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The Art of Owning Your Emotions After 60

By Joanie Marx August 30, 2023 Mindset

All of us have experienced resistance to having our desires met. The kind of resistance we encounter is different for each of us.

There is, however, a common form of resistance those of us 60 and over share.

It comes down to taking responsibility for our emotions.

Not surprisingly, most of us were not taught how to process our emotions, let alone take responsibility for them.

So, where do we start?

To manifest our desires at this stage of life, it is essential we take responsibility for who we are and where we are.

This level of responsibility and acknowledgment of our emotional state acts like an unstoppable bulldozer that effortlessly removes resistance to change.

But how can you take more responsibility for your emotions after 60?

In this article and accompanying video, I am going to answer that question as we focus on step four of the 5 Simple Steps to Being What It Is We Seek.”

Create the Reality You Desire

Being responsible for the life you desire and taking ownership of your emotions is at the heart of being what it is you seek.

In the previous article and video, I mentioned that being what it is you seek means replacing a disempowered mindset with an empowered mindset. For it is through an empowered mindset you can create the reality you desire at any stage of your life.

With an empowered mindset, you are self-empowered because you are taking responsibility for your choices and your emotional well-being.

This means you are accepting life is happening for you and by you, rather than believing life happens to you.

Believing otherwise leads you into a state of disempowerment.

So, how and where do you lead yourself into a state of emotional empowerment?

Back in the Driver’s Seat of Life

Taking inner responsibility for your choices is taking responsibility for how you feel. This involves removing limiting beliefs and replacing them with new, more empowered ones.

This is the opposite of living life through the guidance of other people’s belief systems and allowing outside circumstances to dictate how you feel.

Yes, your emotional state can be manipulated through your beliefs, and those of other people. But you are the only one who can bring yourself back into alignment with what feels right.

You get to determine which beliefs govern your life. And you are the only person who has the power to choose your emotional state.

Once you declare you have no time for limiting beliefs, and stick to that, the world around you changes because the world within you is changing.

This process doesn’t mean you won’t be triggered by negative people or become upset over a bad experience. It means your emotions and choices for how you feel are not on a roller coaster anymore because you are back in the driver’s seat of your life.

Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Let’s briefly explore what new, more empowering beliefs specifically help you with.

They support you in being what it is you seek, whatever that may be for you. This kind of support exists because new, empowering beliefs are in emotional alignment with what you desire.

It’s not enough to have good intentions or desire wonderful things.

If your emotional state is not supportive of your intentions, and your physical behaviors are out of alignment with your desires, your chances of sustainable fulfillment dwindle.

None of this happens without owning your emotional state.

Your emotions are yours so don’t pawn them off on other people. When you do, you are giving away your power to make the changes in your life you want.

When you begin to observe less chaos and struggle in your life, you know that you are in charge of your emotions, which means you are successfully being what it is you seek.

Yes, It Really Is This Simple

With less resistance, your inner light extends outward beyond your shadows of self-doubt. This light illuminates the path of your true desires, as you joyfully become what it is you seek with more ease.

But in a world filled with endless to-do-lists, how do you arrive in this new state of empowerment quickly and with as much ease as possible?

The answer is to stop overthinking life and no longer do the things that create stress, overwhelm and self-doubt.

What do you do instead? The opposite.

Here’s some examples of flipping the script on your emotional state:

  1. Instead of watching more news or engaging in negative conversations with yourself or others, do less of it.
  2. Instead of negative self-talk, speak more lovingly to yourself.
  3. Instead of complaining about life, do more things that light you up.
  4. Instead of being overwhelmed with one activity after the other, slow things down and allow yourself to take things easy.

All of these examples come down to owning your emotions. Doing so allows you to experience a more relaxed, joyful set of emotions.

Please join me in the video where I will share additional insights on being responsible for how you feel. To help you integrate what you are learning, I will also guide you through three journal prompts.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How are you currently owning your emotional state? Does it tend to be more negative? Are you flipping the narrative successfully? What areas still need work?

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6 Comments
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Sue

This is a great article and just what I needed right now. Thank you Joanie for sharing your wisdom.

Bridget S

What a fabulous and inspiring read. Thank you!

Deb

I use P.O.W.E.R. when emotions are triggered.

Pause

Observe

Wonder

Evaluate

Respond

Janice

Deb,
What a great response. P.O.W.E.R !!

Lulu

This topic highlights the road I have been traveling in recent years. In my early sixties (now 67) when I found myself cycling through the same thoughts and ruminating emotions while in different settings or groups I had the awakening I needed . I am responsible for how I respond and everything I was feeling . This awareness is freeing and still a work in progress. Stepping back to pause , learning to be an active listener, having less to say , looking for where I can help ( w/o seeking credit) , learning self validation, has all helped . One of the biggest changes to improve my mindset was checking my negativity. Now that I’ve worked to not go there ( attending to what I read, watch, and who I socialize with) negativity shows up like a red flag waving when others focus on it. I’m able to step back and not engage with a nod here and there. Thank you again for speaking on this. It felt like an aha moment reading it.

Jessica Kaufman

Yes

The Author

Joanie Marx is a three-time bestselling author and the creator of the new, groundbreaking Refocus & Renew Your Life® online course series on Udemy. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Psychology, and a leading authority on refocusing and renewing your life.

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