The war in Ukraine. The Hamas invasion into Israel. The failure of our Congress to function on our behalf. Our countries lack of an Immigration policy allowing hundreds of thousands of immigrants to enter our country without any regulation. * The world seems out of control with no positive solutions in sight. No wonder I wake up in the middle of the night!
With all of the problems of the world encroaching on our sleep and our lives, we barely have time to concern ourselves with our own, very personal problems, which increase as we age. Hearing, vision, mobility issues, doctor visits, medications, surgeries. We rely more upon aids like glasses, hearing aids, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, more medications, and operations to keep us going. It’s a wonder that we can sleep at all!
Keeping mentally and physically fit is becoming more and more of a problem. How do we deal with all of these concerns which we must face daily, and invade our unconscious thoughts as we sleep? There is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer, but the answer lies within our past.
For most of us 55-plusers, we have spent our lives in the pursuit of worthy goals. We got educated, found work, had meaningful work lives, had fulfilling relationships and grew and nurtured families and friends. We didn’t wait for someone to give us anything or solve our problems. We were brought up to be responsible and accountable. In the area of the governing and running of our country – the United States of America – we have ceded those basic and important traits. We elect people to represent us and then do not hold them accountable for their actions, or inactions. We re-elect men and women in spite of their lack of concern for us, their constituents. Us, the only reason they are in the positions they are in. Shame on us! Vote the bastards out and hold them replacements accountable. Until we do, we will keep putting people in our woefully ineffective political system who are only there to take advantage of the benefits of that system for themselves.
Fixing our broken political system takes a long view, for now, let’s deal with the mental and physical conditions also keeping us concerned during the day, and awake at night.
Again, we look to our past. Call upon our skills, experience, and abilities to face and deal with those obstacles ahead of us. First, be positive and proactive. Keeping a positive attitude is imperative when facing problems and adversity. Everyone faces adversity. Everyone deals with problems. We can either let them overwhelm us or face them and deal with them. Facing them with a positive attitude allows you to see the problem clearly, with negative thoughts weighing you down. When you can see the problem or obstacle clearly, you can do what you have done all your life – figure it out and deal with it. Solve the problem and put it behind you.
Second, create a plan for dealing with the possible physical or mental adversities you may face as you age. Medically you need to have an annual physical. Also, get a hearing test, vision test, EKG, colonoscopy, and whatever tests your doctors recommend so you can create a plan to deal with whatever shortcoming your body may give you.
Third, exercise regularly and eat healthy, protein and fiber rich meals. Exercise keeps your internal organs and external structure working as it should. Feeding your body the proper nutrients to fuel it and keeping the harmful foods and additives out of your system will help to keep your body functioning properly.
Fourth, exercise mentally. Read and stimulate your brain with puzzles, games, and conversations. Socialize and interact with people. Over your lifetime you have filled your brain with lots of facts and information. Share that information and your experiences. Keep your brain active and healthy and, if in spite of your exercising you begin to experience mental fatigue, slowing, or deterioration, see a health professional to deal with this mental condition. Aging does not dictate a slowing or decreasing activity of your brain. Be proactive and keep that marvelous brain working to its fullest capacity.
Fifth, practice mindfulness and add meditation to your daily routine. Mindfulness is basically ‘being in the now’. Deal with and face the situations in front of you. Don’t let concern or worry about world events be your focus. There isn’t much you can do about those except be aware and concerned. (See the Survival section of the BestSelfHelpSolutions.com website for preparation tips.) If your own personal or family concerns begin to overwhelm you, take 3 minutes to meditate; to center yourself with deep breathing; listen to soothing music, anything to allow you to stop the worry, create a plan, and focus on the solution.
Personally, I am tired of waking up with worry and concern. I know there is little I can do about world concerns, so I choose to focus on the here and now. On the ‘me’, my family, friends, and neighbors. These things I can control and deal with as long as I follow the recommendations listed above. Start today. Start tonight, and I wish you and me a good, restful, and peaceful night’s sleep.
* The most chilling concern with the immigration situation is that tens of thousands of single men are pouring into our country. Because of the overwhelming numbers of people flooding into our country, there is no way that individuals can be checked or vetted. We have little or no idea of the backgrounds or intentions of these single men. If only a small percentage of them have evil intent how will our country deal with this ‘army’ if their intent is to infiltrate, undermine, radicalize, criminalize, or take over our country. We are handing them the keys to the city. When, in the history of mankind, did any nation allow floods of unregulated men into their countries, requiring nothing from them and knowing little to nothing about them? When it happened in the past those nations no longer exist.
