Aging Well: Finding Your Psyche

I trust my pencil to be my magic wand. Writing is my way of expressing my true self. My thoughts and feelings easily rush to the paper, filling up the pages with the bite of a blinding snow.

Words get wedged into the corners of the paper as well as in-between the lines and up the sides. It is a release of my confused reflections of these uncertain times. It is my way of staying well and balanced while the world around me is anything but. Writing may not be your flair. Perhaps you tend to your thoughts when you are fly fishing, mowing the grass or folding laundry. It doesn’t matter how you unwind your psyche, it just matters that you do. One of the side steps of the chaos we face daily is silence. Many of us don’t know how to answer our reality so we just stay silent. We are left with a shake of the head or the shrug of our shoulders. Will the world ever find shades of peace again?

Silence weakens our resilience. It is up to each person to find a constructive non-intrusive way to talk about their feelings. Many of us have paler social connections than we did a year ago. The friends at work, the church family and even our own families are further away than we want them to be. I miss nothing more than the promise of a tight hug or a shared belly laugh. Those simple things are not easily available.

Yet, for our mental stability we have to find a way to connect with ourselves and talk ourselves through the worries. You can start to open up by reminding yourself of the joys that still surround us. Take a virtual (or physical) tour through a museum. Embark on a fact-finding mission for a place you have always wanted to visit. Google the word inspiration and do the research. If you are able-bodied then volunteer. Helping others is a direct path to feeling good on the inside. We cannot dismiss the importance of our physical and emotional health. Much like a repetitive exercise routine to stay fit, it takes mindful and thoughtful self-talk to live in peace.

Cathy Graham is the director of Graceful Aging Wellness Center, part of Bethlen Communities, in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and a District 3000–HRFA member. You can reach her at cgraham@bethlen.com.

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