We live in a time when the concept of age has completely changed. In the Russian classic novel we read: an old man of fifty came in. Today, at the age of 50-60, people feel full of energy, and often look very young.

For example, Vladimir Pozner is over 80 - and who dares to call him an old man? However, since Soviet times, the people of our generation have inherited the directive: to work up to retirement, and then to “live out”. It used to be considered: the only thing that a person is capable of after 55 (if it is a woman) or after 60 (if a man) is to go to the dacha, dig up the beds and raise grandchildren. As a result, people ceased to believe in themselves and rather quickly died - not from age, but from complete inactivity, which means degradation. I believe that at any age one should not end an active activity, not be afraid to start new business. Grandchildren are, of course, great and also a new business. But don't forget about your life. This is the best time for a new career, for example. You are relatively well off, you have a place to live, children have grown up - this means that many issues in your personal life have already been resolved and now you are much more free. Finally, it's time to do what you enjoy the most. You can devote more time to work and do it better.

I first opened a restaurant when I was 58 years old. I always loved to cook, read a lot on this topic, talked with professionals, experimented. With age, I realized that this is what interests me the most. When I stood at the stove to cook not for my family, but for 60 or more people, I was surprised to see that I had no less strength than my sushufs, who are under thirty. I was even more amazed that I came up with new dishes much faster. But all my life I was convinced that creativity fades with age. It fades out only in one case - if you do nothing. After fifty, previous versatile experience helps a lot. My travels, watching, knowledge of the cuisines of the world - all this allows me to quickly solve current problems. The older you are, the better you get to work at the interface, to use knowledge from different areas. Before, I simply did not know as much as I do now. As long as there is strength, there is no need to feel sorry for yourself. To lie down, lie down, sleep a little longer - this is not for me. I am happy if by the end of the day I get a little tired after doing something interesting and new. I am very upset when my daughter says that she is tired, having done much less than me.

Relatively recently, I began to play sports. Earlier it seemed to me that I was not too hardy, that I would not overcome a long route, especially an uphill climb. I can say for sure: never in my life could I go through as much as I can now, push out as many times as I can now. I feel physically stronger than ever. This winter we were in Peru and walked up to Machu Picchu. If earlier someone had told me that I myself would rise to an altitude of 3450 meters, I would never have believed it. In my youth, I would definitely be exhausted halfway.

I am simply surprised that in Russia people over fifty are still underestimated and they prefer to hire younger ones.

For me personally, the greatest example is Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova, president of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin. Most recently, at 94, she opened in the museum a wonderful exhibition of one painting - "Olympia" (Edouard Manet - approx.). Irina Aleksandrovna gave a wonderful lecture, the full audience listened to her spellbound. I asked her about the secret to creative longevity. She replied: "Work and creativity."

Elena comes to our festival in Montenegro with a lecture and, possibly, a culinary master class. Elena says she would like to meet like-minded people at the Good Over Fifties festival. Join us!

At first we dream of growing up as soon as possible, then - to keep youth, then to postpone old age as much as possible.

It seems that we are rarely satisfied with the age at which we are. Why is it so difficult to make friends with him?

One of the main topics this summer was the upcoming increase in the retirement age. The economic, social and political aspects of the reform were vigorously discussed in the media, but in social networks the discussions unfolded in a different plane: is 55-60 really the time of the onset of old age, or does it come much later today? Are people able to work during these years (and not anyhow, but fully), or is it time for them to retire in terms of physical and intellectual indicators?

The poll by VTsIOM also reflected the polarization of opinions on this matter. In fact, it is not only about a specific age, but about how we imagine life in general.

WHEN DOES AGING BEGIN?

A poll conducted by VTsIOM in 2017 showed that Russians' opinions on this matter differ greatly. 27% of the respondents answered that old age begins in the period from 60 to 64 years, 19% - from 55 to 59 years, 17% - at 50-54 years.

The respondents in the oldest age group 60+ believe that old age comes either at 60-64 years (25%), or at 70-74 years (19%).

What helps us stay young longer? The answers were distributed as follows: active and healthy lifestyle (26% each), favorite interesting job (17%), material well-being (15%), good health (13%), loved ones (11%), proper nutrition (10%) ... Much less often referred to as lack of work, purpose in life, participation in public life.

