Mind vs Body: Round 1 (ding!)

 I have always been in a rush to grow up. To me, being 60 y/o, retired and a grandmother sounds better than being 30 y/o, working and having my own children. Whether that may be true or not the more time I spend around older adults the more I realize the importance of the mind vs the body.

I can only imagine how devastating it must be to THINK that you can be completely independent and someone is telling you "no you can't do that anymore." To be independent for so long and then slowly go back in reverse must be a very hard concept to grasp as you age. I remember when I used to work with cardiac rehab patients, we would give them exercise precautions when they first started in order to build their heart back up to it's normal strength. Some people wouldn't listen and they would try to do the same activity they have always done before their heart attack. They soon realized that their bodies just weren't the same and they would end up gasping for air or passing out because their heart was not strong enough to handle that much activity. It can be so difficult for someone to accept that their bodies are changing and they may not be able to do what they used to do.

I see the aging process as more psychological than anything else. The statement "you're only as old as you feel" is very true and can influence you either way. Some of my family members seem to "live up" their older age and they do as much activity as they have ever done. My family believes a lot in keeping their minds and their bodies active. If my 80 y/o grandmother had the mindset that she's 80 and she should take it easy and be careful with her body then she would probably be limited then ever because she's telling herself "no I can't." Instead she tells herself "whatever I can do I'm going to do it."

One day, I had a conversation about age to my pastors wife and she revealed to me that she is 57 y/o. I told her she looks great for her age (and she really does!) and she talked about staying active and taking vitamins but she also said it also has a lot to do with God. When you keep your mind on God, He gives people peace of mind and allows people not to stress or worry about anything but instead to live with joy in their hearts and mind. That made a lot of sense to me, whether someone believes in God or not the chemical reaction that stress creates in someones mind plays out into their lives and affects their outward appearance. Also those who stress a lot about things are probably continuously telling themselves "no" which will restrain anyone from moving forward and gaining progress in life.

I really believe that the mind is so powerful and it controls everything about a person. So it could either be played to your favor... or not. Each individual has a choice, the beauty about the mind is that it can be altered. When it comes to aging we can embrace the physical changes that come automatically and keep our minds focused on what we CAN still do.