H.A.G.S. with Attitude: A Philosophy for Ageing , livre ebook

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd - Angélique Du Toit

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108 pages

English

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This book is aimed at women aged 50 plus who refuse to join the ranks of the invisible older women. The book challenges the anti-ageing rhetoric and the attitude that seeps into every aspect of life. The title of the book is deliberate. Firstly, to prevent us from taking ourselves too seriously. Secondly, to understand the true meaning of hags and thirdly, as a mnemonic that captures the key themes of the book, namely Healthy living, Attitude, Get up and go, and Social connections.
Longevity is a relatively new phenomenon and we are all learning to deal with the consequences of an ageing population. Therefore, there is no blueprint for ageing, granting us the freedom to write the script. So, instead of lamenting the effects of our ageing bodies and sagging body parts, this book aims to provide inspiration through the stories and experiences of other women who have gone before and not only survived, but in many instances, thrived.
The book offers a practical and philosophical prism for women to make their own choices of how to live life beyond 50. It provides a set of guiding principles to encourage women to be bold and embrace this new phase of life with vigour. We, as a significant and influential group of women around the globe, have to share our wisdom and voices of reason that is needed more than ever before.

Informations

Publié par	Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
Date de parution	29 janvier 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781398408692
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0175€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

H.A.G.S. with A ttitude: A P hilosophy f or A geing
Angélique du Toit
Austin Macauley Publishers
2021-01-29
H.A.G.S. with Attitude: A Philosophy for Ageing About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement Introduction Setting the Scene What Our Cultures Say About Ageing Beauty and the Hag The Power of Attitude Living a Purposeful Life A Philosophy of Ageing Embrace the Inevitable Half in or All Out? Fellowship and Solitude The Fear of Ageing and Depression Discovering Your Resilience An Antidote to Becoming a Grump Letting Go Midlife Crisis The Time to Dream The Change Libido and Relationships Positive Ageing I Could Have Danced All Night! Quality vs Quantity Technology for Oldies Thanks for the Memories The Secrets of Health and Well-Being The Age of Invisibility The Feather Makes the Bird Women as Creators The Art of Dying Conclusion References
About the Author
As an international executive coach and academic, working with and for prestigious global organisations, Dr Angélique du Toit spent much of her career supporting individuals and teams in their personal development. She is also an acclaimed author and contributor to the coaching profession. Drawing on her extensive experience as a coach and former fashion designer, Angélique now works with older women in her capacity as a coach and professional image consultant.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all H.A.G.S. around the world.
Copyright Information ©
Angélique du Toit (2021)
The right of Angélique du Toit to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781398408685 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781398408692 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2021)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
I am enormously indebted to two inspiring ladies who generously took the time to review my book and provide some very valuable feedback and suggestions. They are Liz Clothier and Ruth Leggett. I am also grateful to my husband for his feedback and it was immensely valuable to get a different perspective and the viewpoint from a man’s position. So many of the joys and challenges we face on the journey of getting older are shared by both males and females.
Introduction
‘Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, “Oh crap, she’s up!”’
– Unknown
This book is aimed at women who refuse to collude with society and the media, determined not to pass into insignificance having reached the magic age of 50 and beyond. My aim is to encourage and inspire women to be bold and to embrace this new phase of life with vigour, pursuing long lost dreams and indulging in guilt-free pursuits. We are never too old to have fun!
s
Throughout this book, I will challenge the anti-ageing attitude that seeps into every aspect of life. Instead, I will offer counter-arguments to support my fundamental disagreement with this prevailing rhetoric and associated beliefs. Moving beyond the paradigm of loss and decline is the growing popularity of successful ageing and what that entails. I will offer many arguments and research to support why this is critical to our physical as well as mental wellbeing as we get older.
Let’s first of all address the issue of H.A.G.S. as the title. Why hags? How insulting! The reason is threefold. Firstly, to prevent us from taking life and ourselves too seriously; secondly, to understand the true meaning of hags and therefore as a metaphor for exploring the stories society and we tell ourselves in relation to women of a certain age and thirdly, as a pneumonic that captures the key themes of the book, namely:
H Healthy living
A Attitude
G Get up and go
S Social connections