Sick question

Having started preparing for this article, I involuntarily tuned in to the “frequency” where people talk about age, and I heard a polyphonic chorus. Whether I listened to the dialogues in the metro, turned on the radio, or entered social networks - it didn't even take several minutes for the topic of age to come up one way or another.

"I'm not little anymore!" - a child of about six is ​​protesting. "I don't want to be an old man!" - a middle-aged man is experiencing, whose legs began to hurt. "At 60, degradation is already beginning!" - a young woman complains to someone about her mother. "Why would he want me when there are 20-year-old beauties?" - the 40-year-old doubts. "We're still hoo!" - a 55-year-old man who has been promoted is optimistic.

It's amazing: until now I did not realize how emotionally charged the topic of age is. Why?

The older we get, the greater the difference between our chronological age and the one we attribute to ourselves.

“This is not surprising,” says psychotherapist Margarita Zhamkochyan. - Age is an important part of our identity. Moreover, such a part that is constantly changing independently of us, and constantly need to make amendments: I am 20, but now 21, and now 40, and so on. "

Just as "times do not choose", so we do not choose our age - we just live in it.

We do not coincide with him

“A number of studies show that the older we get, the greater the difference between our chronological age and that which we attribute to ourselves,” says psychologist Olga Molchanova. - Teenagers often feel older than their years, and after about 25, the opposite process begins: many feel younger than their passport age, and this difference is growing. In 50-60-year-olds, it can reach both 15 and 20 years.

And we don't really appreciate real age. Have you ever had that, looking at your photographs taken several years ago, you wondered: "Why did you not like me so much then?" This symptom is known to psychologists, explains Olga Molchanova: “We consider a fresh photo unsuccessful, because we internally feel younger and more attractive. And we begin to accept our appearance with a delay of two or three, or even five years. "

In general, as studies show, most people in their years consider the period from 20 to 30 years to be the best time of life. It is clear that this is a time of unconditional youth and so it is wonderful, but after all, even after 30, so much important, bright, interesting happens. Why do we value all this less?

We are influenced by stereotypes

It is easy to see that thoughts about how old we are now and how old will be are often tinged with anxiety and fear. “This is partly due to the fact that we cannot control age,” says Margarita Zhamkochian. “In the depths of this anxiety, there may also be a fear of death, which sometimes manifests itself even in childhood.”

And yet, the psychotherapist believes, many anxieties about age are due to social norms. In the public opinion, important life events are tied to one or another age: family formation, childbirth, professional achievements, and later - completion of work and retirement. And we often feel obligated to fulfill the tasks prescribed by society on time, regardless of whether there is our own internal need for it.

“A client, who is in her forties, worries that time is running out and she has no children yet,” says Margarita Zhamkochyan. - I ask the question: "Why do you need them?" - “Well, how? So it should be. " That is, the child is not a true goal, it simply strives to conform to a social stereotype. And this gives rise to the strongest anxiety, which, by the way, in itself often interferes with childbirth. And when in work we find the true goal - she wants a child to enjoy him - then children appear. "

In the Russian labor market, even 40-year-olds often feel uncompetitive

Concerns about what we think are insufficient professional successes are also associated with ideas about norms.

“It is generally accepted that at the age of 20-30 a person shows promise, and at 40, not to mention 50, one must already realize what he dreamed of,” notes Olga Molchanova. - If this did not succeed, and there is also a feeling that time is shrinking, then there is an acute regret about the missed opportunities: “If I could return those years, I could have chosen a different path! But it's too late now. " However, we know examples of those who started a new professional path in adulthood. "

Here's one: Henri Rousseau, a French self-taught artist, started painting at 40 after years of working in customs.

After the onset of retirement age, society orders us to grow old. In the Russian labor market, even 40-year-olds often feel uncompetitive. What can we say about 50 and above.

“I have experience and knowledge, I work quickly and well, but I don’t feel confident,” complains 55-year-old translator Vera. "It seems that at any moment someone else may be preferred to me simply because he is younger." Such fears are shared by many of her peers.

