How to cope with getting older?

This poem which I composed when my husband was about to retire should make you feel beter: RETIREMENT BLISS NOT BLUES When retirement age draws near There lurks an unknown fear Of being a nobody Once a somebody How faulty this thinking is When life gets a fresh lease Doing things one really wants With none to boss with shouts and taunts Doing things at a tarried pace No more to rush or race Stopping by to smell the flowers Sitting by the sea for hours Relaxing in ones favourite chair With no tension not a care Doing what one wants to do With hobbies revived and interests too Plenty of time to cheer the weary Share it with the sad and dreary The world needs these mature minds Among them are some rare finds Cheer up you who are about to retire World as you think is not on fire Move forward with a healthy mind And happiness you are sure to find.

I am sure you are beautiful (your husband is clearly a man of great taste and discernment!) I know how hard it can be to see ourselves that way. I actually look younger than I am (please don't hate me, just a slip of the genes, my mother looks in her 40's and is 55, I'm 35 andpeople have a tendency not to believe me when I say so) But I had bulimia for 12 years and still struggle to see myself as anything other than ugly. Sometimes I look in the mirror and literally feel sick. So it really has nothing to do with age and everything to do with our perception of ourself, I think.

Consider yourself lucky...genetics ensured that my greys appeared in my colleged days! LOL however, yes at 37 I am no better than you are...all the signs are there though I am trying to age 'gracefully' if that's possible. Only the rich can afford the luxuries of spa and professional treatment, so I make do with whatever I can at home. I massage oil before taking bath, clean my face with herbal products, moisturize it at night and use herbal face packs on a weekly basis. Aging cant be stopped but even if my skin is sagging, I would like to make it look healthy. I think you too should try this out...AND stop worrying...worring adds nothing but a few more crow's feet at the corner of your eyes!

Hey ! The difference between the current date and birth date, so called age is a number. Think of it as what it desevre it to be taken: a number. Social overconsidered. Yet a simple figure with 2 digits. What really matters is how you feel and what you do. If you feel young, you are young. That's all is important, anything else are just words and numbers.

Also approaching the big 4-0 but have already accepted that I am no longer a 19 year old, skinny, young thing! The thing is, why should we be? We have a right to be middle-aged and look it. Some very glamourous women out there who don't hide their age particularly. As someone has already said, look healthy and well kept rather than trying to look young. The other side of this is people who can't/shan't/won't accept they are no longer a 19 year old, skinny, young thing. There is nothing worse than "mutton dressed as lamb" as they say - and this goes for men as well as women.

you are very lucky to have a husband like that!.. we can only be ready and prepare emotionally for that. we all have to get through the feeling, women and men alike, we all do not want to grow old (much more physically) but that'st just it.

hello beautifulBrooke, i think you need to change your image a little beat so you will look younger. have your hair cut and have it dye. shorter hair is better at that age. wear clothes that will make you look younger. avoid clothes with color brown, black and the likes. some women i know at that age are visiting their dermatologist. this way, they can advice you what is the right thing to do as far as your skin is concern. besides, stay cool always. you will look older if you are stress. keep smiling.

You have to love yourself first. I can make you feel a little better though. At 18 years old, people were pulling SILVER not gray, but SILVER hair out of my head. As I got older I got more. I was never carded after being 20 years old. LOL. If you start exercising and taking care of yourself now, you will see significant improvement, especially in your self esteem. I know a lot of people get that way about getting older. Good luck.

When I approached 30, I dreaded it. I wasted a whole year wishing I could turn the clock back and stop myself getting older. And you know what? It's no big deal adding an '0' to your age. Once I realised what an idiot I'd been, I decided to really celebrate the next '0's. I spent my 40th birthday in the South of France, swimming in the sea at Monte Carlo, and on my 50th I had a huge party weekend for all my friends and family. I'm 57 now, and my body's not so good, as I have 3 types of arthritis, but in my head, I'm still that young woman who dreaded the approach of 30, only with a much more positive attitude to life. I'm lucky in that I still have no grey hair, and my face is a virtually wrinkle-free zone, as my mother drummed it into me as a teenager that as soon as I started wearing make up, I also had to start looking after my skin. I've never been a smoker, and I've never used sunbeds - I prefer a light natural tan. That said, it's my attitude that keeps me young looking. Many things you can't change about yourself, but you can work on that attitude. I had a great compliment the other day. We spent the evening out with a group of friends and their daughter, who is in her mid twenties, told us she'd rather go out with us than friends of her own age. 'You're always happy and up for some fun - you act younger than my friends - some of them are really boring, but the evening flies past when I'm out with you two.' As I'm 57 and my husband is 75, that's praise indeed! Grow old slightly disgracefully, and nobody, especially you, will notice the years clocking up.

Remember this sweetie: For men, life begins when you finish high school. But for women, life begins at 40.It means this is the phase where don't even need to care about those things, because people can usually get away with many things during this phase. heck, midlife crisis is the best excuse for us to whisk away for a romantic getaway!

Aging is given but we can always do something to age gracefully. Let's accept the fact that we are aging. Let's develop that positive outlook in life. Appreciate every little things around us and blessings that come. be happy that we are given the chance to still live, enjoy life, stay beautiful despite the odds of life. Let's all age gracefully. Less worries and a stress-free life.