Keep Your Spirits High- It 's Good Medicine
Whether you stay at home or go abroad on retirement, the same principles hold true for the retiree. There are no two persons for whom retirement means the same thing or for whom it involves the same problems. One person is concerned with ways to supplement an inadequate income while another worries on how he is to put in his time. Still another one worries about losing touch with his only real friends and interests back home. Some others worry because they feel their abilities are going to be wasted while they are still full of zip and eager to continue working.
Lisa Davis, communications director of Modern Maturity Magazine, flagship publication of the American Association of Retired Persons, noted: "The idea of what life after 50 should be like is changing rapidly. People want to work and stay active. But most of all they want to be themselves." Nothing could be truer. Try to forget minor problems and concentrate on your assets. Move toward life with the best that is in you. Let your retirement be an adventure for you and purposeful living. And above all, don't let retirement be a period of uncertainty or insecurity for you.
There's a close link between optimism and health. Personality is complex and, as McLandburgh Wilson put it in 1915, "while the optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole". The Harvard Men's Health Watch, published monthly by the Harvard Medical School, says that a positive mental outlook can promote good physical health, particularly for the heart and circulation.
It further stated that researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that optimism is actually linked to survival and longevity. It found that people who had a positive outlook were much more likely to stay healthy and enjoy independence in daily activities. Even centuries ago the link between optimism and health was recognized. Plato in his Republic said that "he who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition, youth and age are equally a burden."
Gerontologists agree that persons who follow a regular norm of life, do daily exercise, engage in certain work activity and have a good attitude toward life, are the ones who satisfactorily meet the changes associated with old age. You and God should be your two best friends. Self-acceptance and spirituality make you feel at ease and allow you to live longer. Always set goals for yourself. The goal can be for one or several years or simply days ahead. Making a list of things to do the next day is actually to make a goal-even though it'is a short term one. It's good because it keeps your mind working and alert. I myself foIlow this daily practice.
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