Another's gaze

As we get older, we are afraid that together with our youth we will lose our attractiveness: for the employer, for the opposite sex.

“Some women are already acutely worried about the 30-year mark, when the first signs appear in their appearance, if not wilting, then at least not youth,” says Olga Molchanova. - They feel young, but more and more often they note that they are no longer approached to get to know them, they are not being watched. It is painfully felt as a sign of "going into circulation".

For young people, a person of age is, of course, different. It seems to us that because of this we will certainly be rejected.

Similar sentiments are familiar to men. Many of them try to feel younger, falling in love with young girls, remarrying, giving birth to later children.

Most of us care about how others see us. If we feel that we are not reflected in the gaze of another, this is a difficult experience!

“Sometimes it seems that young people are looking through me, that I am beyond their perception and I can be ignored,” says 57-year-old Irina. "At times like these, I feel inferior."

But is this reality or fantasies caused by our belief that life belongs to the young?

“Most likely, the point here is how people generally accept the Other, who is not like them,” reflects Maria Soloveichik, a psychologist and author of trainings for pensioners. - And for young people, a person of age, of course, is different. It seems to us that because of this we will certainly be rejected. But these fears do not always correspond to reality. "

The freedom to be yourself

There is good news, too. In Western countries, the cult of youth is losing ground, ageism (age discrimination) has been declared a battle, the period from 50 to 70 is not even called old age: a new term “third age” has appeared. The idea of ​​the need for lifelong learning is actively promoted.

These influences penetrate to us as well. Social norms are weakening the grip: the idea that the family and profession cannot be changed are no longer relevant. “And it's good that these stereotypes are going away,” Margarita Zhamkochyan is sure. - This means an increase in diversity, an increase in the degrees of freedom. You can search for what you like, as much as you like. And therefore age is less frightening. "

And yet we are still at a crossroads. The new and the old are woven into a bizarre pattern both in society and sometimes in the minds of one individual. The hardest part for us to deal with is the prospect of aging.

It would seem that the pension reform, which pushes back the "survival age", should please us. But in reality this is not entirely true. "My pension is not at all an extra increase to the low salary of a scientific worker," admits 72-year-old chemist Boris, "I would not want to lose it!"

The proposed reform is likely to shift the age crisis to late maturity. But still we are unlikely to escape it

The prospect of declining income heightens anxiety, affecting basic needs: food, shelter, safety. “We have a huge number of working poor, and this distinguishes us from socially prosperous countries,” emphasizes Margarita Zhamkochian.

At the same time, she sees the possible advantages of the reform: “The moment is postponed when a person will be forcibly pushed out of work. This will make people pull themselves up, take more care of themselves. This means that healthcare will have to catch up: after all, not pensioners will come to the doctors, but workers protected by insurance, which requires better treatment. "

The status of a working person brings with it other bonuses: a sense of being in demand, contacts with younger colleagues, helping to realize that one is in step with the times. But there is also a risk: Older workers may have a heightened fear of losing their jobs and livelihoods if they lose their financial safety net in the form of retirement.

The proposed reform is likely to shift the age crisis to late maturity. But still, we are unlikely to escape it. What will help us to pass this stage with dignity?

First, education, says Margarita Zhamkochian, which encourages reflection, reflection about the world and about oneself. But this does not mean that someone who does not have one has no chance.

Psychologists have a concept of "feeling happy" - it connects our happiness with what we do for other people. And thereby we create for ourselves such a positive charge that keeps us afloat, regardless of age, the presence or absence of a family or money.

And the third is our identity: what we know, feel and think about ourselves. Thanks to this, we can focus on ourselves and remain independent of social norms.

You never get tired of being amazed what a person can do in his eighty years: paint pictures, play the piano (having learned independently, by the way), shoot and edit documentaries on a computer about his family, past tense, former work and friends, communicate with loved ones and acquaintances, love children and grandchildren, write and publish a book ... Ivan Yakovlevich Poruchikov is a more than famous figure in Bryansk. Who does not remember the famous chairman of the Bryansk Regional Executive Committee, a man about whom everyone, whoever you ask, says only good things ?! Today Ivan Yakovlevich is a guest of the Bryansk Topic.

