A woman turning 40 - Accept yourself as you age

A woman turning 40 – How she accepts herself as she is aging

As I thought of writing a series on ‘Women’s lifestyle over 40’ the very first thought my mind focused on was  the number 40 , yes the number – four zero – forty .

Today I am 42 years old but I want to start from the day life starts changing for a woman turning 40

I remember when I was in my 30s and suddenly one day 39 was over and I entered into the forties . A year later I actually turned 40 . Oh it was hard to digest that number . This number brought  along some strange thoughts first ,  physical or emotional changes at a very later stage . My ears were just not ready to listen to this number . I suppose every woman turning 40 goes through  the similar remarks as I faced .

Oh you have turned forty!

You must take care of your health after 40

Forty brings many hormonal  changes . Be careful.

And blah blah which others wanted to made me aware of .

 

40 felt like a monster to me who continually hammered my head

My mind was not worried about my health or the  hormonal  changes my body might be going through . Everything was going perfect as far physical or emotional health was concerned . The only odd one out was the number 40 itself  – it felt  like a monster 40 continually striking my head .

I started thinking in terms of  – Even if I am granted 80 years of age , I have already lived half of it . My whatsapp showed me posts in terms of weeks . Yes 52 weeks *40 = 2080 weeks left . Oh my God ! so less time is left ! so much to do ! I didn’t know that age 40 was  so hard to accept for a woman.

Is acceptance of age  tough for a woman turning 40 ?

I went for my dental treatment once and the doctor wrote my age on the card -40

My daughter baked a cake for me and wrote on it-40

I was invited for a sports meet which read – Come On ! Women over 40 ! Let’s run

Oh this number started torturing me you know.

As the saying goes ‘Nothing is permanent’ same was with the fear for this number . Slowly I got in tune with this number .  As we say in hindi – Apna apna sa lagne laga .

My inner mind started talking to me , rather motivating me . After all  I haven’t reached this 40 stage sailing on calm waters .  I sailed through many storms , high and low , happy and sad , to reach this stage .

My childhood taught me the art of cheerfulness

I have enjoyed the innocent happy phase of my life –childhood ,to the fullest  .I have  grown up  watching Ramayana , Mahabharat , Sriman Srimati , playing Badminton (cheedi chikka ) Geete , Stapu and what not .  I know the joy it brings to play in sand ,I still cherish the memories when we used to go in groups to watch Ramleela in our  locality . My childhood taught me the art of cheerfulness which comes with family and friends .

My 20s taught me the skills of hard work and  struggle

I studied hard for many years , struggled at many competitive exams , been awake for  nights to get admission in good college, and finally succeed to get a good job . I am grateful to my job which is running my family smoothly .  My 20s instilled the power of struggle in me and made me feel  the joy  of accomplishment that Hard work brings along .

My 30s taught me the power of BALANCE  in life

I have enjoyed ‘love , fights , grief and repeat’ a lot in my married life . I got  blessed with the most wonderful gift of motherhood at the start of  30s .

My biggest asset over these years is  a beautiful family  who understands me , stands by me , for whom I live . They give me a purpose of life . My daughter has now become more like a friend to me  who supports me when I feel low , suggests me the latest trend to shop , and teaches me dance moves too . My 30s taught me Balance between family and work life .

If you are a woman turning 40 , just analyze that reaching this stage has gifted you so much . Things  , good  relationships , warm  love , and little wisdom too . When you  have achieved these beautiful assets  ,then why not to be happy and grateful ? Why not to #embrace40 ?

 

Some tips which  a  woman turning 40 can adopt :

How to accept aging 40 as a  woman ?

• Make a list of your happy and sad moments of life you went through to reach 40. I am sure the happy moments will fill more of your notebok .
• Make a list of all the tasks you are skilled in at this age . After all your experience and efforts are a major contributor in all these .
•  Take selfie with a smile and say a kind word to yourself daily .
• Read and if possible write too a positive quote in your diary  .
• Keep yourself busy with some productive tasks and not just scrolling on the little gadgets .
• Inspire yourself by watching women focussed movies like ‘Saand ki Aankh’ in which  the shooting Dadi says – Man budha na hove

All the  dear women turning 40 there   , Embrace your 40 with a smile . Don’t just accept , give a warm hug ( jadu ki jhappi) to your 40 as this phase is ready to bless you with much more .  Just be Grateful for everything Life brings your way .