Considering the amount of years and experiences we had behind us, it is so easy to set some standards on how we should be living our lives. However, as seniors, we tend to be overly critical and conscious of the things happening in and outside of our lives. More often than not, it is our beloved family and friends who suffer the most when we are being too hard on ourselves.
Being critical works both ways, you can be critical of yourself, always criticizing how you look or what you did or what happened to your life even if these things occurred beyond your control. You always blame yourself for what you are and what you will become. Then you can be critical of the people around you, wanting and expecting them to be more than what you are. Sometimes, it could be both which is, in my honest opinion, would be the worst kind of all.
As parents and grandparents, it is only normal for us to dream big for our kids and eventually their kids, however, there is a fine line between dreaming and expecting. We, seniors, the supposedly “wise” specie of the bunch should be able to distinguish it and know where exactly that fine line lies. If we let our self-loathing being out of control, we risk losing the ones we love. It is because no matter how much they love you, if you continue being hard on yourself and invite negativity, it becomes doubly hard to be near you.
Also, being self-critical is never good for your health. In fact, it can cause stress and ultimately, depression. Stress, in return, interferes with your productivity and can even affect your motivation. Seniors who suffer or develop such behavior are often advised by their doctors to submit themselves to a therapy before it’s too late.
Let’s take for example your weight—since it is one area of our life which we tend to be regularly critical about. We start dieting and exercising ‘till kingdom come for a week only to criticize our efforts if we fail to lose a pound within that period. We refuse to acknowledge our accomplishments, the fact that we worked hard for a week, just because we fail to achieve our desired result and because of that, you stop working on your weight altogether. Not really convinced you are being too critical of yourself? Here are some signs:
•    You strive for perfection, not reality.
•    You refuse to acknowledge your strengths, instead you hold on to your weaknesses.
•    Negative thoughts are as normal as you breathing air.
•    You compare your achievements to someone—anybody—and look upon yours as insignificant.
•    You hate looking at yourself in the mirror or even digging deeper inside you for an honest thought.