Mick Jagger sure had it right when he sang the opening line to "Mother's Little Helper" back in 1966; "What a drag it is, getting old".

Of course, back then, at the age of 23, he could never have known he'd still be rocking huge arenas at the age of 81; so maybe he's learned a thing or two since then.

Maybe he knows, for example, that there are ways to stay vital, relevant, healthy, and vibrant, while at the same time experiencing some of the inevitable downsides of aging. Those include, in no particular order, failing health, weight gain, worries about retirement, financial problems, demanding children, stress, anxiety, and staring into the existential abyss of mortality.

OK, yeah. That's a lot.

On the other hand; aging can be pretty liberating, if you lean into it. At some point, you finally realize that you just don't give much of a hoot what other people think, you're content to just do your own thing, and honestly; if other people don't like it; that's their problem. On a good day. On the not so good days though; all bets are off.

So, how do we have more good days than bad, when it comes to making the most of our "golden years"?

I asked Akron area Psychologist, and Author, Dr. Toni Cooper. Listen now.

Dr. Toni Cooper, Psychologist, Author