- Ivan Yakovlevich! What is your definition of happiness?

- Over the years, it acquired the form of a complete formula: health plus a good family, plus a favorite job - the same as I had at the Bryansk semiconductor device plant, which I headed for seventeen years.

- You ran a closed plant for a very long time. Was it hard for you to work or did you + still have more positive memories?

- Only positive ones. This is the happiest time. We worked for the defense industry, carried out the most complex orders. Any secret laboratory would be proud of the level of training of our specialists. We must not forget that the development of domestic electronics took place under the conditions of a strict information blockade by the United States and Western countries, and therefore relied almost entirely on the developments of our Soviet scientists, specialists from industry research institutes, design bureaus and serial factories - “mailboxes”. We almost never got the latest foreign components to study. I remember only one episode when, through our ministry, the plant received several new silicon devices with lobe electrodes made in the United States. These were transistors extracted from the onboard equipment of American Phantom fighters shot down in Vietnam. Our engineers from the OKB quickly figured out their design and electrical parameters. In a short time, they created their own technology and reproduced this product with better qualities than those of the Americans.

I can also remember that the work on the "Module", "Magistral" in 1979 was a serious test for the maturity of the OKB team and factory specialists. As a result of this work, a complex interface microcircuit was obtained that made it possible to multiply 32-bit binary numbers and obtain a 64-bit product. Its use in computer technology significantly increased the capabilities of computers, which the whole country desperately needed.

In 1994, after the crisis, production quickly gained momentum. The plant monthly produced over five million microcircuits - voltage stabilizers, and sometimes their output reached eight million pieces! BZPP then supplied 80% of its products for export, or 12% of all Russian exports!

Our products have been used not only in the defense industry, but also in the space industry. We have created instruments for lunar rovers, satellites, and other rocket and space technology. The plant is still doing it.

And here is an example of a different kind, but it will be interesting to everyone. Once we got hold of an electronic organ of the Murom Radio Plant. We listened, everyone liked its sound. When we got into its insides, it turned out that it contained many transistors, including ours. Then I suggested making a similar tool myself, but with great possibilities. We worked for a long time, and so the famous throughout Russia "Electronics" was born. In the hands of a good musician, this instrument could replace a pop ensemble of six performers, it could sound like a grand piano, organ, violin and cello, sing with the voices of a horn, flute, saxophone and bassoon and other instruments.

When the famous composer David Tukhmanov heard "Electronics", he expressed his delight for a long time. It was approved by many musicians, including the head of the ensemble of electro-musical instruments of the All-Union Radio and Television Vyacheslav Mescherin. By the way, the Bryansk composer and poet Alexander Kalyanov chose “Electronics” for his further work. By the way, few people know that Kalyanov worked at our plant for some time.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

- Did you receive your state awards as the director of the BZPP?

- My awards cannot be separated from my work at the plant. This is for the work that I, not sparing myself, gave to production. Order of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor and medals. Proud of it. In 1981, our plant was awarded the Order of the October Revolution. This was the last state award of the plant during the Soviet period.

- And at what level were you approved for the post of chairman of the regional executive committee?

- I was summoned to Moscow, where the secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee Kapitonov and Kirilenko talked to me personally for several hours.

- Ivan Yakovlevich, is it true that you are directly related to the creation of Bryansk television?

- This is true. We fought for a long time to ensure that television came to Bryansk too, and created a small studio ourselves. We assembled the necessary equipment with our own hands. The first program aired on November 6 and 7, 1958. Then the secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU Vladimir Konstantinovich Sokolov spoke. For a long time, the State TV and Radio did not want to recognize our studio, did not allocate staffing units and funding for it, but Moscow officials still did not dare to enter into an open confrontation with our regional committee, especially since M.K. Krakhmalev, who was then a member of the Central Committee, became the first secretary Communist Party. And only in January 1960, the studio was finally legalized.

- What did you manage to do for the Bryansk region culturally during your work?

