Is 80 the new 30? If that seems like a big jump, you may want to ice your knees because when it comes to being trendy, age ain't nothin' but a number. As we age, the simple things that once gave us joy seem to get further and further out of our reach. Our minds become cluttered messes when dealing with real life.
Questioning how to keep everyone around us happy, if you can you get life insurance if you've had a stroke, or how we can get out of debt weighs us down. But staying hip can spark lost joy back in your life and help relieve the stress of everyday responsibilities.
The Benefits of Trend Following
Trends come and go, but there are many things to be gained in the digital age by simply staying involved in pop culture.
Feeling happy not only helps us balance our mental state but can also have profound effects on physical health as well. Becoming dated is something you can control. Being young is as much a state of mind as happiness.
Ask Someone to Make You a Playlist
Giving someone a collection of music is an intimate act that gives the opportunity to display all the love languages, and who doesn't need a little more love in their life? The songs don't have to be your music taste, but be open to learning the current musical pop culture.
Even with sounds that are unfamiliar to us, our body "listens" to vibrations. They can improve our mood, reduce stress, help lower blood pressure, and assist in memory stimulation. If you struggle with Alzheimer's or have a family history of the memory-impairing disease, avidly listening to music will help keep you thinking and feeling young.
Interactive activities you can do before, after, and during listening to modern music are:
- Trading music that was popular when you were young with someone who currently is young
- Looking at pictures of the artists before listening to their music and guessing what known singer they will be like
- Writing down the slang used and trying to use it throughout the day
- Learning the lyrics to the songs you like and singing them
- Learning how to play the music to a modern song
- Challenging yourself to take a current song and make it 40s, 50s, 70s, or 80s
- Listening to a hip radio station and drawing or painting while you listen
Music has been proven to improve our cognitive abilities and help keep us sharp. If music is something you've lost touch with, it is likely time to create a new relationship that will help keep you in touch with the present.
Get in the Groove
When was the last time you let yourself just twist and shout? You don't have to be a great dancer to feel the beat. Just get your body moving in a fun way.
The best part about dancing is even if you're not a gym regular, you can use dance to become more social and relieve stress. If you really want to be on-trend, you can open up Instagram or TikTok to see the latest dance moves.
Try learning a few. Whether you want to share them with your friends and family is totally up to you. Sharing your new moves isn't necessary because it's all about the time you spend making yourself laugh and moving your body.
Download Social Media
Social media isn't going away anytime soon, so if you're not already on one, join the club.
Facebook is the most popular social media among those 65 or older, and though the Facebook platform is a great way to stay connected, the younger generations have moved on. To stay connected with younger family members, ask them to help you make a profile on their favorite app.
Not only will this bring you closer together, but you can also watch what trends are growing in all different kinds of categories. It's been proven that watching others makes people confident in their own abilities, so after seeing a few trends, you may even feel inspired to try one or two.
The beauty of social media and even content creation is you keep learning. There's always a new project, and the variety helps keep your mind sharp. If you don't know where to start, here is a list of things trending now that you can hop on board with:
- Makeup trends
- Dance trends
- Voiceovers
- Art
- Music
- Fashion
- Cooking
- News reactions
- Book summaries
From comedy to business and just family fun, engaging in trends keeps time from feeling wasted.
Get in the Kitchen
Use your hands and get messy. Try out the newest food trends, which nowadays tend to be pretty healthy. In recent years how to eat healthier has been in the spotlight, but quarantine recipes have filled a much-needed comfort niche.
Find recipes and ingredients that you like and try something new. Staying young is an all-inclusive sense experience, and taste is my favorite. A few trending recipes to try this year are:
- Avocado toast
- Mug cakes
- Plant-based foods
- Homemade bread
- Homemade pasta
- Flourless banana pancakes
- Whipped coffee
"You Are Never Too Old to Become Younger!" - Mae West
Eventually, every trend comes back around, so enjoy what's happening in the time you are here to experience it. You are never too old to be open to new things, and not being good at them is a part of the experience.
When you were young, how many things did you try and fail? Did they make you stop trying or moving forward? Youthfulness is a mental state as much as it is a physical one, and changing your thinking can profoundly affect how aging will affect you.
Use trends as a way to navigate the forever-changing society around you. Use these tools to get closer to loved ones or even just to rediscover lost sparks for yourself.
The more joy you have, the younger you will feel, so however you choose to engage, the world is waiting for you to reintroduce yourself.
Danielle Beck-Hunter writes and researches for the life insurance site, QuickQuote.com. Danielle grew up helping her grandmother operate a nursing home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through her childhood and high school years. There she witnessed the power of feeling youthful and how thinking can cause physical changes in the body.
