How do you want your life to improve?
Do you see your friends regularly? If they’re scattered around the country with some abroad, do you ever visit each other for long weekends? Nurture your old friends and be open to new ones, too. With whom would you like to spend more time? Arrange for them to visit you for tea or take a trip to the cinema, theatre, ballet, gallery or football match. Make time for fun.
Time
How do you spend your days? If you’re still working, do you enjoy it? Don’t fob yourself off with ‘Only ? years until retirement’. Instead of wishing your life away, daydream about the way you’d love to be spending your days. Even if you can only work a few of the resulting changes into your life, the ripple effect will be well worth it.
General wellbeing
Whether you already treat your body as a temple or are now undoing past damage, make sure you have the support you need. Many gyms offer special classes for older members. Supplements like multivitamins and omega 3 can help support you while you get into the habit of making healthier nutritional choices. And don’t forget your spirit. Even a few minutes of daily meditation (or even sitting in your garden doing nothing) will boost your well-being.
Long held dreams
Have you been pursuing a long held ambition to sing, paint, act or write alongside your ‘real life’? Or maybe you’ve suppressed all your dreams for years and are ready to dig them out and dust them off. Nothing will revitalise you faster than rediscovering an old passion. If you’re stuck, shut your eyes and think back to when you were a child. What did you love doing? What made you lose track of time while you were doing it? How can you integrate more of this into your life right now?
Home environment
Shut your eyes and mentally scan each room in your house. Which areas make you smile and which wipe that smile away? Whether you’re a minimalist or hoarder, your home should make you feel good. Identify 10 things you can do this week to improve your environment.
Money
If you’re not satisfied with your current financial situation, it’s not too late to change it. How can you cut back on inessential spending that doesn’t make you happy? And how could you bring in more money doing something you’d really enjoy? You may be able to earn well, part-time, as a consultant in the field you used to work in.
Love
If you’re not feeling loved and cherished by your friends and family, think of ways you can let the people you care most for know how important they are to you. Taking time for loving, thoughtful gestures will boost your own day as well as theirs. It will also give them ideas about how they can reciprocate.
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Eve Menzes Cunningham
Expert lifecoach for Yoga and Health magazine, Eve is a freelance writer specialising in health and well-being for the Evening Standard and Red magazine.