- We have restored and created two important museums of our fellow countrymen - Fyodor Tyutchev and Alexei Tolstoy. Tolstoy's talent was recognized by many of the greatest composers of that time, who composed their works based on his poems. Only Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote 20 romances to the verses of A.K. Tolstoy.

- With whom of the famous people have you met?

- There were a lot of them. Celebrities loved to come to Bryansk. These were both business trips and creative meetings. Cosmonaut Georgy Grechko, poet Nikolai Gribachev, Chairman of the Government of the RSFSR M.S. Solomentsev, Minister of Mechanical Engineering of the USSR V.V. Bakhirev, singers Gennady Kamenny, Valentina Tolkunova. We even talked a little with her, she is a very modest person. There was a warm meeting with Nonna Mordyukova, and Mikhail Nozhkin and I rested together in Sochi in the sanatorium "Russia". When Yuri Gagarin came, I went to the stadium with my friends to at least look at this living legend.

LOVE AND LOYALTY

- Ivan Yakovlevich, have you ever been late for work?

- Not once. He demanded the same from the others. If there were any shortcomings in the team, then I got along with only decent vocabulary, no swearing. Anyone will tell you that. The Russian language is enough to express any feelings, right?

- It turns out that you have no bad habits at all?

- There was one. Smoked from 13 to 32 years old. The guys taught in the yard, then they smoked "Prima" and "Belomor".

- What happened at thirty-two?

- Yes, I just got married! This is a separate story. My father was seriously concerned that the youngest son was already married, and I, the eldest, were still searching ... But it so happened that for a long time I could not meet a person close to me in spirit, and this is what I consider to be the main thing in a relationship. I was getting bored with those with whom I met. And my father had one employee from the technical staff at work; his daughter Ninochka often ran to help her clean the offices. Perhaps my father liked how simple and natural Nina behaved.

Once on the October holidays, which were then celebrated by everyone, mother and daughter came to us. I talked to Nina and could no longer part with her. She also read a lot, she was interested in art, she could support any topic close to me.

Our courtship lasted three months. Once we were returning from a wedding of friends on foot from Karachizhskaya Street to the city center. It was winter, the snow was falling, we froze, went into the little house where Nina lived with her mother, sat down to bask by the stove, and I proposed to Nina. By that time, she was in charge of a small hospital in the Bryansk region, after all, Nina is a doctor - a pediatrician. By the way, only recently I quit my job completely, now I am under her complete control. Under the supervision of an honored doctor, by the way!

Nina Alexandrovna and I have lived together for many years, and I can confidently and happily say that neither my dad nor I made the wrong choice ... But Nina also wanted to marry a good, serious person. It was just me ...

- They say that with age, spouses become similar to each other. Is that so?

- One rule of my wife became mine. Love people as they are. You can't change them.

HABITS AND HOBBIES

- Ivan Yakovlevich, do you know foreign languages?

- German. Of course, everyone was taught both at school and at the institute, but all the same, much later I learned the language myself. It was necessary to prepare for a trip to Germany to the Leipzig Exhibition. I had to take courses in accelerated technical terms, as well as active colloquial vocabulary. When we arrived, I constantly translated and enjoyed it myself. I spent three weeks on a business trip in Austria, there, too, my knowledge was useful to everyone, I gave a speech at the embassy. Now, if I need to speak German, I can handle it, I think.

- Are you a gambling person?

- No. Cards, checkers, dominoes ... - an empty pastime, in my opinion. I only regret that I haven’t learned to play chess well.

- And what have you learned?

- Play the piano, before that - the accordion, violin. Independently, without a music school. It just so happened. I can make out notes, choose a melody ... Of course, these are not complex piano pieces. Something serious is still hard for me.

- Ivan Yakovlevich, I know that you are also a master of shipbuilding. Please tell us about your work at your own shipyards.

- You probably mean the construction of two motor boats by me. Yes, it really was. In 1975, my friends and I went on a hike down the Desna River, and our water caravan included two of my brainchildren.

- How did you build them? After all, for this you need to have some kind of theoretical knowledge, skills ...

