Lifelong learning can enhance your senior years
Growing older is something that none of us can avoid, but we don’t have to surrender to the notion of aging and slowing down to the point where we are not living life to the fullest. The late famous American comedian, actor and musician George Burns said, “We can’t help getting older, but we don’t have to get old.” With the new year, there can be a new you. I love his mindset about growing older because there is no reason that our age should dictate how we live our lives. I find it very refreshing how times have changed regarding seniors and the level of activeness they can experience in their lives.
Seniors today are now becoming known as the “We’ve only just begun” people because most don’t look or act the way many seniors did 30 to 40 years ago. This is attributable to many factors, ranging from the conveniences of life we now have in comparison to what our grandparents had available to them, to a culture shift with a focus on youth, beauty, health and longevity. As most know, optimal mental health is a crucial component to living a vivacious senior life. Thankfully, there are several outlets available to encourage seniors to pursue this lifestyle.
First, keeping your mind active is so important to ward off a variety of issues you can face as you age. Having the mindset that you are a lifelong learner is a great step toward engaging your brain with new learning experiences and discoveries. Continuing your education is one way to make this happen. This opportunity is available to seniors at several universities in Oklahoma ― such as Oklahoma State University/OKC, Oklahoma City Community College and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute/OSU ― which provide continuing education to people (65 and older). These courses are offered for free, excluding a $5 fee for supplies. You can connect with any of these universities via the website aarp.org/work/careers/free-college-classes. Even if you’re not looking to complete an educational degree, signing up for a course or two will allow you to step out of your comfort zone, meet new people, engage your mind, and ultimately enrich your life.
Another outlet for keeping your mind active and engaged are two gentlemen known as “The Brain Guys.” I have personally met and spoken with them several times. Roger Anunsen and Michael Patterson are both seniors who decided to change the direction of their lives to help other seniors not fade away as they grow older. They host a podcast called “MindRamp-Live Long, Live Well” that discusses a wide array of topics that inform seniors of opportunities to engage their brains and not settle for mind atrophy or burnout. I strongly encourage you to check out what they are bringing to the table, and you can do this in a variety of ways (on their website mindramp.buzz.sprout.com, on Anusen's “Ted Talks” on youtube.com and from "The Brain Guys” past episodes on okseniorjournal.com).
I’ll continue discussing this topic in the next column, focusing not only on your mental health but also ways to enhance your physical and emotional health. I hope you will take a moment and consider the trajectory of your life as a senior and decide whether there are any changes you would like to make. It's important that seniors take an active role in their lives ahead. You may be a senior now but in many ways life has only just begun!
Robin Gunn is the owner of The Oklahoma Senior Journal. She can be reached at rgunn@okseniorjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Lifelong learning can enhance your senior years
