Feel Young after 50 Feel Young after 50 (or 60, or 70, or 80, (or 60, or 70, or 80,

or more…)or more…)

Fernando J. Castro-Urrutia, M.D.

Adult and Geriatric Psychiatrist

You can’t help You can’t help getting older, but you getting older, but you

don’t have to get old. don’t have to get old.

-George Burns

I don’t think I’ll I don’t think I’ll ever live to be a ever live to be a

hundred. I’ve been hundred. I’ve been fifty for twenty fifty for twenty

years now.years now.

-Helen Ksypka

Age is a question of Age is a question of mind over matter.mind over matter.

If you don’t mind, it If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.doesn’t matter.

-Satchel Paige

How old would you be How old would you be if you didn’t know your if you didn’t know your

age?age?

-

-Satchel Paige

The secret to staying The secret to staying young is to live young is to live

honestly, eat slowly, honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your and lie about your

age.age.

-Lucille Ball

Characteristics of Feeling Young

Youthful mind

Acquiring new skills

Pursuing knowledge for its own sake

I concentrate on I concentrate on what I can do, not what I can do, not on what I can’t do.on what I can’t do.

Never let what you can’t do, interfere with what you can

do.

People do not quit People do not quit playing because they playing because they

grow old. They grow old. They grow old because grow old because they quit playing.they quit playing.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Lifestyle Changes:How to get started

Have fun Eat right Rest adequately Reduce stress Get enough exercise Take charge of your health Break bad habits

Life is ten percent Life is ten percent what you make of it what you make of it and ninety percent and ninety percent how you take it.how you take it.

-Irving Berlin

Have Fun

Take a class

Socialize

Learn to play a musical instrument

Read

Be flexible

People rarely People rarely succeed at anything succeed at anything unless they have fun unless they have fun

doing it.doing it.

- Anne Wilson Schaef

Eat right

Good nutrition = right foods, right amounts

Stay fit

Fight disease and infection

Supply energy for work and play

Anyone can get old.Anyone can get old.All you have to do All you have to do is live long enough.is live long enough.

Groucho Marx

Rest adequately

Daytime– Pace, break, relax, naps

Nightime– Enough sleep

Reduce stress

Breathe deeply

Be flexible

Express yourself

Think things through

Be realistic

When we are unable When we are unable to find tranquility to find tranquility

within ourselves, it within ourselves, it is useless to seek it is useless to seek it

elsewhere.elsewhere.

- La Rochefoucauld

Get enough exercise

Medical check up

Pick an enjoyable activity

Warm up

Exercise regularly

My grandmother My grandmother started walking five started walking five miles a day when miles a day when

she was sixty. She’s she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, ninety-seven now, and we don’t know and we don’t know where the heck she where the heck she

is.is.

Take charge of your health

Regular check ups

Scheduled screening tests

Self exams

Medication adherence

In life, as in In life, as in forest fires,forest fires,

big problems always big problems always

start out smallstart out small

Break bad habits

Caffeine Nicotine Alcohol Drugs Medications Procrastination Self Talk/ Beliefs System

Life moves pretty Life moves pretty fast; if you don’t stop fast; if you don’t stop

and look around and look around every once in a every once in a

while, you could while, you could miss it.miss it.

-Matthew Broderick, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Seven keys to a successful life change

1. Become AWARE of negative feelings

2. DEFINE the problem

3. Listen to AMBIVALENCE

4. PREPARE for risk

5. NARROW your options

6. Take ACTION

7. EVALUATE the decision

Whether you think Whether you think you can, or whether you can, or whether you think you can’t, you think you can’t,

you’re right.you’re right.

- Mary Kay Ash

Become AWARE of negative feelings

Physical

Verbal/ Mental

If you are distressed If you are distressed by anything external, by anything external, the pain is not due to the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to the thing itself, but to

your estimate of it; your estimate of it; and this you have the and this you have the

power to revoke at any power to revoke at any moment.moment.

- Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180)

DEFINE the problem

Written definition

Describe barriers

Reprogram attitudes and beliefs

Focus on the here and now

Unlearn conditioned fears

I have seen what a I have seen what a laugh can do. It can laugh can do. It can

transform almost transform almost unbearable tears into unbearable tears into something bearable, something bearable,

even hopeful.even hopeful.

- Bob Hope

Don’t let FEAR stop you

False

Expectations

Appear

Real

A bend in the road A bend in the road is not the end of is not the end of the road – unless the road – unless you fail to make you fail to make

the turn.the turn.

- Victor Hugo

What is the purpose of my life?

I LOVE TO ……………….ACTIVITIES

I AM ………………YOUR QUALITIES

I WOULD LIKE TO…………...GOALS

Listen to AMBIVALENCE

Decision to change can provoke mixed feelings

Inner emotional preparation is necessary for successful risk taking

Many persons have a Many persons have a wrong idea of what wrong idea of what

constitutes true constitutes true happiness. It is not happiness. It is not

attained through attained through self-gratification but self-gratification but through fidelity to a through fidelity to a

worthy purpose.worthy purpose.-

Helen Keller

PREPARE for risk

Assess interests and needs

Goal setting

Personal strengths

Self exploration- current situation and alternatives

You miss 100% of You miss 100% of the shots you never the shots you never

take.take.

-Wayne Gretsky

NARROW your options

Assess compatibility

People who wait for People who wait for all conditions to be all conditions to be

perfect before perfect before acting, never act.acting, never act.

Take ACTION

Learning experience

Nothing is more Nothing is more rewarding than to rewarding than to

watch someone who watch someone who says it cannot be says it cannot be

done, being done, being interrupted by interrupted by

someone actually someone actually doing it.doing it.

EVALUATE the decision

Continuous monitoring

Enjoy the outcome

There isn’t a person There isn’t a person anywhere who isn’t anywhere who isn’t

capable of doing capable of doing more than he thinks more than he thinks

he can.he can.

- Henry Ford

Self-evaluation questionnaire

Do I feel good about the change?

What other gains did I derive from the change?

What did I lose?

What factors contributed to the success of my change?

The greatest The greatest discovery of my discovery of my

generation is that a generation is that a human being can human being can alter his life by alter his life by

altering his altering his attitudes of mind.attitudes of mind.

-William James

Self-evaluation questionnaire

If I could do it all over again, what would I do differently?

Who was most helpful in the process?

Who let me down?

To remain fulfilled To remain fulfilled in life lead one in in life lead one in

which you can which you can continue to have continue to have

choices.choices.

The race is not The race is not always won by always won by

the fastest runner the fastest runner but sometimes by but sometimes by

those who just those who just keep running.keep running.

If you keep doing If you keep doing what you’re doing, what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting you’ll keep getting

what you’re what you’re getting.getting.

Yesterday is Yesterday is history. Tomorrow history. Tomorrow

is a mystery. is a mystery. And today is a gift. And today is a gift.

That’s why it’s That’s why it’s

called called “the present”.“the present”.