My Soul Was Tired

And Now?

Photo by Louis Thai on Unsplash

Two Years Ago, I wrote the article, My Soul Is Tired.

In it, I said

My life is good. I am healthy, have a loving family, am financially stable, and identified my life purpose. However, the past few weeks were a struggle. My coping methods failed.

My husband’s dementia and death and living on my own were stressful. Pandemic concerns, ongoing discord in our country, and the Ukraine war added to the stress. Two weeks ago, ten more people were killed for no good reason. But I managed.

The “straw that broke the camel’s back” was the slaughter of 19 elementary school children and two teachers. . . and now the story of law enforcement’s response. I was devastated.

Today

• I’m doing well; my life is good, and my soul is better, but still tired for the same reasons - living alone, life stresses, wars, and violence in my country and the world.

• It is said that contentment, the state of being happy and satisfied in the long term, is a component of well-being and aging well.

• So, I’m reading more about it and looking for ways to foster it.

Causes that contribute to a tired soul include

• Insufficient self-love

• Difficulty in saying no

• A constant sense of something missing

• Engaging in activities without genuine interest or purpose

I liked the article Satisfy Your Soul, not Society. The author suggests that we

• Identify what truly matters and align our goals and aspirations accordingly.

• Embrace our individuality and use our strengths to impact the world positively.

• Make our mental, physical, and emotional well-being a priority.

• Seek genuine connections based on shared values, interests, and mutual growth.

• Embrace change and step outside our comfort zone.

There are also websites offering tips.

The HuffPost website asks the question, “Are you satisfied? I’m talking about being deeply satisfied with your daily life.”

The Positive Psychology People website says, “There are as many expectations as there are people, and if you keep looking out there trying to gather and meet them all, you will fall to pieces.”

Next steps in my quest for contentment include remembering what success means to me, prioritizing my well-being, gently stepping out of my comfort zone, practicing more self-love, and watching the news less frequently.

I’d love to have you share the Aging Well Newsletter with others. I want to bring the lessons I’ve learned through the years of life and caregiving to as many people as possible. More than anything, I want to continue to expand our community of readers.

So please forward this email to a friend so they can join us. They can subscribe here:

Thank you for being part of the Aging Well community.

If you want to contribute to my work, consider donating to the Alzheimer's Association. This link takes you to their website. The choice is yours.