Feeling Sad About Getting Older? 7 Thoughts to Cheer You Up

Let’s face it—getting older makes us sad. I’m not gonna sugarcoat this. It’s a fact that we simply can’t deny. If you’ve been feeling sad about getting older, this article is for you. I’m going to share some tips to help you cope so that you can age gracefully and be happy.

(this post may contain affiliate links so if you make a purchase I may make a small commission-affiliate disclosure here)

Is it Normal to Feel Depressed as You Get Older?

I think there’s a camp of women who don’t mind aging one single bit, and there’s another camp of women who are terrified, anxious, and totally feeling sad about getting older.

Some days, I’m in the first camp. I don’t care so much about aging. Other days? Ooph. I look in the mirror and want to cry big crocodile tears. I can’t believe what I see some days.

So is it normal to feel depressed about getting older? Yes. Yes, it is. Many women have a hard time facing the reality that we don’t have our youthful appearance or energy anymore. Now, don’t get me wrong. Some women still have lots of energy and are aging so beautifully.

But the rest of us? Well, here we are.

While depression in older adults is quite rare, feeling sad about getting older is a normal part of aging.

Losing Our Youthful Looks

Some days I look in the mirror and am sad at the woman staring back. Yes, she’s still beautiful, even without her youthful looks, but she’s not stupid either. She knows she’s aging.

There are more wrinkles now, her eyelids are starting to droop, she’s got those nasiallabiawhatevertheheckyoucallthem lines going on around her nose, her cheeks are starting to sag a bit, and well, you get it.

My youthful look is gone. Does it make me sad? Some days yes; some days, I couldn’t care less. But I know many women who are depressed about getting old and have a really hard time coping.

That’s why I decided to write this post. Many women (and maybe men, too) are feeling sad about getting older, but I don’t want you to be sad. I want you to embrace aging as gracefully as you can and have fun!

How to Cope With Getting Older

We’re losing our youthful looks, our boobs are starting to drop, our skin is getting crepey (is that how you spell it?) maybe we’re not as strong or as sharp as we use to be. Some of us are starting to feel a little aging anxiety and depression.

But the last half of your life doesn’t have to suck and just be all downhill from here. That would be a horrible way to spend the last part of your life, amirite?

I look back on the first 60 years of my life and what a roller coaster ride that was. Phew!! Now, I want the last 40 years (yes, I’m an optimist) to be amazing. And it’s up to me to make that happen.

And that’s not gonna happen if I sit around and cry about my aging skin and sagging boobies.

So how do we cope with getting older? I’m gonna share seven tips with you now, and hopefully, after you read this, two things will happen:

1. It’ll make you feel so much better about aging and
2. You’ll get the urge to share it with your peeps!

Feeling Sad About Getting Older: 7 Tips to Help You Cope

I have to tell you that I decided to write this article because I really don’t want you to feel sad about getting older. I mean, I get that we’re getting closer to the end, but if you didn’t have a good beginning, well, it’s not too late to change that.

Do stuff now that you never had a chance to do before.

I feel that many of us haven’t lived the lives we wanted to. We lived the way we were told or expected to. If that was the case, you can stop that nonsense now, too. You go live the rest of your life the way YOU want to live it. Do you, babe!

Anyway, let me share those 7 tips with you now so if you’re feeling sad about getting older, maybe these will cheer you up even just a little bit.

Actually, they’re not really tips but more like change the way you think about some things… let’s get to it

1 Take care of your health now!

Now I know that’s pretty bold of me to assume that because I really don’t know how old you are BUT on the flip side of that you really don’t know when you’re going to die! You could still have 50 good years left in ya!

There is still plenty of time to

• start a fitness regime,
• start eating healthier,
• take multivitamins
• take better care of yourself

You still have time to do all that!! You’re not dead yet, and any small changes can have a significant impact. Next time you start feeling sad about getting older, go for a walk or do yoga or something and remind yourself that you’re still alive, healthy, and are getting stronger!

2 Do the things you’ve always wanted to do

Maybe you’ve always wanted to go zip lining or sky diving. Maybe sing naked karaoke or go skinny dipping. What are some of the things on your list you’ve yet to try? Try/do them.

Remember, you’re not dead; time is running out, but you don’t actually know how much time, so why waste what’s left? You know, doing any of these things you have been thinking about is really gonna make you happy, so…what are you waiting for? Go!

Feeling sad about getting older is going to make you miserable. Do happy things.

3 Start saying yes to things

You’ve been people-pleasing your whole life. It’s time for you to do you and do what makes you happy. Say yes to invitations, yes to hot dates with younger men, yes to that dreamy vacation in the Caribbean.

Say yes to life because you’ve been saying no for far too long. Enough of that nonsense. Saying yes may require you to face some fears and find your voice. Do it.

Say no to feeling sad about getting older and yes to the life you still have in you.

4 Write a love letter to yourself

I get that you are sad and maybe even feeling depressed about getting old, so be gentle with yourself. Take some time to love and honor the ‘present you’ and write her a love letter.

Remind her how beautiful she is and how amazing her life is. Go back and reminisce about all the fun things you did in your life and all the fun things you have yet to do but will do.

5 Be grateful for how far you’ve come

Remember to be grateful and feel blessed for how far you’ve come, where you are in life now, and all the wonderful opportunities the future still holds for you. I’m going to safely assume that you may have lost a friend or two by now, maybe even your spouse, but you’re still here, full of life.

Don’t waste that life or what time you have left. Be grateful for where you are and the road that got you this far. Gratitude always brings joy and inner peace.

6 Toss out all the ‘getting older’ rules

When we hit a certain age, we’re expected to act a certain way, dress a certain way, do things and not do some things, act like proper women, bla bla bla.

Toss out all the ‘growing old’ rules and do whatever the heck you want!! Wanna wear mini skirts? Do it. Wanna dye your hair pink? Do that too. Do you think people will laugh? Who cares. This is your life, not theirs. You live the rest of it for you.

7 Try to look on the bright side

Though this isn’t something you can do every single minute of every single day, you certainly can make it a habit to look on the bright side of life. If you stay sad and always think depressing thoughts about getting old, you’re gonna be miserable forever.

That’s poopy. Not to mention it’s no way to live out your final years.

Find the good in things and people. Find the good in your life and make note of all the blessings you have in your life right now.

Feeling Sad About Getting Older is Natural…

Just don’t stay there. I mean, you really don’t know how much longer you have to live, so why waste it being miserable and sad?

I’m not always rainbows and lollipops everyday, all day. Sometimes, dealing with aging gets me down, too. I have my moments, but I’m very gentle with myself. When I start feeling sad about getting old, I look in the mirror and remind myself how beautiful I am.

Because I am. And so are you.

xo iva xo