Living the Optimum Life in Your Golden Years
If you are in your Golden Years, or if you are the adult child with a mother or father who has reached this important milestone, you certainly want to live the optimum life – you want to make the most of your life. Alternatively, you want your senior parent to live the very best life possible.
There is no such thing as a foolproof strategy to live an optimum life. Nevertheless, there are six strategies that can assist you in making the best of life in your Golden Years (or when your parent has reached this juncture in time):
- Purposeful
- Emotional
- Physical
- Social
- Spiritual
- Intellectual
Purposeful
The purposeful element of living an optimum life means that you maintain a sense of identity that brings what can be called meaning to your life. There are seven steps to ensuring that you live a more purposeful life in your senior years:
- Align your life with what you care about
- Recognize what you care about
- Trust yourself
- Develop positive emotions
- Empower others
- Let go of failure and be content
- Live in and for the moment
Emotional
The emotional element of living an optimum life means that you feel safe and secure. It means that you are in a position in your life that permits you the ability to fully live your life and experience a full range of positive emotions in the process.
Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is illustrative to what needs to occur in your life in order for you to be in a position to fully experience a fully range of positive emotions:
Psychological needs: You must have your most basic needs met – food, water, and so forth.
Security and safety needs: You must have financial security, health and wellness, and safety against accidents and injuries.
Social needs: You need to have love, acceptance, and belonging. These needs can be satisfied through:
- Friendships
- Romantic attachments
- Family relationships
- Social groups
- Community groups
- Churches and religious organizations
Esteem needs: At the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy is the need for appreciation and respect. Once the needs at the bottom three levels have been satisfied, the esteem needs begin to play a more prominent role in motivating behavior.
Self-actualization needs: At the very peak of Maslow’s hierarchy are the self-actualization needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested in fulfilling their potential.
Physical
In order to be in a position to live an optimum life your physical needs need to be fully satisfied. This includes:
- Access to nutritious food
- Ability to engage in reasonably appropriate exercise on a regular and recurring basis
- Access to suitable medical care
Social
The social aspect associated with living an optimum life means that you always have a sense of connectedness. Socialization is an essential part of life for people of all ages. Socializing is how we communicate with others, update people about our lives, share stories, and bond with one another. While socialization is integral in the lives of everyone, it is especially important for seniors.
Socialization is important for seniors because it helps to prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation. While feeling lonely is difficult on its own, it can also lead to other health issues and impact your overall well-being. A University of California San Francisco research study found that over 40% of older adults report feelings of loneliness, even when they don’t live alone.
Spiritual
Broadly speaking, the spiritual element of living an optimum life means that you have the ability and opportunity to lift your spirit in ways that matter as well as that provide peace and joy. There are a number of tactics that you can employ in your own life that enhance the prospect for peace and joy. These include:
- Stay in the present
- Indulge your five senses
- Change up your routine
- Become the main character (employ self-love and self-care)
- Take time for mindful activities
- Give yourself a makeover
- Unleash your inner child
- Treat yourself
- Experience the outdoors
- Start a conversation
- Conquer a fear
- Accomplish small tasks
- Limit screen time
- Release emotions
- Appreciate the little things in life
- Learn to let go
Intellectual
Staying intellectually engaged is another element of working to ensure that you live the optimum life in your Golden Years (or to ensure that your older parent achieves this laudable objective). There exist a number of practical tactics that you can employ in order to remain intellectually engaged as you age:
- Try something new
- Read
- Exercise
- Socialize
- Stay curious
- Eat well
- Get creative
- Stay hydrated
- Sleep well
- Practice self-reflection
- Meditate
When it comes to employing these tactics in pursuit of an optimum life, remember that perfection is not the goal. Rather, you should make reasonable attempts to employ these tactics and strategies in your life. That will put you on a pathway to enjoying the optimum live in your later years.