- I bought the magazine “Boats and Yachts”, it was quite large in volume, I studied it, and then it’s a matter of technology: I ordered material, collected stocks from my father in the yard and started work - I built the first boat in a season. It turned out to be a good powerful boat with steering control. By reducing the pitch of the propeller on the motor, I achieved that she developed a speed of 60 km per hour - this is very decent for water. Soon I built a second boat, more comfortable.

- Incredible! And what happened to them then?

- They were stolen (laughs). The 90s began, and that's it ... The boats were good, it's a pity, of course.

- Do you have your own literary experiences?

- Recently my book came out. I called it Life As It Is.

Let the readers say what I did. He wrote almost an autobiographical thing, trying not to forget any of those people who were the pride and foundation of our city and region. After all, we had such powerful factories in Bryansk, they thundered
all over the country! And, of course, all this worked thanks to the bright minds of our designers, engineers, solid hard workers, scientists. There are chapters on my family. My father also once left me several notebooks of memories. I am everything
classified and stored.

- Do you know your ancestry?

- The pedigree of our family can be traced back to 1812. As my father told me, my great-grandfather Pavel was the great-grandson of a Russian officer with the rank of second lieutenant named Zavaruev, a participant in the Patriotic War with the French in 1812. After the defeat of Napoleon's troops by the Russian army, he came to the village of Trubchino with his young wife and little son, whom he carried behind his back in a soldier's knapsack. The family settled in the village and laid the foundation for our family.

An interesting detail. At all times in the villages, fellow villagers were given various nicknames. This is still the case. The new settler did not escape this fate, who began to be called Podporuchikov, and then, for short, - Poruchikov. Over time, this street nickname became our last name. But you know what? All the Poruchikovs in the village are still sometimes called by the name of their distant ancestor - the Zavaruevs.

- What is your archive?

- Everything is in the computer version. This, by the way, is a great invention of mankind. Well, where now without a computer ?! In this way I have collected all the photographs, documents. I also wrote the book on the computer. He also posted the entire gallery of his paintings. There are a lot of them. Yes, there was a regional exhibition. I try to work at my easel every day. Time is fleeting. You start to paint the view from the window, for example, in the fall. And one day you see that in the picture there are the last leaves of the coming autumn, and on the trees outside the window they are practically gone. We flew around while working.

Using the computer method, I make small films about the life of my family, select melodies for the plots and sound them ... In general, I find something to do every minute. You have to live at any age, you cannot stop.

DREAMS AND REALITIES

- Ivan Yakovlevich, do you have a childhood dream that has not come true?

“I dreamed of becoming an aviator, but didn’t for a very mundane and offensive reason. I wouldn’t have been two years old when a drunken neighbor hurt my eye. She was carrying brushwood along a dark corridor, and then I turned up ... Had I even dared to enter after ten years, I simply would not have passed the medical examination. But all the same, when I was still a schoolboy, I went to an aircraft modeling circle. I had a neighbor, an older boy, Mitya Ivanov, he launched model aircraft from the mountain near our houses. I saw it and was smitten!

In general, since childhood, I was interested in any technique, and I took it very seriously. He himself assembled a camera, microscope, radio, tape recorder ... I am very glad that I participated in many All-Union and All Russian radio engineering exhibitions and even ran in them.

I have diplomas signed by Ernst Krenkel, a member of the famous Papanin expedition, a radio operator.

And I began to study according to Bunimovich's book "Do it yourself", for many years I did not get out of the circles in the Palace of Pioneers. He was fond of astronomy and made a twenty military monocular. I bought a very strong magnifying glass, glued the pipe made of papemache, only the glass was missing. I pulled him out of my grandmother's glasses! She discovered this when she sat down to knit. I had to give it back, and buy a glass plus one diopter at the pharmacy.

- Well, how, Ivan Yakovlevich, did you see the aliens in your telescope?

- Have not seen. But I looked well at the constellation Orion and various nebulae.

- What are you reading? What was the principle of building the library?

- I am reading a book about our fellow countryman Kamozin. Before that I had read all of Pikul, books about Ivan the Terrible, Andrei Gromyko. Collected the series "Life of Remarkable People". And my very first library was, of course, not my personal, but a library, which was located in one of the buildings at the temple. This temple has long been destroyed. But I still remember every author whom I recognized as a boy.

