Rewiring the Brain: The Role of Gratitude (Part 2) in Healthy Aging

I often catch myself complaining about the effects of aging on my body, like the mysterious loss of my waistline; it was there one day and gone the next. And, how my butt shape migrated from the back of my body to the front, morphing into a big belly. There’s also the sudden appearance of wrinkles, making age-denial unrealistic. But then I remember my lovely and loving college roommate, Kathy, who died at 40, leaving behind a husband and three young children. Sadly, she never had the chance to experience these "problems."

🎩 Embracing the "Old Lady" Vibe

Writing this, with the remembrance of Kathy and others who died way too soon, reminds me to be grateful for being an old lady. Intellectually, I always know that, but old is such a pejorative term in our society, and I bought into that message hook, line, and sinker decades ago. Now, I have to reframe my thinking from: “Being old is a negative.”​ To: “What if getting old is the sweet spot of life, where we have wisdom and can shed the expectations of others?”​

In this respect, my life is way better than my teenage years, when I worried -seemingly all the time - about what my contemporaries thought of my outfit, my hair, and what I talked about. Now, I don’t care what others say if I wear a flashy purple dress with a red hat with feathers. I can do what I damn well please. 💃✨

---

🧠 Gratitude: A Brain-Boosting Superpower

As we age, our cognitive function naturally declines, much like the rest of our body. However, just as we can exercise, lift weights, and eat well to slow the aging process, we can also engage in gratitude practices that positively impact our brains. Regularly focusing on the positive aspects of life, rather than dwelling on the negative, helps reduce stress which is a nasty culprit in impairing cognitive function. In fact, research suggests that gratitude can enhance neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to form new neural connections. We need to cheer on these neural connections because they're crucial for maintaining memory and processing speed.​ I don't know about you, but I'd rather have the word I want to say in a conversation easily tumble out of my mouth, rather than have it sink its teeth into the tip of my tongue as if it's hanging on for dear life, not wanting to be seen in the light of day. 🧠💬

---

🌬️ Simple Acts, Big Benefits

A simple act of gratitude, like appreciating feeling the wind on my skin during a walk this morning, can reduce inflammation, support better decision-making, aid emotional regulation, and improve cognitive well-being in older adults. That's a boatload of benefits from something so easy to do. I'm grateful for that simplicity. 🌬️😊

---

🎶 Words as Energetic Frequencies

Words are energetic frequencies that our brains translate into meaning. Expressions of gratitude and compassion resonate at high frequencies, akin to harmonious chords that uplift our mental and emotional states. Regularly expressing gratitude, whether spoken or written, acts as a balm for the brain, soothing stress and reinforcing those positive neural pathways that we've learned to be grateful for. This practice triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters linked to happiness. In other words, we are slowing the aging process. 🎶🧠

I’m still struggling with this reframe, yet I do believe that aging is more of a blossoming than a decline. It’s a time to embrace the freedom to be unapologetically oneself. In that, I feel deep gratitude. I want to keep it upper-mind and follow through on a gratitude practice that rewires my brains, enhances cognitive function, and enriches my life. So, damn to the cult of youth - I’m an old lady, hear me roar. 💖👒🧠​