As We Grow Older – Keeping a Proper Perspective on Problems

November 30, 2012 in Personal Growth

As we age as individuals, one might surmise that problems and challenges might become easier to handle. For some people this is true. They have the ability to let things not bother them. For most others, problems and challenges later in life can become huge burdens. Much of this burden is based on the fact that we may be slowing down physically and just do not have the energy we had when we were younger. We may also be slowing down mentally. Perhaps, we are tired of working or of facing the challenges of raising a family and meeting the responsibilities of caring for others. There are many reasons why problems and challenges seem more burdensome but perhaps having a better understanding of how these events can be be held in proper perspective will help.

In a study of people and how they react to "Life's Events", the following results provides perspective in decreasing order of impact importance.

  1. Death of a spouse
  2. Divorce
  3. Marital Separation
  4. Jail Term
  5. Deat of a close family member
  6. Personal injusry or illness
  7. Marriage
  8. Fired at work
  9. Marital reconciliation
  10. Retirement
  11. Changes in family member's health
  12. Pregnancy
  13. Sex difficulties
  14. Gain of new family member
  15. Business readjustment
  16. Change in financial status
  17. Deat of a close friend
  18. Change to different line of work
  19. Change in number of arguments with spouse
  20. Mortgage or loan over $10,000
  21. Foreclosure of mortgage or loan
  22. Change in work responsibilities
  23. Son or daughter leaving home
  24. Trouble with in-laws
  25. Outstanding personal achievement
  26. Spouse begins or stops work
  27. Begin or end school
  28. Change in living conditions
  29. Revision of personal habits
  30. Trouble with boss
  31. Change in work hours, conditions
  32. Change in residence
  33. Change in schools
  34. Change in recreation
  35. Change in church activities
  36. Change in social activities
  37. Mortgage or looan under $10,000
  38. Change in sleeping habits
  39. Change in number of family gatherings
  40. Change in eating habits
  41. Vacation
  42. Christmas
  43. Minor violations of the law

Looking at this, it can be seen that the first mention of anything related to money is #16 "Change in financial status". There are items on this list that may not apply to seniors but this list does provide a good way to gauge what is important and what is not. As we grow older our personal health, ability to stay independent and our relationships with family and friends become the key drivers.

Hope this helps some of you facing key challenges.


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