Let’s Keep An Open Mind As We Age

By ALICE O’BRIEN Alice O’Brien Counselling, Newmarket

Age is a funny thing. It has no rules or rigidity. Have you ever met a young person who lives very sensibly, who is concerned about things like environment and social justice and who plans for their future in a very mature way? On the other hand, there are a lot of older adults who live very carefree, youthful lives. Put simply, there are people who are old when they’re young and there are people who are young when they’re old, and there is nothing wrong with either of these things.

In terms of your mental health however, as we get older it can be very helpful for us to try to embrace the world that our young people live in. With so many new, emerging concepts, it can be hard to keep up. When this happens we might be inclined to become set in our ways, unwilling to accept or learn anything that challenges the beliefs we may have grown up with. This leads to possible judgements and closing of our minds that is unintentional. If we struggle to understand or accept different views of the world today, we may need to review our empathy skills. Open-mindedness is not just about accepting new ideas, it is about understanding and respecting the thoughts and opinions and even choices of others. We do not have to always agree with everything we see and hear, but it is important to allow these concepts to exist in our world.

As we get older we might notice that our minds have gradually become smaller and less tolerant, and we might not even notice it happening. It’s natural to follow certain patterns and routines, and there may not be space for newness in our routine. We can try however; we can ask questions and face new ideas with curiosity. We can keep our judgements in check and not believe our ideas to be the only ideas. And, most importantly, we can accept change. The world would be a very boring place if we were all the same.