Using NLP to Age Healthily

Is healthy aging possible?  I believe it is and this is what I will explore over my next few blogs.  I use my NLP skills every day to work with myself on this goal. I want to reference an excellent article written in April 2023 by Michael Hall, one of the original gurus of NLP, called 'Neuro-Semantics of Healthy Aging' which eloquently frames the topic.  

We are all aging. The question is how will each of us choose to age?  What will you choose?  I
want to age with humour, energy and lots of vitality.  I want to be alive mentally, emotionally and physically and I want to keep a positive attitude and openness to exploring new things.  Michael describes healthy aging as ''getting older in terms of years, but not getting old in terms of attitude, thinking, or acting''. How old do you feel?  One of the books I wrote for midlife women was called 'Still 25 Inside'' and that is how I like to frame my life.  

This week let's consider how to take more control over your aging process.  As Michael says, frame the experience for yourself and not allow your environment to do it for you!  What does this mean? Well there are ideas and images all around us that are debilitating and begin to limit us whatever our age.  First of all, separate the number of your age from the way you choose to age.  Rather than think of yourself as becoming over the hill at 30!  Think of yourself as continuously growing and developing. The negative stereotypes are all around us.  Have you seen any of the TV adverts for services for the over 50's?  I expect you will have seen an elderly couple who look at least 80 hobbling along with a stick to help them!  We have to be careful not to let these images permeate our thinking. I started to watch the re-runs of series one of Traitors this week (not sure if this will mean anything if you outside of the UK).  In the first trial the group of 20 has to split into two and immediately there was an assumption that the older people would not perform as well.  Start to build your awareness of these frames that society puts on aging.  

In NLP we know that what we think about determines how we feel, our physiology and ultimately our behaviour and the results we achieve.  Start reframing your awareness towards healthy aging. Notice what you are focused on.  Vitality, regardless of your age?  Or the belief that you are over the hill after 50 or even younger?  Something to think about. 

Next time I will share some tips for adjusting your thinking and believing towards healthy aging.  

Have a great week.

Lindsey and all at Team NLP

For anyone who wants to discover more about how NLP can help us develop a positive attitude and improve our results, we offer a FREE online Introduction to NLP course.  Find out now!