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Domestic Violence and Abuse: The Dark Side of Family Life
“I am living in hell from one day to the next. But there is nothing I can do to escape. I don’t know where I would go if I did. I feel utterly powerless, and that feeling is my prison. I entered of my own free will, I locked the door, and I threw away the key.” –Haruki Murakami In trying to decide on a new topic of interest to older (boomer) women (born 1946-1964), I found the National Association of Baby Boomer Women (NABBW) website (https://nabbw.com) that listed about 50 forums just for this cohort. I was curious and scrolled down and found “Domestic Violence.” This forum surprised me.…
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Improve the Quality of Your Life: Sleep
“Happiness consists of getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.” — Robert A. Heinlein According to the 2020 U.S. census data, the oldest of the estimated 73 million Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) will hit 74 by the end of the year, the youngest 56. By the year 2030, all Boomers will be age 65 or older. With time steamrolling ahead, what is one of the most significant quests for midlife adults today? Better health. This article will focus on one area of health: sleep. Why Sleep? A German philosopher said that “sleep is to a man that winding up is to a clock.” It restores energy to…
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Singlehood: The Angst and the Happiness
“I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.”—Henry David Thoreau I chatted with a dear friend the other day who had always been single, in her mid-sixties, about being alone. She had this to say: “I’ve led an active life with many friends. I have mentored many young women during my long 30-year career and even shared my experience with several men. “But because of my strong independent streak, I have never been in a long-term relationship with a guy since my late twenties. “Even now, after having had major hip surgery, while I find it difficult to do some stuff myself, I own my own home…
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Caregivers: 7 Practical Yet Simple Steps to Improved Family Communication
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstandings, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”—Albert Schweitzer Meet Barbara: “Rant alert! As if caring for your loved ones through terminal illness or behavior issues isn’t bad enough—or even navigating systems that promise to offer help but are broken, at best. But what gets me is when your f*****g siblings can’t find any f*****g compassion or consideration to give you a f*****g chance to get back up on your feet after being knocked down time and time again for years—whether it be emotionally, physically, financially, or mentally. “My mum moved into residential care two weeks ago, and she…
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The Silver Economy: 5 Lessons Marketers Need to Learn About Women Consumers
“We’re not getting any younger. In fact, we are all getting older — living longer, working longer, and transforming the consumer landscape.”—Sona Pai (Georgetown University) As of the date of this article, in 2022, persons born 1946-1964 are aged 58-76 and often referred to as Baby Boomers. Some women, in particular, find the term “Boomer” offensive; others embrace the term. But no matter how you refer to this cohort, there’s no denying that they have money! According to Lexington Law, as reported by FONA International (February 8, 2021), boomers hold $2.6 trillion in buying power. And 64 percent of women 55+ are expected to participate in the workforce by 2022.…
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Change Your Mindset to Improve Your Relationships
“Becoming is better than being.”—Carol Dweck Mindset is a way of thinking. I watched Lisa Nichol’s show recently, and she had as her guest Shawn Stevenson, nutritionist, and bestselling author. I was so impressed with Shawn’s presentation that I was moved to write this article based on what he claims are our two most valuable assets: our mind (not our brain) and our health. The brain and the mind are not the same things. As discussed on researchgate.net, “The brain is an organ, but the mind isn’t. The brain is the physical place where the mind resides. “The mind is the manifestation of thought, perception, emotion, determination, memory, and imagination…
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Senior Women: Think Like an Entrepreneur
Senior Women: Think Like an Entrepreneur and Take Charge of Your Career “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” —Thomas A. Edison Not ready to retire? Sick and tired of age discrimination? What are some meaningful career goals that you would like to accomplish before you call it quits? Is owning a business high on your list? Perhaps you’re like many women who have tried and tried to find just the perfect opportunity for a business. But you’ve failed. But all is not lost. The youngest Boomer woman, born in 1964, turned 55 this year (2019). Most…
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Time: 4 Strategies to Invest Wisely
“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”—William Shakespeare “If only I had more time!” I’m sure you’ve said this often. In a sense, time is a universal leveler because the powerful and wealthy have no more of it than do the poor and needy. Furthermore, neither the rich nor the poor can accumulate time. Time is the great equalizer and our greatest asset because once it’s gone, it’s gone. And you can’t get it back. You must learn to master your time and not be its slave. We must “invest” our time wisely. As Benjamin Franklin said: “Time is money.” In this article, I will share four…
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What You Can Do About Loneliness
“Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.”—Robert Fulghum Carrie, a full-time caregiver to her ailing 70-year-old husband, felt lonely. She said: “I’ve been in a dark hole for quite a while. Sometimes, I believe everyone around me would be better off if I were dead. My friends can no longer visit; my few remaining relatives don’t seem to care. I often feel dead inside. “I can’t help it. I know I sound selfish, but I’ve spent more than twenty years with caregiving duties for one relative after another, and now my husband. When will it end? “I can’t…
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Are You Sitting Your Life Away? 7 Tips to Reduce Health Risks
“Sitting while socially engaged might be something that’s very good for you. Likewise, sitting for a few minutes to decompress after a stressful day could be good for you.” –Jacqueline Kerr, Ph.D., associate professor of family and preventive medicine at UC San Diego Are you sitting down while reading this article? If so, we immediately have something in common because I’m sitting in front of my desktop computer writing. How long have you been sitting? What is sitting too much? Under 2019 “Trending Articles” on the US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health (PubMed) website, is the article, “Too Much Sitting: A Newly Recognized Health Risk.” According to…