Hags are powerful characters often dominating stories and fantasies, feared for their magical abilities. The stories we tell ourselves about our identities, as older women, are equally powerful in leading us down dark woods where dangers lurk. Instead, our magical powers can be of benefit to society as well as ourselves.
All of the research I have done for this book points to the importance of what the mnemonic represents. Embracing the wisdom of H.A.G.S. in every aspect will not only enhance the quality of our lives but contribute significantly to healthy ageing.
The question this book explores is how we break the negative power of the spells these fantasies cast over our lives after we reach the magical age of 50. They are woven into the fabric of our cultures and have come to represent a truth that shapes our beliefs and behaviours. Instead, I will encourage women to replace them with ones that give them permission and encouragement to live life to the full.
I am a passionate, opinionated expert of life beyond 50, having had to navigate the significant milestones attributed with this exalted status some years ago. These have included physical as well as emotional changes, preparing myself for retirement, applying for a part-time job, dealing with ill health, coming to terms with the loss of loved ones and not to mention the oft-ignored milestone of the M-word.
There was either an absence of inspirational information available to help me navigate these rites of passage associated with ageing or extensive academic rhetoric shrouded in medical and research language. Instead, what I would have benefitted from was honest and plain language backed up by personal experience from women who have gone before and whose words of wisdom would have offered comfort.
My journey of discovery also led me to the realisation that longevity is a relatively new phenomenon. We are all learning to deal with the consequences of an ageing population and creating the rules as we go along. There is yet no blueprint for getting older, which can only be a good thing as we get to write the script. So, instead of lamenting the effects of our ageing bodies, sagging body parts, wrinkles in unusual places and aching joints, we can contribute to finding solutions in navigating this unknown territory.
This book, therefore, aims to do exactly that; share stories based on experiences from women such as myself. I will attempt to debunk the oftentimes condescending as well as the medical language associated with getting older. The stories and experiences of other women offer comfort and inspiration knowing others have gone before and not only survived but in many instances thrived. It is also an invitation to dial down the feelings of guilt for just about everything women are so skilled at nurturing and instead dial up the permission to become a bit more selfish and have fun in the process.
We need to recognise that longevity is a gift we should treasure daily, not squander it by resenting getting older and attempting to resist the inevitable. Instead, celebrate and be grateful for each year of getting older. It is a privilege many people have not been able to enjoy. So, make the most of it.
Throughout this book, I will share my own experiences of life beyond 50 as well as the inspirational stories of many women who have shared their journeys with me. Some stories are heartbreaking whilst others are truly inspirational. I hope the stories will offer inspiration and comfort, realising that others have been in similar situations. It may also serve as a reminder that you are not on your own or the first person to cope with a particular event or set of circumstances associated with getting older.
Although I have written this book mainly with women in mind, there is no reason why you can’t pass it on to the man or men in your life. Who knows, it might even go some way in helping them to understand you a bit better. Of course, men have their own experiences and stories to tell as part of the ageing process, but as I have a personal experience of ageing being a woman, my book is therefore written with women in mind.
Setting the Scene
‘There comes a point in your life when you need to stop reading other people’s books and write your own.’
– Albert Einstein
And that is exactly what I did and this book is the manifestation of following his inspirational advice.
This book sets out to vehemently challenge the deluge of anti-ageing rhetoric that surrounds us on all levels, fuelled by the bombardment from the media. There is a life cycle of all things and we are part of that. I strongly disagree with the denial of age but instead, embrace the ownership of ageing. It is a natural process of life and we start ageing the minute we are born. However, ageing doesn’t equate to decline, no matter how hard the media and the beauty industry try to persuade us otherwise.
Why, oh why, does the media, society, medical profession lump us all together in one homogenous group when we reach a certain age? We are unique individuals with our own equally unique personalities and stories who will all experience life as an ageing person in our individual way. We don’t discriminate against a group in their 20s in the same way, nor would we lump male and female together as one group.
Yet we do that with the older generation and turn them into an asexual declining body with very little to offer society other than being a burden on the younger generation. As older women, we are only valued by society if we can demonstrate that we are ageing youthfully and actively engaged in pursuing membership of the self-delusional anti-ageing club. The