Aging is inevitable, so why not do it joyfully? Here’s how

Seeking out experiences of awe and wonder, like a long stroll in nature, can increase our happiness levels. Smiling more often and more intensely has the same positive effect on older adults.

Enrich your life with colour, nature, fresh air, art, and other elements that stimulate the senses. Buy yourself some flowers, or take up gardening, as it is proven to have mental, psychological and physical benefits.

Attending cultural events, social activities church, movies, sporting events, or cards is said to decrease the mortality rate among senior citizens.

This is because of the good experiences, along with forming deep relationships and social connections, that increase the feeling of belongingness.

An intriguing experiment called the Time Warp involves being in a special zone where everything is as it was a few decades ago. Gadgets, furniture, news and sports, photos and surroundings, all create an illusion of being in a different era, like the 70s.

The participants of the Time Warp experiment reported better vision, greater cognitive dexterity, better posture, and even better looks, just by living in the zone for a week.

Everyone cannot create such elaborate zones, but we can create mini time wraps by reading old books, meeting with old friends, or visiting old places that remind us of how we were.

Our brain shrinks as we age, and exercise prevents that from happening as fast as it would if one was living a sedentary life.

Apart from better brain health and healthier heart, exercising provides joy by releasing dopamine inside our brain and body. We need to take care of our bodies, as it is the only thing that will last us our lifetime.

Ageing has often been associated with negative tropes, like calling the empty home(due to the children going away to start their own life) an empty nest.

We need to rephrase and reframe such negative tropes, calling them a re-feathered nest instead, a place of creativity, possibility and delight.

Older adults are not that good with technology, and that leads to an increased feeling of disconnection, and even doubt and disempowerment.

Once they learn the tech skill sets, senior citizens feel an increased cognitive function, interpersonal skills, and a sense of freedom and independence.