BullDog777

Anyone have any advise about how to get past the "getting older" blues?

I'm almost 45, and I've been kinda bummed out about my age.

I know........ boo-hoo.

Still....it's gotten me a bit grumpy to be around, and I don't wanna be like that. Any tips?

thanks.

suki44883

Growing older is a privilege not everyone gets to enjoy. I barely remember being 45, but looking back, I am sure it wasn't nearly as old as I thought it was then.

Life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the journey.

Dee74

My advice is to think about the good things you've got.
We're pretty lucky to still be here, and to have nice things BD

D

BullDog777

yeah, i know. I felt kinda dumb posting it, but it's been on my mind a lot. The fact that I've stayed sober from where I was, is a miracle i should embrace. I do. Everyday.

It just gets to be a little tough when I wake up sore from all the injuries over the years and my dresser is littered with Ibuprophen, aspercreme, heat wraps and old ice packs. I move too slow to be almost 45.

A lot of it is getting my weight back down and regaining my flexibility and strength....it just sucks that I've lost the bounce back i had in my 20's.

Yeah...I dunno.... I'm kinda thinking of joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer or somes#it.

This is coming out all wrong. Sorry...I haven't had a lot of sleep this week..the whole house has had the flu and I'm the lone caretaker and it's 2:45am.

Dee74

I don't think its dumb - not at all

I agree that getting back into shape might help BD.

D

MindfulMan

Exercise! Your aches and pains will diminish as you get stronger.

doggonecarl

Time for a new challenge.

tomsteve

any chance that right there is contributing a wee bit to how youre feeling? lack of sleep and a house full of sickness can lead to crazy thoughts.

although i think its rather common for people to get the thoughts at some point- whether in recovery or no experience with it- them normies!

i had crazy thoughts around the time i realized i was turning 50. i trudged along and worked at changing my thinking.
im pretty darn greatful to be 50 now.
especially when i should have died a long,long time ago.

BullDog777

well put, thanks a bunch.

ChloeRose63

You are only as old as you feel. Start an exercise program with a trainer that will start you out slowly and encourage you. In about 6 weeks you will begin to get into the routine and start feeling like a new person! Don't put it off...start as soon as you can! Just get to a local gym and talk to someone! Go out there and make it happen!! It is the greatest thing you can start to do for yourself! Setting goals can make you feel like you are back in the game!

Stayingsassy

Join Cross fit. You'll get really strong and it brings back your vitality.

Look at pics of old women and men who never stopped going to the gym. They are the only ones who look like they've arrested time.

Everyone goes through a midlife crisis of sorts, from mild to crazy damaging. There's just a reckoning in our forties and there's no getting past it.

I remember turning heads at 25 and feeling like there was no man on earth who didn't want me and I'm pretty sure that was fairly close to the truth. But while that has its own kind of power,getting older and wiser has a different kind. Especially if we don't lose ourselves to alcohol, drug or food addictions and become ill or obese. People sort of look to us to show us how its all done.

Plus, be grateful you are married. Being out there right now would be tough. I'm sure I'd find a boyfriend but there is nothing like hitting the hay each night with someone you've made that long term commitment with and have history with, at our age.

Best wishes as you move through it...it takes a few years for the acceptance to come but it does come.

ScottFromWI

Even just taking walks is a good start Bulldog. I'm not too much older than you and I think we all get that feeling at some point in our life that we are "getting older".

Mindfulness and Gratitide are some really good exercises to pick up when you are feeling down too. It sometimes seem silly at first, but if you can just take even 5 minutes every day and write down a few things that you are thankful for...it can really go a long way. It's easy to get caught up in the world around us, especially with all the electronic media that is bombarding us every day - and forget about what is really important. Shutting off the TV/Phone/computer and just taking some time to meditate/think about what we have to be thankful for can be very therapeutic.

Rar

I understand Bull Dog.

Berrybean

Yep. I agree with Dee. A gratitude list. Sometimes we have to do a bit of work to gain that altered perspective. This recovery malarkey is a bit of an inside job.

Number 1 - I got to live to 45
....

2ndhandrose

My friend (56 yrs) and I (59 yrs!) were talking and she mentioned a friend of hers who is "only" 44 yrs and how different their perspectives are from that age distance. (yes, I meant distance, not difference )

It really is perspective, we oldsters look at you and think, ahhh such youth and the 70 year old folk are looking at me and thinking, ahhh such a cute young thing

Arpeggioh

I don't trust anybody under 40...damn kids...not a clue...

Yeah, that perspective thing is pretty important, and also pretty amusing! Being told "you're just a kid" at 56 is priceless...

And my favorite take on getting older: it sure beats the alternative.

least

I'm 66 now and aging doesn't scare me like it used to do. I'm just grateful to wake up each day and feel good.

Getting older sure beats dying young.

BullDog777

To each of you who responded, it was exactly what i needed to hear. I'm going to go seek out some help at the gym and see what I can do. I think perspective is also the other half of the equasion and something i need to vastly improve on.

At least now I have a few goals I can keep in my sights. Thanks again to each of you. I really appreciate all of the wisdom.

VikingGF

I'm better sober at 52 than I was drunk at 42...

Ken0331

I find as I grow older, my life get better.

Life sure as hell ain't perfect, but I'm sober. And I am 45. There are things I miss about life @ 30, b/c I was 31/32 when I fell sick from Crohn's Disease. But I've learned so much from life's struggles, and many of those lessons I only could have learned by going through them.


Gratitude every night for the things I have in life keeps me from obsessing over what I don't.