Author: HairWeavings Editorial Team

Are you wondering what mindset has to do with how you age? Isn’t healthy aging more about eating well and getting exercise? Well yes, these are important. So is having a sense of purpose and enjoying good relationships/community.

Add your mindset to the list. Much of the recent research on healthy aging cites some aspect of mindset as a significant contributor to aging well. One study of optimism found over a 30-year period that persons with optimism decreased their risk of early death by about 20%.

Becca Levy’s book, Breaking the Age Code (2022), is all about how beliefs about aging influence health span and age span. As a reminder, Dr. Levy found that research participants with positive age beliefs lived on average 7.5 years longer than those with more negative beliefs.

Don’t you think there is value in taking a moment to reflect on your mindset?

What Is Mindset?

According to Merriam-Webster, mindset is your mental attitude or inclination. It is really the beliefs about the world that shape how you think, feel and behave. Clearly mindset is a key player in how you experience life.

Key components of a positive mindset include:

Optimism

This, of course, is looking for the positive and believing that events will turn out for the best, no matter how it looks at the moment. Optimism also is seeing the good before the not-so-good.

Gratitude

We all know the benefits of nurturing our gratitude. We read about keeping a gratitude journal and the practice of listing several things you are grateful for when going to sleep and waking as methods for living a peaceful and fulfilling life.

Self-Confidence

Do you trust yourself? This is what allows us to say “Yes” to opportunities, learning, growth and adventure.

Sensing You Are Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself

You matter. For some, this is religious or spiritual. For others, it may be a felt sense that does not need a structure. It is the feeling that makes a difference in your experience of life.

How Can You Improve Your Mindset?

Take Note of Your Propensity to Be Optimistic

Notice how you manage negative events. Do you dwell on or magnify the negative aspects of a situation, or do you figure out how to make the best of it or even improve the situation? Sometimes, it simply is noticing the possibilities rather than focusing on the downside.

When you look at your garden, do you see the work to be done or the beauty of what is growing? If you need to make a long drive to see a friend, do you bemoan the effort and time or do you find a way to make it an adventure? When you observe people, do you see the beauty of our humanity or cast judgment on what you see as negative?

Optimism is what allows us to accept what can’t be changed and find a way to adapt that allows life to move forward. It provides for resilience. As one of my mentors taught, if one pair of shoes does not fit, that does not mean that you are not meant to wear shoes.

A recent client had to return from retirement because her business began to unravel right at the time she intended to sell it. Now, she is turning it around so her legacy business will carry forward the values that matter to her. Next year, she will retire with pride and a bit of a nest egg.

Are You Naturally Grateful?

Do you have a gratitude practice? If not, then start with something easy. Once a day, notice your home or family with gratitude. Or when you go to sleep, think of three events or features from the day that you are grateful for. Keep it up and gratitude can become a natural part of your life. It feels good.

Pay Attention to Your Self-Confidence

If your self-confidence is shaken, remember that happens to everyone. Step back to gain perspective. Is the issue really about you? If you were to look at the situation 5 years from now, what would you see? See if you can find the golden nugget of learning from the experience. That way, you can grow from it rather than have your confidence shaken.

Notice if you are comparing yourself to others. Especially as we get older, it can be tempting to compare ourselves to younger people or to ourselves at a younger age. If you have fallen short of a personal goal, check if the goal was reasonable in the first place!

Check your self-talk. It will tell you a lot about your mindset. If needed, write down the aspects of yourself that you appreciate and read it a few times a day. Remind yourself that you are worthy of all good things and deserve them. The gratitude practices help shape your self-talk too.

Know Where You Feel Connected with Life

For some people, it is in their religious rituals and community. For others, like me, it is in nature. Prayer, meditation, simply listening to nature, gardening, even cooking can elicit the feeling of being a part of a larger life. My friend feels it in her choral arts group. Where do you find it in your life?

Putting It All Together

Living with constructive views about aging takes all the components just discussed. Belief in positive aging requires optimism, adaptability, resilience, gratitude, self-confidence and sensing you are part of something bigger.

When you embrace aging as a profound and beautiful journey, even when there are a few challenges along the way, then you have stepped away from any internalized ageism. This opens the door for you to feel more at peace and able to enjoy your years. The bonus is your years may be longer and healthier… as well as being happier.

On a final note, remember to laugh heartily and often. Being positive is contagious; others enjoy being with you. Plus, you will draw other positive people to your circle of friends.

If you want support as you find your way into a healthier mindset, visit me at https://www.becomingyouafter60.com/yes-to-life

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What approaches do you take to nourish your positive mindset? How have you learned to turn around any mindset habits that did not work for you? Do you have some habits now you would like to change?

