Category: Senior Citizens

Beauty Over 60: Getting Rid of the Old Girl

Published on by Brigitte Nioche2 Comments

I have always worn my hair shoulder length and  liked the feeling of my hair touching my neck. But that good feeling vanished when I looked in the mirror – who is that old girl looking out at me? Reluctantly I admitted it was me, and decided it was time to cut my hair  short.

When I came to the hairdresser he asked, “What do we do today?”  “We get rid of that old girl” I answered. He laughed, “Don’t say that.” He was polite of course.

When looking  around it is amazing how many older, and even very old women wear their hair long; some very long – but it never makes them look younger; on the contrary! I do understand that cutting off those long cherished locks feels like losing ones youth.

I am convinced shorter hairstyles make a woman look younger. We can’t hide the extra years with flowing locks, they belong to the young and restless.

Walking out of the hair salon I felt naked, and looked in every window or mirror I passed to reassure myself that I had done the right thing. But hearing others say  ‘Oh, I love your hair you look so much younger’ reassured me that I will never miss that old girl.

Remember that the face is the first thing you see when looking at a person and to enhance it there is nothing better than a nice hairstyle that makes you look younger!

And Always Remember – A smile Changes Everything!

Before

 

 

After

Brigitte

 

 

Part Three – Your Age Is Nobody’s Business

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How Old is Old?

It is interesting how, as we advance in years, we push the boundaries of what we consider “old age.”

“I am so depressed,” my friend Irma told me the other day. When I asked why, she put her hands up in despair and answered, “I am turning thirty next week. I never thought I would get there.”

No, none of us ever thinks that we will get “there.” What? Becoming thirty of forty, or fifty? Or even older? No way! That happens to others — not me! But as the years pile up, you’ll find yourself kicking the idea of “old” farther and farther down the road.

When I was a child, I wondered why people like my grandparents looked so different. I can’t remember my grandmother being anything  but old. She wasn’t old, she was only in her fifties, but fifty is an eternity from ten, and I never thought that one day I would belike her

There is a line somewhere in the Bible that states, “Blessed are the ignorant.” And I think the young are blissfully ignorant. Forgive me for using another cliché (I think clichés hang around so long because they tell the truth), but “youth is wasted on the young.” for a long time, I did not understand the meaning of it, probably because I was one of those ignorant young people. When I wasn’t young anymore, it clicked. Youth is wasted on them because they take their good fortune for granted, not realizing that it won’t last. To quote my grandmother again,”The only good thing about aging is that it happens to everybody.”

Irma was right: the first hurdle is thirty. At that age, you are no longer a girl, but a young woman. And just when you grow used to it, you turn forty. Now that is a real game changer. You are then a woman, and here and there, little wrinkles show up.  What saves you in your forties is that for most women, life is so busy with careers, children, or both, that you don’t have too much time to analyze the whys and hows of your changing body and attitudes.

During your fifties, you begin to realize that your body is irrevocable changing. Typically, women experience menopause –and hot flashes, of course. But speaking for myself, I was never happier than when “that part of me” was out of the way. What a relief! No more cramps, no more mood swings, no more fear of pregnancy –just the joy of sex!

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P.S. This is an excerpt from my book ‘Living Longer Living Well” (more on my next blog)

And Never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte

 

My Roommate The Television

Published on by Brigitte Nioche2 Comments

 

Image result for photos of people watching TV

When my husband died I don’t know how I would have made it through the days without  television. There was  the news, the latest events from around the world, movies, ads, game shows but I heard none of it. It was only background noise, a noise I needed desperately  to fill the new and terrible silence around me.

Through the following months, and now years, the TV is still on most of the time, but most of the time it is muted. When I move around in my apartment the images flashing by still give me the feeling of –  maybe – somebody is there with me?

According to statistics of Television viewership I am not alone. Television is a companion for a lot of retired, older people. Maybe it is for the same reason, not to feel alone, to be up-to-date, connected to the world allowing us  to know at every moment, instantly, what is happening  anywhere  in the world. But do we really need to know? Does it improve our life?

Having admitted to be a television junkie, I would like to share an experience that is slowly weaning me off my dependency – and it feels good.  Since a few months I am spending a week a month in a place where there is no television – yes, no television – or even WiFi.  All I have is my phone which let’s me get emails and phone calls. The first two days I am there I am miss the news. The third day it doesn’t matter, after all what could I do about it? And at the end of the week I know that the world turns and goes on without me.

A very freeing, appeasing experience, which has replaced the mute button to be the off button. It has also taken away the numbness I had developed seeing the world’s misery over and over, leaving me more aware of the world around me.

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Of course I still watch TV, but much less  and instead of the devastating news of the day I am happy to watch Downton Abbey!  

 

Always Remember – A Smile Changes Everything! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Your Will?

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Yes, I read AARP/Bulletin (sometimes) from cover to cover, as I did with the last issue and I found this and I cannot resist the urge to share it.

 

I hope it never comes to this but then one never knows how much Facebook is going to own us!

Never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte

A New Purpose – Writing A Book?

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We have all heard someone  say,  “Oh, you should write a book!” And maybe you have thought about writing your memoirs – but doubting if anybody would be interested holds you back. Your family would certainly be curious, because they don’t know ALL ABOUT you.

How to start is always the hardest part, but help is in sight.

If you are receiving the AARPBulletin (and who doesn’t?) there is an article Tell The STORY of your life (September 2017 issue)giving step by step instructions and information how to go about it.

If you decide to leave this legacy for your kids and grandchildren it won’t only benefit them, but it will give you a purpose for getting up every morning, for being counted, for not feeling isolated or left behind – and at the end of that road you will leave part of you for posterity in the heart of those who loved you.

