My New Old Self

Happiness as you age – no denial

Apr

20

2018

The older we get, the more we are told to embrace our age. To take pride in the decades we’re notching up. Yet most of us tend to ignore these exhortations to be loud and proud about getting older. On the contrary, we continue to mark birthday milestones in denial mode. I fear that if ...

Too many photos – how to save them

Apr

13

2018

I’m worried about all the photos we have. There are way too many and I don’t know how we’re going to deal with them all. I’m not talking about the estimated trillion-plus photographs per year being taken by the 7-billion people worldwide who have cellphones. That is obviously a cause for concern, but I’m worrying ...

Too old to vote – says who?

Mar

12

2018

Fellow democrats of all ages, what do you think of this idea? It’s a proposal for people to lose their right to vote when they hit 70. That’s the approximate age when older people start showing less concern for the future of society. This is when they tend to focus more on protecting their immediate ...

It’s the (Positive) Thoughts that Count

Feb

24

2018

Readers of this blog will have noted that My New Old Self has enthusiastically embraced positive thinking. This was most recently in response to a study about the effects of exercise on older people. It revealed that the mere thought that you are not exercising enough can shorten your lifespan. Now there is a new ...

Worry less and live longer 2

Feb

9

2018

By the time you finish reading this, you may have lengthened your lifespan. How’s that for encouragement to read on? Let’s start with this question: do you worry about your health? Most people are concerned about leading a healthy lifestyle. They want to feel well, be fit and look good. As we get older we ...

Facebook: Repository of Aging Adults

Jan

26

2018

When Facebook was launched nearly 15 years ago it was a hangout of the youth. Older users were few and far between. But now older people are the main age group joining up. Young people not so much – in fact, many are reportedly fleeing Facebook to other social media. “Teens just want to be ...

Aging – just accept it

Jan

12

2018

Nobody likes getting old. Yet the older you get the better you may feel. This is not some chirpy elder slogan, but a fact confirmed by scientific research. While our bodies deteriorate as we get older, our minds improve. They don’t get sharper, sorry – but one’s mood often becomes more upbeat. Studies show that ...

Being stubborn makes you live longer

Dec

30

2017

Name a few things that help you live longer. Exercise, sleep, healthy eating… Here’s something new to add to the list: being stubborn. A new study has shown that stubbornness is a characteristic that can help you live a long life. Research published in the academic journal International Psychogeriatrics looked at the mental and physical ...

Do Not Resuscitate – read my DNR tattoo

Dec

15

2017

If you feel very strongly about something, you want your conviction to be perfectly clear to all. Surely one of the clearest ways to make your view known on a particular issue would be to have it tattooed onto your body. Well, someone actually did that. A 70-year-old man, suffering from various life-threatening conditions, wound ...

Will they remember me when I’m a popsicle? 1

Dec

1

2017

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in cryogenically freezing dead bodies for revival in the distant future. The idea is to preserve a person in a state of suspended animation at sub-zero temperatures. My New Old Self is not convinced about this effort at immortality. Firstly, this feat has only been achieved in fish embryos ...