You can see that the internet is packed with young influencers, but this is common as young minds are more energetic and active enough to do all these things. However, influencing the world in old age is a huge deal, but a lovely couple from the United Kingdom has proved that age can’t restrict us from doing what we love.
The golden-aged couple, Joan and Jimmy O’Shaughnessy, are moulding themselves as a motivating factor for the youths by doing what they love. During the covid-19 lockdown, this couple started making videos of themselves dancing on TikTok. Their first video of them went well on social media, so they continued doing it to pursue their hobby. Now, this couple @twojays2, on TikTok has earned 4.2Million fans worldwide. The way they enjoy dancing inspires those who feel it is impossible to pursue their long-term goal in the later stage of life. From this great couple, we have a great lesson to be learnt.
To begin with, let’s look into the hardships of elderhood.
@twojays2 When friends come round for the afternoon! #loveandpositivity #sharinghappiness #spreadingjoy #husbandandwifedance #dancingwithfriends #perfectlove #kindnessfirst #asmileaday ♬ original sound – Taeao
Elderhood could be a bit hard!
Elderhood is also known as retirement life. Many people would have prepared for that financially, physically and mentally, but not emotionally. For instance, everyone may have plans about their finances, where they will live, and how they will live. However, no one would think about preparing emotionally, but emotional preparation is integral to old age. Do you know why?
All these years, you were in work mode, and now it could be hard for you to switch to relax mode. In your old age, you’ll have a lot of free time. You may find it challenging to fill the extra time.
As a retiree, you could sense the loss of identity that may challenge your confidence in you. You could feel a sense of isolation and helplessness, increasing your anxiety about your future. Furthermore, getting older will be accompanied by health issues physically.
All these things will result in depression and make you feel incomplete and wonder, “is this what it is?” Moreover, everything you undergo paves the way for mental health issues like mood swings, high-intensity emotions, etc.
Though this is quite common, you must do something that could help you in all ways possible.
How to cope with challenging old age?
There are a lot of ways to protect yourself from this retirement anxiety and depression. A few common and easy steps that you can take are:
Socialise with people:
People tend to bottle up their thoughts and feelings as they grow older. The titbit fact is that these hidden feelings may burden you. So socialise with your loved ones or colleagues or with someone you trust, like your consultant, physician, and therapist. Getting in touch with your colleagues and friends in your workplace will enlarge your social network and impact your emotions. In addition, confide in someone to keep the depression away from you.
Adapt healthy habits:
As already said, old age gives you a lot of time to adapt some healthy habits of your own to keep yourself engaged and active. In your childhood, you may have had some hobbies or interests in something you love to do, which you would have given up as your responsibility grew. Old age could be the perfect time to renew your hobbies that will divert your mind from feeling lonely. So give yourself a thumbs up and go ahead with your favourite hobbies!
Set a goal:
In addition, setting a goal for yourself is one of the best ways to find your life’s purpose. Many people misunderstand that pursuing a goal in the later stage of life is useless, and there’s no life after retirement. This is a wrong conception. On the contrary, keeping a goal and moving according to that in old age will energise and motivate you. This will further help you find your identity again in your life.
Cheer yourself up!
When you can’t cope with your old age crisis, you may feel like your childhood was a happy one, forgetting about the blessing you have in your present. According to Dr. Sarah Brothwell, a ThreeBestRatedⓇ psychiatrist in Southampton, “it is bad to dive into the past rather than focusing on the present”. Get up and motivate yourself by saying, “I have a beautiful future; what am I going to do for it?”. Never let your negative thoughts take over your will. Look for positivity in any possible way, such as doing yoga, going to the spa, travelling, writing books if you’re into it, or doing something that makes you happy, just as the above-said couples.
