The building blocks for a foundation for successful and positive aging are: The Power of Us (social support), The Power of Me (your spirit), Mindfulness, Positivity, the Four A's, and Balancing. Below presents the Power of Me.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of providing social support to a person experiencing the struggles of aging is to lift his or her spirit. Nothing is more critical than a healthy spirit to cope with the marks of aging. This is the power of me.
It is unfortunate but most of us place little focus on our spirit as we live our lives. Most people are unaware of the powerful role that their spirits can play in their lives, particularly as they age.
Buddhism is about finding freedom from suffering, so humans can experience a peaceful existence. If your spirit effectively managing the suffering of aging, you allow joy into your life.
Whether you are an 18-year old teenager, a 27-year old woman about to be married, a 45-year old businessman, a 67-year old empty nester, or a 91-year old elderly woman-- you will rely on your spirit to confront the struggles of aging. We feel the cumulative aches and pains in our back and other body parts with each passing year. We no longer jump as high or run as fast as in our younger years. Sexual drive peaks too soon for many of us. We take more and more meds to counter our physical and mental declines with age. Ultimately, many of us experience serious declines in quality of life or we face life-threatening diseases. With the support of family and friends combined with a healthy spirit, growing old can be a positive, if not, exciting journey.
I believe we are more than our physical body. We have a spiritual body that is unaffected by time and aging. We need to spend more time on our spiritual side. We need to strengthen our spiritual body as our physical body declines. We need to go on a spiritual journey to prevent growing older.
The next several blog posts will dig deeper into the spirit's contribution to aging. We will present the many ways to tap your spirit as you age. There is a magic wand for dealing with the marks of aging-- our spiritual body. Tapping my spirit was my greatest asset during my battle with cancer. I've come to believe that embracing the spirit is a monumental event in life. Connecting with your spiritual body opens a whole new world filled with wonderful possibilities. there is no better prescription for aging than tapping into your spirit.
David Alan Lereah, PhD
