Do these 5 things this week to care for yourself

Alright, fess up.

How many of you have said something along the lines of oh my gosh, I'm middle aged. When did that happen? When did I become middle aged?

Can I just ask you what that phrase even means? I don't know about you. But it rubs me the wrong way. middle aged as if that number is somehow defining of who we are. Oh, he's having a midlife crisis? Oh, well, you know, she's middle aged. I've heard that from doctors, when I will talk about something like, um, like a belly that's coming on? Well, you know, you're middle aged women over 50 start to know, just stop it. No, no, that's not true. You know why? Because if you looked around, and it would have to be that everybody of that age then was struggling with the same thing and said that since that's not true, then it has nothing to do with a stanking. Number, middle aged? What does it even mean? since none of us pretty much knows the day that we are leaving this earth? How can we put a number on what the midpoint is?

You don't know that until you actually get to the end. You could be 20 and be middle aged, to be 45 and be middle aged. What exactly when exactly does that occur in your life? And can I just ask you why does it even matter? Why does it even matter? You can look at your life and say oh my gosh, I bet I only have 10 years left or 20 years left or oh my gosh, I'm 55 if I die when I'm 85 I only have 20 years left. Or you could flip that and say look, I have time because I am breathing. Did you take a breath with me? No. Say that again. I'm breathing. Take that breath. I have time. Instead of focusing on a number and being so upset about some vague thing called middle aged, the middle age Fred, what? What is that even all about? I recently heard some people talking and they were stressing over turning 30 Oh, I told myself for two years, two years that I was 30, because I was so upset about 30 coming.

It's a number. However, that's not a judgment call. Because I did that. When I was in my 20s, I was so stressed about getting to 30. And I remember calling my dad on my birthday, and I said, Daddy, I'm so depressed 30 and he laughed, and he said, Honey, you're not even you're not even as old as I was when you were born. And he said, stop stressing over a number. You're listening to all the people around you who are telling you all your 20s are over, you know, life starts to go downhill.

Now, he said, it's not true. life begins to go downhill when you decide to let it go downhill, not a day sooner, and not a day later. It was a really great daddy daughter conversation. He encouraged me to stop focusing on a number and simply live my life. And he said, let me ask you something. Did you wake up today going, Oh, gosh, everything hurts. I'm 30. Now, I said no, I don't feel any different at all. He said, exactly. You get to make decisions of how you're going to take care of yourself and how you're going to take care of your body, and how you're going to take care of your mind and how you're how you're going to take care of your thoughts. And none of those things are dependent upon a number. Based on the year you were born. We're the ones who put that emphasis on a number. We're the ones who decide what, quote unquote, middle aged means, and what it means to us that it's somehow a bad thing to be getting older. So really good perks about getting older, like experience, like learning and applying knowledge to become wiser. And how about discount senior discounts really cool when you can go into Dunkin Donuts and get 10% off your coffee, right?

There are benefits at every stage of your life. Your your focus should be embracing every day, whether you are 15, 95, 105, 115, or more or less, it doesn't matter. The age you are doesn't matter unless you make it matter how many times you hear people say, Gosh, I wish I could turn back the clock. You can't. You can't. And here's the thing, when you learn to embrace every moment and be to be mindful where you are. You won't have to wish you could turn back the clock, because you will have fully embraced and fully lived every single moment of your life. And if this is a difficult lesson to learn, but it's not impossible. And it's one we all must learn, embrace and seize the moment. We've talked a lot about this on coffee and tea with Carrie Vee. Because it's important. And because it's powerful. And because it's true. I was recently talking with some women, and that one of them at the table was 30 years old. And we started to talk about driving. I don't know how we got on the conversation. But I sat back and I did some thinking and some math in my head. And I thought, huh, I started driving when I was 15 years old. I had my learner's permit permit and my dad got in that car and we drove all over the place. He let he let me drive a lot. I was 15 I have an L 55.

That means I've been driving for 40 years. And it dawned on me that I've been driving longer than this friend longer than my friend has even been alive. That was a little bit of a sobering moment for me. And then I thought, look at all that experience I've had I get in the car confidently. I drive confidently. Because I have so much experience in that department. Embrace where you are. That number doesn't matter. We're the ones who have decided that it that that things start to break down at 50. I have heard that from so many people. Well, you know, after you turn 50 everything starts hurting. Does it have to be that way?

Or are we able to make better choices? No, we can't control everything that happens. I certainly could not control a genetic abnormality and the cancer diagnosis that came with it. But what I can do is take care of my body the best ways that I can, moving it.

Taking time for myself for exercise, choosing healthy foods, and the supplements that my body needs, working with a naturopath, knowing that I'm doing everything I can to keep myself the healthiest that I can. I am in control of that. I'm 100% in control of that. And so are you. Be mindful of every single day, living your best life. And please let go of the dang number.

If you're in your 20s or 30s, get rid of the mindset of oh my gosh, I have so much time left, you don't know that. And if you're in your 50s 60s 70s, stop the whole mantra of I'm almost out of time. You also don't know that. You know that you have today's breath. That's what you have.

You have the breath right now. You don't know if you have 10 minutes from now, nobody can know that. But if you spend your time stressing over how much time you may or may not have left, you have missed the moment. You've missed the moment of right now. And the power of right now is the power of life. That is what life is seizing every moment, choosing laughter and joy and smiles and letting go of the negativity. Letting go of the self talk that tears you down and choosing self talk that lifts you up. You are more than any number, the number of your age the number in your clothes.

You are so much more than that. Embrace the moments. middle aged, what does that even mean? I'm going to ask you to just let go of that stinking phrase. It's stinking thinking. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Yes, things change. Yes. Things change as a as a woman and men. You get older things change hormonally. Why? Why have we decided is a bad thing. Who decided that it was a bad thing. Let's decide together that we're going to embrace where we are. Every moment. Every moment. Whether you have young kids, or your kids are grown and you have grandkids, maybe your great grandkids every stage of life is amazing. If you embrace the stage of life. Take another breath. ground yourself. Be thankful that you have this breath. Oh no I middle aged, let it go. replace that with I am so thankful for this day. And I'm going to control what I can control and let go of the rest. And I'm going to fully embrace fully enjoy and fully live my best life. Your journal prompt today. I choose to do these five things this week to care for myself. I choose to do these five things this week to care for myself.