Dear LPG

I am not young anymore and the older I get the more I hear and see statistics that show that older people in the UK make up the section of our population that are the loneliest and depressed.  We are often described as the people who feel that they have nowhere to go and not a lot to do and that is depressing in itself.

We hear it so much that we forget to look at what is good about getting to whatever age we are and that is no good.  It is often said that we have too much time to think about negative things and perhaps that is one of the biggest reasons that we have this reputation.

I have read that finding a way of interacting with others is the best remedy for this condition that so many of us find themselves suffering from.

One thing that has made a difference in my life is a habit that I have taken up again and which is having a positive effect, and that is the practise of reminding myself of a positive daily affirmation.

If you feel really negative and you know it you have made the first step on your way to recovery, you know that you have a problem.  Then next thing to do is work out what is making you so negative.  Your third step is making a list of the things that you can change, and that will make you feel more positive, and then formulate a sentence or two which state those positive aspirations and emotions you want to see in yourself in the future. Remember to make sure you are talking to yourself in the present tense about what you are going to be.  So your affirmation statement should start with the words ‘I am…’

Then every morning when you get up and before you do anything else, repeat that sentence to yourself five times.  

A morning affirmation really works for some people and although when you read about them on the internet they are described as a way for younger people to become more successful in their studies, work or what they want to do, we elders also have dreams and futures that need to look more positive. 

So I suggest that everyone has a go at following the  practice of repeating a daily affirmation every morning for at least a week

As we get older ‘talking to yourself’ is expected of us anyway, so why not make that a positive experience

WG. Greenwich

LPG has found some information on this subject but as WG has already mentioned, this information is often focussed towards younger people. 

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