and are also willing to listen to what we have to say.
• Be respectful no matter what. While we can’t control one’s personality, we can control ourselves. Some elderlies are short-tempered while others are not. Some are irritated, opinionated, or just boring, while others are not. Whatever attitude they have, we have to always respect them. Maybe they are stressed, they have problems that trouble them, or it is because of their underlying health condition. One way to show that we love them is through respecting them, not just because they are older than us, but because they are humans who have feelings too.
• Seek positive life advice. Elderlies have already a lot of life lessons and experiences that they learned over the decades of their lives. These are valuable learnings that we can use to guide us to the right path in life. Some elder people love to share their negative and positive experiences and the lessons that they learned from them. Considering their positive advice will help us to avoid negative traps that would ruin our life.
• Eating meals, going out together, and traveling with them. Elderlies are prone to isolation because sometimes they feel like they are too old already, or they might feel like they are already less needed. Understanding what they feel and creating ways to lift their moods are very important to increase their self-esteem. It will greatly help with the improvement of their well-being.
• Complimenting them for every little thing that they can do or every help that they can offer can help them to continue a more meaningful and purposeful life.

Important lessons we can learn from elderlies

• Enjoy your life and be happy. Many seniors are having life regrets not because they don’t have the material things they want, but because they don’t maximize the days when their loved ones were around.
• Family matters a lot, they are the ones whom you can genuinely lean on, and who can cheer you up during your bad days.
• Take good care of your other half. Elderlies who have their significant others with them during this stage are more likely to live happier than those who don’t. A study suggests that more time spent with loved ones, particularly the spouse, is linked to greater happiness. And greater happiness can help a lot in achieving wellness.
• Appreciate the gift of time because it is something that you won’t get back once gone.
• Engage personally with people who matter in your life. We can’t be sure of what tomorrow will bring, or when you can still see them.
• Always be grateful for every single thing that you have. Elderlies’ appreciate the here and now of their lives by living the most of it every day. As younger adults, we still have a lot to explore and ample time to enjoy our lives.
• Avoid postponing activities that will help you to become more physically active, for example going outside, playing outdoor games, biking, doing an exercise, or simply brisk walking. It can help with bone and muscle strength. It can be a good help when you get older.

The reality is that everyone will be going through this stage, you’re not the first and you’ll not be the last.

Whether we admit it or not, many of us are anxious about aging. But thinking that it’s a normal thing and it’s a part of a life’s process will help reduce anxiety or any feelings that accompany it. Embracing it will help us to live our lives without regrets. For now let’s enjoy life to the fullest, appreciate the presence of our loved ones, and learn from the lessons that our elders thought us.

Thank you so much for reading! If you have any comments or something to share regarding this topic, don’t hesitate to leave it in the comment section. If you found this post helpful, please don’t forget to share it with other people!