IT’S SOMETHING that comes with age like developing a taste for marmalade and seeing the benefit of comfort over style that is an over-sized cardigan.

To sigh and say, “Back in the day...” and with down-turned mouth state we made our own entertainment with a pebble and cave painting. To shake our heads and tut in disdain at the younger generation’s uselessness, cluelessness and don’t-know-they’re-born-ness. We don’t get their music, their addiction to social media and their dress sense seems designed to annoy us. Naturally our post-war parents said the same about us having near aneurysms when watching David Bowie perform Starman on Top Of The Pops in the 1970s; thinking it was the end of civilisation as they knew it.My own mum, who is her 80s recalls having a crush on Perry Como in her youth and her own outraged father declaring, “That gigolo!” thus proving that even cardigans can be dangerously cool.We all need to lean in. Not just to the youth of today but all those we deem “other” or different from us.

"We all need perspective on life. When the darkness descends, it seems it’s all going to the dogs and pierced noses or even cardigans can seem threatening"

Recently I was privileged to witness the gold awards ceremony in Cambridge where young people were honoured for volunteering in hospices and charities, learning new skills such as playing a musical instrument or dancing and embarking on harsh expeditions in Snowdonia or the Lake District.It was heartening to see so many upright young people talk about their adventures, what they learned from working on an oncology ward or the camaraderie formed under extreme circumstances as they navigated mountains and harsh weather and face their futures with well-earned selfless wisdom.We all need perspective on life. When the darkness descends, it seems it’s all going to the dogs and pierced noses or even cardigans can seem threatening. Remember good exists, it is being done everywhere and around us and a new generation seeks to be of service to others, wants to make a difference and still annoy the oldies with their terrible music as the youth have always done.

We all need to lean in to all those we deem different from ourselves, says CAROLE ANN RICE

Carole Ann Rice

Leading life and happiness coach

We all need to lean in to all those we deem different from ourselves, says CAROLE ANN RICE

IT’S SOMETHING that comes with age like developing a taste for marmalade and seeing the benefit of comfort over style that is an over-sized cardigan.

GETTYPerry Como in 1955, and David Bowie performing at Earls Court in 1973To sigh and say, “Back in the day...” and with down-turned mouth state we made our own entertainment with a pebble and cave painting. To shake our heads and tut in disdain at the younger generation’s uselessness, cluelessness and don’t-know-they’re-born-ness. We don’t get their music, their addiction to social media and their dress sense seems designed to annoy us. Naturally our post-war parents said the same about us having near aneurysms when watching David Bowie perform Starman on Top Of The Pops in the 1970s; thinking it was the end of civilisation as they knew it.My own mum, who is her 80s recalls having a crush on Perry Como in her youth and her own outraged father declaring, “That gigolo!” thus proving that even cardigans can be dangerously cool.We all need to lean in. Not just to the youth of today but all those we deem “other” or different from us.

GETTYLearning a new musical instrument can give you new perspective in your life

We all need perspective on life. When the darkness descends, it seems it’s all going to the dogs and pierced noses or even cardigans can seem threatening

The younger generation, despite being glued to their gadgets and images of themselves, seem to be especially wise and gentle in a way we were never taught.My own children were brought up in multiracial state schools where classrooms included a variety of cultures, some children with special needs and different abilities and gender and sexual orientation and disorientation commonplace issues.They take difference in their stride. It is easy and tempting to reduce the young with their alien values and love of tattoos and piercings and not see that they are as kind and concerned about life, society and the future as any of us. This is never more obvious and heart warming than seeing teenagers receiving their Duke of Edinburgh awards.GETTYEmbarking on expeditions and activity in nature can held you beat low moodsRecently I was privileged to witness the gold awards ceremony in Cambridge where young people were honoured for volunteering in hospices and charities, learning new skills such as playing a musical instrument or dancing and embarking on harsh expeditions in Snowdonia or the Lake District.It was heartening to see so many upright young people talk about their adventures, what they learned from working on an oncology ward or the camaraderie formed under extreme circumstances as they navigated mountains and harsh weather and face their futures with well-earned selfless wisdom.We all need perspective on life. When the darkness descends, it seems it’s all going to the dogs and pierced noses or even cardigans can seem threatening. Remember good exists, it is being done everywhere and around us and a new generation seeks to be of service to others, wants to make a difference and still annoy the oldies with their terrible music as the youth have always done.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Appreciate differences

Miriam Margolyes explains why she 'must never have a gun'

Play VideoSomeone who is on a mission to understand other people’s differences no matter how abhorrent is actress Miriam Margolyes in her BBC programme Miriam’s Big American Adventure. Here she seeks to appreciate the perspective of the non-liberal, the gun-toting and the marginalised in interviews with rednecks and citizens of the overlooked middle states of America. Being interviewed on radio recently, Miriam admitted she struggled to watch herself on camera as she was “frightened” by how ghastly she may look. This is a horror many of us feel from selfies to family snaps yet we could all learn that charitable understanding really should begin with ourselves first, then we’ve more to give others.

We are all urged to get rid of rubbish responsibly and declutter our homes and lives in order to feel less burdened. A new take on clutter is that it is the physical manifestation of procrastination and an inability to let go of what is not serving us. Time for a spring clean?

Our minds can be a battleground or a fairground. On some days our thoughts can conspire to bring us down with fearful scenarios. They can keep us mired in misery and self pity or disgust. And on other days our minds are full of positivity and the joy of living. If you are feeling less than joyful there are some simple ways to help your thoughts draw away from the dark to the light.

Write out a list of positive affirmations such as, “I am blessed with a roof, food in the cupboard and people who love me.” Go for a walk in nature, do a kind thing for someone else or ask a good friend to go hands free on the phone while you download your woes and they do the housework. Remember our thoughts visit us and move on.You don’t have to give them room or take them seriously or invest in the fear they often tell you about life.

Re-write the story and build in a happy ending!