How to Feel Good About aging

Jen Hardy [00:00:10]:
Welcome to the fabulous over 50 podcast, the podcast just for you. Today, we’re gonna talk about a topic that affects many women over 50. I would go so far to say that sometimes it affects all women over 50. And the reason we’re gonna talk about it is because it’s a new year, and it’s time for a new attitude about this whole Sing with ageism. And it’s the feeling of being sidelined by society just because of our age. Because society, unfortunately, tends to value youth over age. You know, back in the day, Society used to value wisdom, and people used to seek out older people to ask their opinion and for their advice. But The world is changing.

Jen Hardy [00:01:00]:
And for a lot of people, unfortunately, it’s just not valuable because if you’re not young, you’re not relevant, and that is so untrue. You are completely relevant, and there are so many people that do value your opinion and your advice. We just need to find them and help them because, you know, so many people are making the same mistakes We made when we were younger, and we could help them, and we need to. We need to reach out and help. So if a few people tell you Negative things. Just don’t let that take over. Okay? Because today, I want to encourage you if you’re feeling down because of your age or because of how other people have made you feel. So let’s acknowledge the elephant to the room first thing.

Jen Hardy [00:01:48]:
Yes. Our society can be ageist and sexist, But that doesn’t mean we have to be defined by it. In fact, being 50 or 60 or 80 or 90 can be the most Liberating times in a woman’s life. In fact, every woman that I’ve talked to has said they feel more free to be themselves and say what they think. And I honestly have always had problems with body issues. And parts of me, I feel more comfortable in my body that I’ve ever felt even though, yes, gravity is not my friend. But you know what? I don’t know. I’ve just come to make peace with it.

Jen Hardy [00:02:28]:
This is the best body I’m ever gonna have. So I’m just going to enjoy What I have instead of mourning something, you know, and wasting my time, we don’t need to do that Because we’ve experienced so much. We’ve gained so much wisdom, and we know who we are. We know what we want in life. So if you’re feeling down because of societal pressure, it’s time to reframe your mindset. Instead of seeing yourself as old or over the hill, Start to see yourself as wise and experienced. And if someone else says something negative, just let it Go and erase it. We don’t need to keep playing those things over in our head.

Jen Hardy [00:03:10]:
The key to is to embrace your age and use it to your advantage. And second, we want to remember that age is just a number. You’re not defined by your age. It’s who you are as a person. How do you make people feel? Your age doesn’t determine your your worth or your intelligence or your beauty. You are beautiful and valuable just the way you are. 3rd, I’m gonna encourage you to surround yourself with people who support and uplift you. This can be family, friends, or even a support group.

Jen Hardy [00:03:47]:
The important thing is to have people in your life who encourage and believe in you. Because when you have a support system, it’s easier to combat any negative feelings or societal pressure. And if you don’t have a big group of supportive people in your life, it’s time to find 1. So What do you like to do? Do you like to do crafts? Take some classes. Or if you like to do sports or play tennis or swim or whatever, Join a group because meeting people every single week or at certain times over and over, that’s how you’re gonna build those friendships, And it’s never too late to make new friends. So, you know, the older we get, we start losing friends for one reason or another, And it can be heartbreaking. And so I’m gonna share with you something that I share with my kids because we’ve recently lost some people very important to us, And it was it’s hard, and it it’s it’s broken our hearts. But I explained that life is like a train.

Jen Hardy [00:04:50]:
Okay? So the beginning of your life is where you get on the train. The end of your life is Obviously, where you get off the train. And as you’re as you’re riding this train of life, you make different stops. Some people get on your train, And they they stay on with you your entire life, which is hopefully your, you know, your family, things like that. And then there’s other people. They get on. They might get off on the next stop, or they may get on and stay for several stops and then get off. But Everyone in our life doesn’t ride the the whole train with us through our lifetime.

Jen Hardy [00:05:28]:
And if we think about it that way, To me, anyway, it makes it a lot easier to know that some people were meant to get on in a certain place, and their ticket only lasted for a certain amount of time, and then they had to get off the train. And we don’t always know what those reasons are, And the older we are, the more people we’ve had exit the train, then we probably would care to have. But if you know that everyone else is going through it, everyone else is making these stops, it makes it a lot easier to handle. And if you’re going through a time of loss and you’re missing some people, I encourage you to reach out. Reach out to people who are still riding that train with you. Reach out to me. You can email me, jen@jennhardy.net, or you can go to the website, jennhardy.net/contact. Reach out to me because I’m here.

Jen Hardy [00:06:25]:
I get it, and I’m going through it, so I can be there for you. 4th, we’re gonna take care of Physical and mental health. This is essential, and they really go together. Right? Things like Exercising. Whatever that means to you, whatever it means to move your body, if you’re not getting out there, if you can’t, you know, run and jump and do all those things, then Moving how you can. K. Eating a healthy diet. I know the prices of food are going crazy, and things are crazy, but you need to throw in some fruits some vegetables, and eat as healthy as you can.

Jen Hardy [00:07:02]:
You need to get sleep. If sleep is hard for you, Talk to somebody. You know, there’s lots of herbal things and natural things to help you sleep because, trust me, I went 2 months of So much sleep deprivation, and I I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t here for you. I wasn’t even here really for my kids. It was a hot mess, and now I’m sleeping again. And I’m realizing how imbalanced my whole life was without sleep, so it’s important. And finally, and I would say most importantly, take care of your mental health.

Jen Hardy [00:07:37]:
Girl, you need to be okay. So if you’re really not okay, go talk to somebody. If you’re having some issues that friends can handle or family, talk to them because you really need To be okay. To be able to enjoy your life. And finally, I want you to remember, Even if it doesn’t feel this way sometimes, age is not a barrier to success. So many women over 50 are achieving great success in their careers, Their personal lives and their hobbies. Oh my gosh. Now that there’s the Internet, there’s all these different things, and you can find out about sing, Oh my goodness.

Jen Hardy [00:08:16]:
And join groups all over the world. It’s amazing. There’s no reason you can’t achieve your goals and dreams no matter your age. There are women in their eighties getting college degrees. You know, there is no limit. So if you’re feeling down because of societal pressure And you want to start this new year in a new way and positive and upbeat, and I encourage you to find your fabulous. And know that you’re not alone. There’s millions of women out there that are having these same feelings.

Jen Hardy [00:08:47]:
Okay? You’re not defined by this number. I want you to embrace your age, surround yourself with positive people, and a few people your age, if you don’t have them in your life, who are doing great things and are gonna help keep you motivated to move forward. Take care of your health and chase your dreams. This is your year. This is our year. We are gonna go out and find the fabulosity of 2024. I can’t wait to talk to you next week. We are going to talk about sex, and it’s going to be very interesting.

Jen Hardy [00:09:24]:
And this is not a thing to listen with your kids or grandkids, but, you know, let’s just face it. It’s part of life, So stay tuned for that. Stay tuned, and stay