From our mid 40s onwards it’s natural to start reevaluating our identity and look for ways to help enrich midlife.  It’s an opportunity to start to take stock and map out what you want from the next phase of your life. Personal coach Maggie Eaton, specialises in helping midlifers and those in their third age love their life later and she’s kindly sharing 5 tips to help enrich midlife:

Maggie EatonTip 1. Be true to yourself

You have gained wisdom through life experiences so don’t feel the need to look or act younger than your years. The paradox is that you stay youthful by truly accepting the age you are now, by being comfortable in your skin and feeling gratitude for the life you have lived. Get in touch with your values and make sure you are living in alignment with them. And if for example one of your values is caring, remember self-care is equally important to caring for others.

Tip 2. Think creativelyMindfulness

Self-awareness is the first step to making choices. Using mindful reflection is just one way to raise self-awareness and a great exercise is daily journaling. Set aside time daily to practice, even five or ten minutes will do. You can write about anything and everything. It can be something that happened in the past, something that’s happening now, or might happen in the future.

You could write a letter to your younger, or older self. No-one is going to read it or judge you, so just see what emerges on the paper. Keep your focus of attention on the present. When you have finished, pause momentarily and reflect on what you have written.

Tip 3. Stay optimistic Albert Einstein quote to help enrich midlife

Optimism in mid-life is different to the optimism of youth which can be fanciful and romanticised wishful thinking. Being optimistic later gives you a hopeful perspective and it encourages openness to alternatives. Having a childlike curiosity helps your mind to stay open too and will enrich your future life experiences. Children live in the present moment totally engrossed in their play or learning activities, and without the hindrance of thinking about the past or future. Being optimistic later is about having a realistic point of view that is supported by resilience.

Tip 4. Be bold, take risks

Exercise yIf you always dowhat you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotour positive mental muscle along with your bodily muscles. It takes more energy to be positive so eating healthily and exercising in whatever ways you enjoy will top up your positivity. Now is not the time to settle for just accepting things, or sliding into being too comfortable. Taking some calculated risks and stepping outside your comfort zone will be exhilarating and you will feel the benefits in your renewed positive outlook.

Tip 5. Give something back We only have what we give

Research shows that by the time we reach midlife we get as much fulfillment from giving back as we gained from achievement in earlier years. It is arguably why so many people choose to do voluntary work that they enjoy and feel worthwhile. No longer is the only option to carry on with our career or retire which means we can use our time more creatively. Continue to work part-time or supplement income in a completely different sphere or do voluntary work. Or a combination. All can be more rewarding, and help us to feel in control of the time we give to working. Feeling in control and doing what make us feel good has the bonus of boosting optimism levels too.

Thank you Maggie for sharing your 5 tips to help enrich midlife.

Vitality in Midlife

Live your life and forget your ageMy tip to help enrich midlife is to take small daily steps to boost your vitality. A lack of vitality can often leave you feeling more than the age on your birthday card which can make navigating midlife more challenging than it need be.  If you wish you had more vitality, make a habit of some small steps to improve your wellbeing to help you feel more like you again.  Eating a technicolour plate of seasonal food, regular exercise in the great outdoors and drinking enough water are all simple ways to help you feel full of vitality.

You may not realise your body isn’t producing its own antioxidants any more which is contributing to your cellular health being less than optimum.  A simple way to reverse this situation is to flip the switch back on in your body which triggers antioxidant production to help balance free radical damage. Check out this natural, scientifically proven product which does just that: I’ve taken it daily for the last 3+ years and I’ve never felt better.