*Note: This dress was originally from Envy by MG

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Photo + Info: @envybymg

Originally posted at: Melissa Gorga’s Pink Confessional Look

As we age, our makeup needs and preferences evolve. Updating your makeup routine can enhance your natural beauty and keep you feeling confident and vibrant! Here are three essential makeup tips for older women to refresh their look and embrace their beauty at any age.

If you are a woman 50+, chances are that if you are still using the same makeup techniques as in your 30s, you are ready to update your look. As we age, our skin changes, our skin changes, and did I mention… our skin changes! And that means in order to have that radiant look that brings out our best features, we have to change the way we do our makeup. And here is the thing… It’s easy to freshen your look with a few quick guidelines.

1. Focus on a Flawless Foundation

Whatever you wear for foundation, remember that because it is the basis for your entire look, it is important that you choose a product and application technique that works for you. And that means taking an honest look at your skin and how it has changed.

For me, I noticed that my sun damage and red veins are now on full display. But I also did NOT want to wear heavy, cakey makeup. (Nothing ages us faster!) Here is how to get your foundation right at any age.

The Right Foundation

First, you need to decide what level of coverage you want on your skin. Perhaps all you want is a tinted moisturizer for a little glow. Maybe, like me, you want a little more coverage. A good foundation will offer you the coverage you want, without caking or settling into lines. You can learn more about the makeup I use and love in my post, Best Makeup Products for Women 50+.

How You Apply

If you’ve always been a girl who simply swipes your foundation on with your fingers, it might be time to try tools that lighten the look. A foundation brush or damp beauty sponge offers an airbrushed look that deposits just the right amount of product.

Make It Stick

Using a primer to prep your skin before foundation can really help your makeup last longer, without creasing or fading. But since sunscreen is a must, try a product that is both! Protect your skin, and make your makeup look last through the day.

By focusing on a flawless foundation, you can create a perfect canvas that enhances your overall makeup look and gives your skin a youthful glow.

2. Embrace a Softer Eye Look

It happened to me just a few years ago… I noticed that the skin around my eyes had changed to the point that my makeup looked… well, weird. I discovered the eyeliner technique I had used for years was dragging down at the corners where my eyes were starting to lose elasticity. And my eyeshadow didn’t blend as well as it once did over my lids.

Your eyes may have become more hooded, and your under-eye may need more color correcting. The truth is what we need as we pro-age is not more product. It’s just different techniques.

Eyeliner

Cat eyes and liquid eyeliner are a thing of the past for me. I choose softer colors and apply them close to my lashes to create a more natural look. Learn how to tightline your upper lashes to enhance your eyes. Never apply beyond the end of your eye. And if you line your lower lid, use powder shadow on a brush instead of a harsh pencil.

Eyeshadows

Go for neutral tones that flatter your natural coloring and eye color for a subtle, more sophisticated look. Warm plums might be perfect for fair skin, whereas warm browns are a win-win if you have warmer skin. Notice I mention warm? As our skin tone changes as we age, warmer tones help make our faces look more radiant.

Mascara

At this point in our lives, mascara might be one of those things that make a big difference in your makeup look. It can visually open and lift your eyes. But if you use a clumpy mascara that smudges, or worse, is impossible to remove from the delicate skin around your eyes, then you might as well not use it at all.

If you check out my post Best Mascara for Women Over 50+, you will find the exact products I use, and find out why I love them. (And why they work for older women.)

3. Highlight Your Lips the Right Way

Let’s face it, as we age, our lips thin and fade in color. Nothing brightens a face faster than a swipe of the right color and product across those lips! Here is how to do it right.

Lip Liner

Yes, I use lip liner. I have never had well-defined lips, and now it’s even worse. But what I don’t do is the old “trick” of lining your lips with a darker color. Notice I used the word “old.” That, my friends, is way too harsh a look by modern standards unless you are a reality show star. Line your lips with the same color that you fill them in with.

What Lip Product?

Many of us have used lipstick since we were teenagers. And while there is nothing wrong with lipstick, it can have a heavy look. I like to use a high-quality lip gloss. I’m not talking about the super shiny lips of the ‘80s. Glosses today are a lighter product that offers a more sheer color than lipstick. And many of them are also long-lasting. The gloss adds a glow to your face that lipstick just can’t match.

What Color?

There is just one thing I want to say about lip color for older women. Whatever color you prefer, choose one somewhere in the middle of the shade range. No dark lipsticks, and nothing super nude either. The first will make you look like Cruella de Vil, and the second will make your lips look smaller than they really are. Choose a color that makes you feel bright and sunny.

So use these simple guidelines to learn how to update your makeup look as you age!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How has your skin changed in your 50s and 60s? Have you changed how you apply makeup to reflect those changes? What makeup products are you using less of or more of?

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Originally posted at: Jackie Goldschneider’s Red Cutout Confessional Look