- Do depression visit you?

- Never. They visit only the melancholic and the lazy, and I am an optimist.

Elena FRUMKINA.
Photo by Dimid KULEBYAKIN and from the personal archive of Ivan Yakovlevich PORUCHIKOV.

We found the Russian Marilyn Monroe, the owner of a large PR Trend agency, Ekaterina Odintsova, in the process of preparing for an important event at the Profile Professional Club salon. While the masters were doing manicure, makeup and styling to Ekaterina, she told BeautyHack about her new project, her favorite beauty products and how a car accident saved her from depression.

How to be beautiful and enjoy life

A handsome person is a person with kind and cheerful eyes. I believe that an angry and sad person cannot be beautiful, no matter how much money and effort he invests in it.
When I’m angry, I don’t consider myself beautiful. But I rarely get angry, I have an easy character.

She became noticeably less annoyed with imperfections and mistakes after traveling a lot and realizing how good it is with us.

Earlier it seemed to me that somewhere there is a better life than ours. And now I understand how great it is that I am in Moscow, that I have my own agency and an incredibly interesting, eventful life.

And also in Moscow the best beauty service in the whole world. The concentration of beautiful beauty salons with professional masters per square meter is simply off scale - nowhere else! In general, they know how to do manicure only in Russia and a little in Italy.

How to cheer yourself up

I don't have a bad mood without a reason. In my youth, there was an overshadowing blues, seasonal depression, some kind of tears out of the blue.

And then I got into a car accident and underwent four surgeries. For three days she was between life and death, for two months she lay on her back, it was impossible even to turn even on one side. After this accident, I have never been depressed.

If it seems to me that something is going wrong in my life, I remember that I could now sit in a wheelchair, which, by the way, is not the end of the world, as the example of my amazing friend, the great woman Ksenia Bezuglova says (read our interview with Ksenia po).

Only a high-tech operation saved me from disability, which was done miraculously thanks to the help of a man who later became the father of my children (Boris Nemtsov - ed.). When I think about it, all the blues disappear. I remember that everything is in my hands, and I am in the hands of God.

And if I just didn't get enough sleep and feel bad, I fly to the sea!

As in that joke:

Girl, you are so pale, you need to see a doctor.

No, I need to be shown to the sea.

When I can't go to the sea, I do a home spa treatment with a hot towel.

You need to wet a towel with hot water and put it on your face, after moistening it with the strongest nourishing cream. I have it Extra emollient night cream by Mary Kay... After it, my eyes open immediately, and the mood rises! Often this procedure cannot be done, but as an SOS method it works perfectly. Of the professional masks, my favorites are Hydrogen Platinum Gel Mask by Enhel and a magic collagen mask Regenerating Mask Treatment Valmont.

Another proven way to cheer yourself up is to go to a beauty salon for procedures. I took care of it, increased my eyelashes, painted my nails with red varnish - well, what's the place for the blues?

New project

My friends and I organized our own community to exchange views on anti-aging procedures: it is called Ageless club... This is a club for those who want to live happily ever after and look young at the same time.

This is a club for those who want to live happily ever after and look young at the same time.

Most often I resort to the “moisturizing” ampoule - it nourishes and smoothes the hair at a deep level. This treatment is perfect for blondes, because it does not weigh down the hair, and the effect is completely natural. This is important for me, because I do 2-3 styling per week, and my hair needs protection and moisture after negative heat exposure.

Favorite beauty products and fragrances

I really love home fragrances. My apartment always smells like black grapes from FragrnceLife... I prefer for myself Escentric Molecules Escentric 01(we talked about this scent in detail. I also really like the old scent Infusion de rose prada... But I rarely use it because it is very intense. Another favorite perfume - Vanille West Indies St Barth.

St Barth Body Cream is the first item on my birthday wishlist. This is what I always use, especially when I'm on a diet: the safe vanilla flavor is not from the buns, but from the body cream.

I used to have very dry skin on my elbows, as if they had calluses on them. Probably, this is the effect of a long sitting at the computer. In my youth, I did not pay attention to this: you think, elbows like a turtle, what's the big deal?

