Aging is a stressful thing in our youth-obsessed culture. Everyone ages, but for some reason we all try and hide it as much as we can. However, there are a select few that manage to age openly and gracefully. Think about celebrities like Sharon Stone, George Clooney, and Diane Keaton. They not only show their age, they celebrate it. And we celebrate them for doing it.

Of course, it’s a lot easier to age gracefully when you have a team of beauty and health experts at your disposal. However, there are some simple changes you can make in your life to help you age gracefully like the handsome or gorgeous movie star you are:

• Embrace the Number – How old you are doesn’t really matter. Rather than stressing about your number rising or fibbing down around birthdays, embrace your age. If embracing doesn’t work for you, you can also just forget it entirely because, again, your exact age doesn’t matter. All that matters is how old or young you feel. Need some help in this department? Check out our article about how to rethink your ideas about aging.
• Beauty and Skincare – Don’t skip this one, men. When it comes to beauty and skincare, the most important thing is how they make you feel. Do you love doing intricate makeup everyday? That’s amazing. Are you more of a clean-faced person? Equally wonderful. Confidence is what makes beauty products work. The same idea applies to caring for your skin, to an extent. You MUST wash, moisturize and apply sunscreen to your skin every day. But beyond that, you should only do what works for you. Botox? If you’re into it, why not. Lip fillers? If they make you feel confident, go for it. Hair plugs? If they make you happy, absolutely.
• Health – Take care of your body because it’s the only one you have, not because you feel like you have to look a certain way. Go to the gym because it makes you strong and confident. Eat veggies because they make your stomach feel good. Take care of your health for health’s sake. On a more literal note, studies have proven that the longer you stay active and eat healthy, the younger you’ll feel.
• Do What You Love – Whether you’re continuing a career, enjoying a hobby or starring in movies like our gracefully aging idols, just make sure its what you love. Filling your days with activities that make you feel joy will help that joy spill out into every other aspect of your life. And what’s more youthful than joy?
• Find Peace – The most important way to age gracefully is to just be graceful about aging. Don’t be one of those people that always complain about their age or mourn the “better” days when they were young. No one likes to be around those people. Instead, find peace about your current place in life. What do you like about being your age? What are you looking forward to in years to come?

While we can’t all be George Clooney or Sharon Stone, we can all make small changes in our mindsets or routines to age gracefully.

How are you aging? Can you make changes to be more graceful? Tell us about your journey in the comment section. Don’t forget to check back for more articles.