Pain

Adjustment to mild chronic pain is largely an unconscious process. With aging, the body begins to hurt. The joints become less effectively cushioned against stress. Arthritis and muscle fatigue are common complaints. 

Medical technology provides some help. Joint replacements are commonplace. Some people have the same joint replaced more than once in a lifetime. However, much of the pain of growing old is simply unavoidable. The grinning faces of plastic surgery cannot abolish the inevitable internal experience of growing old.

The American separation of generations by geography and ageism deprives the young from benefiting from the mundane daily experiences of the old. Complaint is also considered un-American. So, many of us come to aging as ignorant students, thinking we are experiencing all the effects of aging for the first time in human history. This can cause the development of a particularly unattractive form of self-pity and narcissism. 

In my experience, having a daily practice of self-awareness and ongoing education is a great help with adapting to the inevitable physical changes that come with age and unavoidable infirmity. I have had to confront these issues sooner than many of my fellow Boomers. Navigating life with pain is like running a race while carrying heavy suitcases that cannot be put down. Those of us who experience chronic pain focus on the pain or on life. It is nearly impossible to focus on both at the same time.

Accepting and living with the pain of aging is one of life's great passages. It is a natural process which raises our awareness of our impending ends as mortal animals. Resenting this is useless. Focusing on the avoidance of it by taking mind altering medicines can make the transitions ahead more difficult. Developing a daily practice before getting to the pains of aging is a way to maintain happiness under duress.