Nineteen Surprising Ways Life Transitions For Older Adults Are Harder & Easier

If you are seventy plus, you bring a lot of life experience with you.  As time goes by, you have hopefully learned to change what you can control and let go of things you have no control over. 

You are going to find some aspects of life more manageable and some more difficult;  depending a lot on how emotionally healthy you are.

What transitions do you find problematic as an older adult. Here are some of the challenges that can get in your way.

1.    As you age, the activities you used to do with ease are more difficult.  At one time in your life you may have had no problem walking long distances, but now you tire out much faster. 

2.    You possibly will feel a loss of identity when you retire.  Who am I now?  What is the purpose of my life?  This especially hard for people who focussed most of their energy on their work.  If you have hobbies and are used to volunteering, you will move through this change much easier.

3.    In this age of rapid change, you may find it challenging to keep up with societies greater reliance on technology. For example, many things such as paying bills and accessing financial information need to happen online. For some of you this is overwhelming.

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4.    In a society that worships youth, you may feel looked down because of your age. You now live in a time where there many generations of people living together from the baby boomers to generation Z. It can be a struggle to understand each other.

5.    Each generation has a set of different values. It can be hard to understand each other. It is easy for you in the older generations to feel lost.

6.     You get used to your routines and worldview. It can feel disrupting when others compel us to change.

7.    The older you get, the more of your friends and family members become incapacitated and die. People that you used to count on are no longer there to be your companion, friend and helper. 

While there are aspects of getting older that can make life more difficult there are many aspects of ageing that are pleasing. Here are some ways that your life experience can give you a more balanced perspective enabling you to focus on what you can change and letting go of what you can not.

8.    In your older years, you no longer worry about looking cool.

9.    You don’t feel the need to impress others with your intellect, physical looks and your wealth.

10. You care a lot less about what others think of you giving yourself more freedom to do what you love to do.

11. You are more gentle with yourself.  You have enough life experience to know that many of the things you have worried about the past are not worth wasting your energy. 

12. You discover what is essential in life such as companionship, friendship, doing what you love to do, and standing up for what you hold dear. You are no longer afraid to be yourself.

13. When you make a mistake, it is no longer bothers you in the way it used to.  You have accepted the reality you are human, and part of being human is to be imperfect.

14. You are a little wiser. You know you are not perfect.  You have given up trying to be always right. 

15. You realize that change will happen no matter how hard you may try to stop it.

16. Often in your later years, you are not as concerned with how you look. You are more forgiving of your physical imperfections.  Yes, you still want to look your best, but you don’t lose sleep about the increasing wrinkles on your face.

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 17.  You love being grandparents because you can enjoy the children without the day to day responsibility. Discover the gift of play and life becomes more fun.

18. You find it easier to speak your truth.  When people disagree with you, it is no longer a blow to your self-worth.  You enjoy debate because you no longer need always to win it.

19. The older you get, the more you can accept death as part of life.  The thought that you will one day die no longer sends you into a panic. In fact, the more you can accept death as an integral part of life the more you can enjoy it.

The way you deal with life transitions in your older age depends a lot on your emotional, physical and spiritual health.

 As I have named life can be more challenging with the differences between generations, rapid technological change and poor health. You have to learn to use the computer and/or smart phone because there are no other options to pay bills and get information in the ways you used to.

But with your generous life experience, it is easier for you to put your life into perspective. Things that once upset you no longer bother you.  You are no longer worried about how you look.  You are no longer concerned about hanging out with the right people. You merely want to enjoy life making the most of your time left on planet earth.

I encourage you to make the best of your later years. Don’t despair when things feel tougher, because there will be times when your life experience will put you in good staid.

Your inner wisdom will continue to guide you through all the ups and downs of life.  You have all you need to live well.

I am, Roland Legge a Life Coach here to help you to move through life transitions with greater ease. You can join my private newsletter list for Free Monthly Advice and get Your Free Enneagram Test or sign up for a Free 30 Minute Discovery Call with me in my Accuity Scheduling Calendar.