Home » News & Events » Embrace These 7 Fulfilling Routines
by Avery White for VegOut
Aging used to terrify me.
Not just the wrinkles or gray hairs (though I’ll admit, those were a shock at first). It was the deeper stuff—the fear that life’s best moments were behind me.
I worried about becoming irrelevant, about losing energy, about fading quietly into the background while the world kept sprinting ahead.
But somewhere along the way, that fear started to dissolve. Not because I suddenly stopped aging—but because I began to see it differently.
I stopped clinging to who I was and started getting curious about who I was becoming.
As Dr. Laura Carstensen from the Stanford Center on Longevity has noted, “Aging brings some rather remarkable improvements—increased knowledge, expertise—and emotional aspects of life improve. That’s right, older people are happy. They’re happier than middle-aged people, and younger people, certainly”.
That hit me. Maybe aging wasn’t the enemy I thought it was. Maybe it was the teacher I needed.
Here are seven surprisingly fulfilling routines that helped me make peace with aging—and actually start to enjoy it.
1. Morning movement that honors my body, not punishes it I stopped viewing my body as a project to be managed—and started seeing it as a companion to be cherished. Every ache and line now feels like a chapter in a story worth reading
2. Keeping a “curiosity list” instead of a bucket list The magic isn’t in checking boxes—it’s in staying open. Aging doesn’t have to mean slowing down mentally.
3. Spending time with younger people (and letting them challenge me) These exchanges remind me that aging isn’t about withdrawing—it’s about expanding. We all have something to teach and something to learn, no matter the decade we’re in.
4. Choosing purpose over productivity Sometimes, the most purposeful days are the simplest ones—the ones that leave you feeling present, grounded, and at peace with where you are.
5. Letting emotions guide, not scare me Emotions aren’t obstacles; they’re invitations to pay attention to what’s really going on beneath the surface.
6. Prioritizing depth over breadth in relationships As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed something beautiful: conversations go deeper, silences feel more comfortable, and the people in my life know the real me—not the polished version.
7. Practicing gratitude for the passage of time I’ve realized that peace doesn’t come from trying to preserve every moment—it comes from appreciating it as it passes. Gratitude has a way of turning ordinary days into sacred ones, reminding me that the point isn’t to hold on forever, but to be fully here, right now.
