Philosophy
The philosophy at Connected is simple:
Aging is a natural part of life's journey that needs to be embraced rather than fought. All too often we see and hear messages on how to "fight" or "delay" aging. These sometimes subtle and often overt communications become internalized and we learn to associate aging with something to avoid. As a result, we develop resistant mindsets which make the challenges that much more difficult to live with.
We also live in a society that tends to avoid difficult topics. What does it mean to have my health leave me? Why am I so fearful of dying? Why do I feel invisible as a caregiver? Why do I feel so alone? Why am I scared to get older? What has my life been about?
Connection is the cornerstone of well-being. Without it, we are adrift. Whether we are connected to others or connected to purpose, it is an essential part of life. The act of aging can test our sense of connectedness because it can take away so much of what we may have identified with whether our job, our appearances, our roles, our health, our relationships.
Connected helps by offering supportive counselling, sharing mindful awareness practices, highlighting inherent strengths and developing better habits for self-care.
Our latter years are precious, and we don't need to fear them. Even in loss and change, there are other gains. As the poet Albert Camus wrote:
"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invicible summer".