So the first step is reading the article in AARPBulletin – starting on page 34 – I hope it will inspire you

And Never forget — A Smile Changes Everything

Brigitte

Growing Older, Getting Happier

Published on by Brigitte Nioche1 Comment

This is a very positive take on growing older and I wanted to share it with you. Hope these facts make you Happier too.

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Growing Older, Getting Happier
By Nicholas Bakalar
August 24, 2016 4:00 pm August 24, 2016 4:00 pm 48

Older people tend to be happier than younger people, and their happiness increases with age, a study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reports.

Researchers contacted 1,546 people ages 21 to 99 via random telephone calls and found that older age was, not surprisingly, tied to declines in physical and cognitive function. But it was also associated with higher levels of overall satisfaction, happiness and well-being, and lower levels of anxiety, depression and stress. The older the person, the study found, the better his or her mental health tended to be.

The researchers used well-validated scales to assess mental health, although the study relied on self-reports and was a snapshot in time that did not follow an individual through a lifetime.  Other studies have found similar results linking advancing age and higher levels of happiness.

The reasons for the effect remain unclear, but the senior author, Dr. Dilip V. Jeste, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, had some suggestions.

“Brain studies show that the amygdala in older people responds less to stressful or negative images than in a younger person,” he said. “We become wise. Peer pressure loses its sting. Better decision-making, more control of emotions, doing things that are not just for yourself, knowing oneself better, being more studious and yet more decisive.

“This is good news for young people, too,” he added. “You have something to look forward to.”

And Never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte

 

Find A Roommate. What At My Age?

Published on by Brigitte Nioche4 Comments

 

Did you have roommates when you were young? When you went to college? Or before you got married?

I recently came across some information  I want to share with you, but first let me say this.

In the beginning of life we make concessions and find it quite normal. Now being older, being  at the other spectrum of life compromising might be the answer again for the daily increasing number of baby boomers. Many of them live alone because their spouse died and the children, besides having their own life, live far away. A lot of advice is given on how to keep busy, how to connect with the world, how to make new friends, but all this is easier said than done. And not everybody is proactive enough to create a new life for themselves, making loneliness their biggest enemy.

One way to overcome this is to  step back in time – be somebody’s roommate again. It will help to overcome:

  • loneliness – you won’t get up every morning and not see another face
  •  paying a high rent – sharing a house you will pay less
  • receiving rent –  will help pay expenses of your house
  • staying in your home because you share expenses with a roommate
  • you have support when you get sick
  • you can share interests
  • it will avoid moving into a retirement community one day
  • it will be good for your health – (it is commonly known today that people who live alone are more at risk to get depressed or ill.)

Whenever I speak to someone who complains about being alone and I suggest that maybe a roommate could be the answer, the reaction is “Oh, this is not for me, I couldn’t live with a stranger.” (remember they won’t be a stranger for long once you move in together).

I read an article recently about two women who were living together but had been total strangers before becoming roommates. They admitted that it was an adjustment, but  once they had overcome some hurdles, now enjoy life again. One of the women described their success this way: “I learned to love her dog, and she learned to love my cat! And now we have things to share and we don’t feel alone anymore”

Of course how to find the right person is a big question – and here is what I want to share with you, a website that has all the answers.

http://www.silvernest.biz

Home Sweet Shared HomeFind Your Perfect Housemate

A unique roommate matching service for baby boomers and empty nesters

Even if you don’t think this is ever for you, spend some time to check it out. If nothing else it shows possibilities and ways of how others manage to overcome loneliness.

Image result for photos of older ladies

 

And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte

 

PS. Silvernest covers all states in the US

 

Embrace A New Reality – Find A New Life

Published on by Brigitte Nioche3 Comments

Are you prepared to become 80 years old, or 90, or more? Are you prepared to learn square dancing?

When  we get older and retire how well we adjust to our new life depends on many things, but most importantly on how prepared and ready we are to:

  • learn new skills
  • meet new people
  • go to unknown places
  • let go of the life we know
  • get out of our comfort zone
  • move to a new house or town
  • take risks

Being older and getting older might last a long time. If you are in your sixties or seventies you might have 25 years in front of you. Could you really look out of the same window, at the same world for that long?

Years ago I read an article in which the author advised people to learn a new trade before retiring, giving them a chance at a new life, a new career. But how many of us being 60 or 70 years old have done that? Not many. But maybe we can redeem ourselves by getting out of our comfort zone and start thinking out of the box?

What would be wrong if you moved to another country for a few months of the year. Or followed your desire to paint? Or took a cruise around the world? Or sold your house and moved into a nice new condo?

The kids – the grandkids? Don’t worry about them, they have their own life and just because you spend a few months of the year in Italy you won’t lose them. On the contrary they will be happy to visit you in Italy!

You can initiate a lot of these changes, but also watch out for what the Universe might send your way – let’s say a friend wants to start a business and ask you to be a partner. The answer is not ‘at my age I don’t think I want to take the risk.‘ Instead grab this opportunity. It might sound a little crazy or risky but it will push you out of your numbing comfort zone; giving you a reason to get up in the morning, bringing you back to life, a life which will fill the years ahead.

So are you ready to go to the moon? Image result for photos of the moon

Are you ready to go swimming with dolphins?Image result for swimming with dolphin pictures

Of course you are! Because  – not at any time – are you too old to change and think out of the box!

And never forget – A smile changes Everything!

Brigitte

 

Picture of the Day – Which One are You?

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This is from the pages of AARP – you might have seen it – but if not I don’t want you to miss it –

I think the shoe fits some of us?

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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte