Kol Ami — The Northern Virginia Reconstructionist Community

Positive Aging Blog: Positive Life Review- May 2020

Positive Life Review

by Harriet Epstein

I bet you’re just as tired of reading about the Corona Virus and how to avoid it as I am.  I was looking at some old greeting cards from friends recently, and thinking about how good it made me feel to read about these friends’ lives, and enjoy their thoughts about me, when it occurred to me that being stuck at home can be a wonderful opportunity to do a positive life review.

Did you ever have a failure and feel bad about it?  I know I’ve had this experience countless times. When something like this happens, the best approach is to say to yourself, “what can I learn from this experience so I can do a better job next time,” not “what a dunce I was!”  Dismiss these negative memories and thoughts quickly.

One of the best things to do to lift your spirit right now is to write a list of things you accomplished thus far in your lifetime.  It doesn’t have to be about stupendous accomplishments such as climbing Mt. Everest or inventing a helpful medication, although if you did either of these, please own it.  Think about your parents, your school days, raising your children – if you are a parent, your work situation, your relationships with friends and significant others, your hobbies and travels.  Think about any difficulties you faced over the years and how you overcome them.  Remember who helped you.  Think about the positive effects your successes had on others, even if they seemed small at the time.  Know how much you really matter.  Then resolve to continue being the best person you can be.

May it not be long before we can all be closer to our distant loved ones again.

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