Personal Aspects of Life that Give It Quality

Counseling Older Adults: Quality of Life Issues

As an individual moves through the life cycle, quality of life may take on a whole new meaning which is unique. What current aspects of your life give it a high level of quality, and do you think these will change as you age? Why or why not?

As a single, 24-year-old female living on my own, this is certainly an interesting period in human history. Today, we are facing multiple existential threats that have made it challenging for many people to enjoy a high quality of life. Nevertheless, there are several aspects of my life that give it a high level of quality, including most especially my close relationship with my family members, particularly my mother, and it seems we have grown closer as I have gotten older. Indeed, we are now friends more than mother and daughter, and it turns out that she is far more intelligent and informed than I believe when I was an adolescent. In sharp contrast to the frequent rancor that characterized our relationship just a few years ago, it is not unusual for us now to have lunch together and spend the afternoon shopping, “antiquing,” visiting museums or riding our bikes in the park. In addition, it turns out my father is a lot smarter than I used to give him credit for, and we have also forged a stronger relationship in recent years.

Likewise, I enjoy several hobbies that give my life a high level of quality. At one point in my life, I thought my hobbies were just a waste of time but I have come to realize that this is mistaken (Tomczyk et al., 2021). As the saying goes, “The time we enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” Besides assembling difficult (i.e., all one color!) jigsaw puzzles on my dining room table, I also enjoy playing online multi-player games, keeping in contact with friends and family members on social media platforms, and maintaining a daily workout regimen that includes 30 minutes on a treadmill. Finally, pursuing a higher education is a highly gratifying aspect of my life at present and I can see how it is benefiting me at present and how it will benefit me in the future.