Each stage of life, whether you are a young adult or an elderly person, involves asking yourself about your plans, your needs, in short about how you want to continue to live by taking full advantage of all the moments. Questions that always arise when you get older, even after 85, a period that is called "old age". Today, in France, 1.5 million people are aged 85 and over (there will be 4.8 million by 2050), some are losing their autonomy, others in good health. A category of the population which, like all the others, needs to give meaning to its life. So how? As you approach old age, giving meaning to your life is largely based on optimism, a state of mind that allows you to calmly look forward to the years to come. Our advice for giving meaning to your life when you are very old.
Giving meaning to your life as you approach old age involves keeping your mind sharp, in other words stimulating your brain in order to preserve your faculties as best as possible.
Aging well means taking care of the good health of your brain in order to be able to continue to acquire knowledge and memorize it, to maintain your skills in order to be able to stay in touch with others, etc.
For people aged 85 and over, keeping your mind sharp is one of the ways to give meaning to your life because it involves engaging in multiple activities and thus keeping your curiosity awake.
Organizing part of your life around, for example, playing games alone or in a group (chess, cards, arrow grids, sudoku, etc.) which allow you to solicit your neurons is a good idea to stay active. Reading, outings to cultural places, travel for those who have full autonomy, are all activities that allow you to stay anchored in life, to remain optimistic and to have projects!
Another way to give meaning to your life when you get older and do your best to maintain your shape. Physical activity and good nutrition are the main secrets of an assumed old age and above all that allows you to look forward to future years in a positive way.
After 85 years, there is no need to necessarily get into sport to maintain your shape. The important thing is to move and spend your energy as little as possible. Giving meaning to your life in this area can, for example, take the form of one hour of gardening or DIY a day, going for a walk outside your home several times a week, walking your dog and meeting people, or why not register in a ballroom dance club. Good manners to preserve your health but also to meet other people.
Staying in shape and seeing life with optimism also means eating well and, in particular, balancing your meals. So why not give meaning to your life by getting back to cooking good meals for yourself but also for others?
Giving meaning to your life as you approach old age also involves maintaining a social life. The first thing is to make sure to maintain relationships with family, friends, neighbors, etc. Staying in touch with others is very important for asserting your identity and maintaining good self-esteem. A good point to look to the future with serenity and confidence!
Don't forget to maintain your intergenerational ties, especially with your grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Giving meaning to one's life also means passing on one's family history, traditions, heritage, etc. And exchanging with the younger ones on various subjects is always stimulating for the older ones and a source of new knowledge.
Thinking about yourself at this stage of old age is also very important not only to give a good self-image, but also to have good self-esteem and project yourself positively and serenely into the future.
Ensuring that you stay in good physical but also moral shape helps you to stay active and give meaning to your life as you approach old age. Of course, all this while respecting his body and his own rhythms which, inevitably, have undergone changes with age.
Thinking about yourself can, for example, materialize through the objective of reconsidering your home and making it warmer, more comfortable. Renovating your home to suit and considering your security needs in particular can be a stimulating goal that gives meaning to your life.
If you live alone and the loneliness weighs on you, you can also think about approaching old age to other forms of housing such as assisted living facilities, residential accommodation, shared accommodation between seniors, or cohabitation. intergenerational solidarity which refers to the fact of making a room in your accommodation available to a young person. A motivating project that can energize and give meaning to your life even if you are old.
