The inimitable Helen Mirren recently said that “it’s much better to age disgracefully!”. As the owner of a skincare clinic and wellness centre I have for years been extolling the ideas of aging gracefully but when I read this I thought, yes I love this idea! But what does aging disgracefully actually look and feel like?
We live in a youth-obsessed culture. With many women opting these days for botox, fillers and pouty lips, it seems our idea of beauty is aligned only with being and looking young. As I have gotten older (I am in my mid 50’s) I have become concerned with this direction. Western society just does not respect or acknowledge the female wisdom that comes with age. Many of our ancient cultures though do. Here, elder women are held in the highest regard as holders of knowledge gained through lived experiences with birth, death, life and beyond.
Women like Helen Mirren are really creating a new reality in what getting older can look like. They are paving the way for women everywhere to define their own expectations on aging and to appreciate the wisdom that the aging process delivers. Age at its basic level is just a number; you can truly feel 25 if you are 45 as much of it has to do with your attitude and your commitment to self care.
In living my own life I see many aspects of daily life that can affect our sense of wellbeing. One of the most insidious is stress. Stress is just not good for us. When you are stressing about a future event or something that happened yesterday, you are taking yourself away from being present. But when we are present we can train ourselves to be mindful of our bodies by checking in with them to see how we are feeling. Add in a dash of daily gratitude and our lives can take a dramatic turn to feeling better and thus a greater sense of wellbeing and improved confidence.
The reality is that our stress and “To Do” lists will mean nothing down the road. It is our commitment to ourselves and our relationships that will be our most important legacy. We also cannot worry about the idea of getting older. There are so many benefits that come with the years. How many of us in our 50’s would really want to be 25 again? Not me that is for sure. Well, only if I could take what I know with me!
My advice? Live life big! Create your life every day, dream big, get excited by your daily journey through life and never forget how amazing you are!
Coco Chanel once said that “nothing makes a woman look so old as a woman trying desperately hard to look young”. These are words to live by. Embrace your age, be bold and the confidence you exude will make you irresistible and desirable. And isn’t that what a woman any age really wants? 😉
Estrellita Gonzalez owns and operates Derma Bright Clinic and Holistica Wellness, a Vancouver-based wellness centre and skincare clinic. She is also a single parent, author, speaker, politician and lifelong lover of chocolate, good books and friends whom she shares walks and laughs with. To learn more about Estrellita visit https://about.me/estrellitagonzalez!