I Choose Me! Becoming Your Own Best Advocate in the Years After 60
Being the product of an abusive father, I grew up a people pleaser. By constantly trying to please him, I learned to survive. In doing so, for years I kept lying to my inner self. We all know we should never lie to ourselves, but not only do we frequently do so…
Read MoreEnergize Your Modern Life with the Easy to Learn, Ancient Health Practice of Qigong
Let me introduce you to a movement method that is not only gentle on your joints and muscles, but also supports better breathing, circulation and metabolism while calming your mind and soothing your spirit. Sound too good to be true? This 1000-year-old “moving meditation” is practiced by millions…
Read MoreHow to Build a Retirement Budget That Still Lets You Enjoy Your Life
Kathryn sat across from me with a legal pad full of numbers and a look I’ve seen hundreds of times. She was 63, planning to retire within the year, and totally convinced she’d have to give up everything she enjoyed. The book club dinners. The annual trip to see her sister in Seattle. Even the occasional splurge at the garden center…
Read MoreDoodling Is a Productive and Meditative Practice
Remember drawing your sixth-grade teacher with devil horns in your notebook, or doodling hearts, flowers or stars, during a boring business meeting? I’ve been guilty of these scenarios. But happily, I no longer feel like a complete slacker…
Read More11 Ways Life Gets Better When You Stop Drinking
On 23rd May I celebrated 11 years without alcohol. I stopped drinking at 63, and now at 74, I can honestly say I feel happier and healthier than I did when I was drinking. That still surprises me sometimes. For many years, alcohol felt woven into the fabric of my life…
Read MoreWhy Redundancy Can Be a Blessing in Disguise
Being made redundant can be difficult financially and emotionally. Some people may experience feelings of grief and loss, and worry about where to turn next. It’s also normal to feel a loss of control, which can be unsettling. However, while it might not feel like it…
Read MoreSo You Just Lost Your Job After 50? Here Are 10 Ways to Move Forward
In the classic movie American Beauty, Lester explains to his daughter that he didn’t “lose” his job. He explains that if this were true, he could have found it again. If this were the case for all of us who’ve experienced losing a job, we wouldn’t be…
Read MoreMy Real Life Experience with Mindful Meditation
I’m back. Four months, three different countries, and one retreat later, and I’ve finally returned to the not-so-sunny British Isles. A lot has changed since I left in January. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the weather. However, I sit here looking out the window as a very different person…
Read MoreWhat Happens When Women Over 60 Stop Fighting Their Bodies
There comes a moment for many women over 60 when exhaustion quietly replaces resistance. After decades of trying to shrink, improve, discipline, fix, tone, disguise, and “anti-age” ourselves, something inside begins to soften. We start asking different questions. Not “How do I look?” but “How do I feel?” Not “How can I fight ageing?” but “What if my body is not…
Read MoreWhy I Stopped Drinking in My 60s – and Never Looked Back
I didn’t stop drinking because I hit rock bottom. I stopped at 63, after a lifetime of what most people would call normal drinking. A glass of wine in the evening. Sometimes two. Occasionally more at weekends or social occasions…
Read More