Old habits die hard but that doesn’t mean that people can’t change. Older people sometimes get stuck because they feel that things were better in the “old days.” We all know that belief isn’t necessarily true. Perhaps change isn’t as typical in an older person but that doesn’t mean that it can’t or won’t happen. The key is whether you want to change or not.
Life is a developmental process and nothing stays the same for very long. Survival has always relied on the fact that people have been willing to make changes in order to adapt to the world around them. Change is inevitable. Think of yourself as a work in progress. After new ideas and possibilities are presented to you it is your decision about how you want to respond to them. You are free to say “yes I will “or you can stick to your guns and say “no.” The best and most lasting changes are voluntary. You cannot be forced to embrace change against your will.
Dorothy Foltz-Gray (Arthritis Today: May/June 2011) writes that change can do you good, and she hits the nail on the head. People, she admits, don’t like change, especially when the necessity is brought about during a time of turmoil. One change, however, can lead to more changes. Most people need to make some adjustments to their beliefs and to their lifestyles from time to time. A life changing event or diagnoses tends to make you sit up and listen. When someone threatens that “if you don’t change you will die” it tends, at the very least, to make you more thoughtful. A generic statement that says if you don’t make lifestyle changes you will suffer the consequences is all well and good, but it often doesn’t make much of an impact until something does happen.
When people start making new choices because of a new life situation, they find that they can indeed change if they have to. Going through a major health crisis is the often the wake-up that something needs to be done. It isn’t a bad idea to visit your family tree to see what chronic problems might be in your future. Often a little tweaking (also known as making a few changes) can keep you in control.
Experiment: Experiment with new and positive changes. Let others support and help you. Surprisingly you are not alone in this endeavor.
Start with small risks: Get out of your comfort zone. If you are willing to take that first step you will find that change adds an element of excitement to your life.
Go with the flow: Try to avoid too many conscious rules. There is no one more impossible to be around than someone who makes each change an issue. Don’t bore your friends or expect everyone to adopt your personal mantra. It is one thing to make changes and another to have changes impressed on you.
Find changes where you still feel an element of control. Your doctor may tell you to exercise more, but you can find a way that is fun for you. Find elements of change that bring joy to your life. Change should revolve around you being in charge and you having choices.
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