But one day my ex-husband asked me a question: "What's wrong with your elbows?" After that, I began to actively use scrubs and moisturizers.

My recent find is a facial peeling system TimeWise Mary Kay. The set includes a rejuvenating peeling and face serum. It is peeling in our family that goes with a bang - my daughter (Dina Nemtsova - editor's note) loves to use it! For me, this scrub is the best. Its key ingredient is special crystals that do not scratch the skin, but exfoliate it effectively. I don’t save money - I use it on my elbows too. And for the body I really love the scrub Gommage tonic corps clarins .

I believe that cellulite creams really work, especially when applied with a massager and used regularly.

I like cream gel Smooth-Action TimeWise Body against signs of cellulite from Mary kay.

Regularity in procedures is my universal beauty recipe.

I always include my décolleté, neck and ears in my day and night care - they also need care and protection from the sun. I always apply face creams to the décolleté area - they are more effective.

At one time, Irina Khakamada asked me: "What do you do with all the banks of creams that they give you?"

I replied: "Something is worth, I redistribute something, because I do not have time to use everything." She advised me to use face creams on my body. Of course, an anti-wrinkle cream will not have an anti-cellulite effect. But they moisturize the skin perfectly, and take care of it more carefully. If you can afford to use a cream for the face and body, you must do it! I immediately noticed a tremendous difference in the condition of the skin. Nowadays a lot of good creams are released, and I want to try everything! I open the jar, and a week later I try another. Where to put the leftovers - right, on the body!

I would not have survived dancing at the "Heat" festival without Mary Kay Mint Energizing Legs & Feet Lotion... It has a cooling effect, removes puffiness and fatigue.

When taking care of yourself, it is important to remember that the skin is just a barrier. With the help of creams and other care products, we can only support her condition. And you need to start taking care of yourself from the inside. I have been taking beauty preparations Imedeen.

This is an American-made vitamin and mineral complex that truly supports the skin from the inside out. The drug acts on the skin of the whole body. I also use Imedeen - Tanning Optimizer. It contains components that contribute to a better perception of the sun by the skin. It's great when you come to the sea, and in three days you are already chocolate and tanned! After taking this drug, the tan lasts longer and lays down smoother.

I take care of my face with the brand's products Biologique recherche... I wash my face with milk Lait E.V., then I apply lotion Lotion P50W with acids. I use day, night and eye cream from this brand, I love their care!

Obligatory stage of home care - eyelash and eyebrow firming serum Mary Kay... I am naturally blonde, I have very thin hair and light eyebrows, this tool helps me maintain the thickness and shine of my eyelashes.

I have not tried anything better from make-up removers than oil-free eye makeup remover from Mary kay... It is a two-phase product, but it does not contain oily textures. Painlessly removes waterproof mascara even from extended eyelashes.

Favorite makeup and styling

I love classic Hollywood makeup: it goes well with my classic look - it turns out to be a Hollywood diva! The classic Hollywood arrow suits me, I am very glad that it is in fashion now. I look ridiculous with creative makeup.

A must-have tool in my beauty arsenal is eyeliner. I love waterproof liquid eyeliner Max factor xperienc e and Liquidlast Liner Mac... When you paint your eyes with them, you can dive, dance in the rain, cry - and your makeup will remain perfect!

You can read more about what these eyeliners are good for.

I always draw the arrows myself, even if I do my makeup in the salon.

I just know what my perfect arrow should look like - I've been drawing it for thirty years. She has always been a part of my image. I think I can draw her in any condition!

When I need a light tone with a weightless finish, I use a cushion makeup 3LAB Aqua BB... It adjusts to my natural skin color and is almost invisible on my face. And if I want a denser coating, I apply Mary Kay CC Cream in the shade ligh to medium.

By the way, the 3LAB Aqua BB make-up cushion has already gone down in history as one of the best foundation products. Why - we read.

My favorite styling for an evening out is Hollywood curls. I can't fit into everyday life. Clean hair is already a hairstyle.

But sometimes I stretch my hair with an iron or make loose curls with a hot curler. From hairstyles I like a high ponytail.

Who said that hairstyles need to be changed all the time? We don't change our face all the time. The hairstyle is part of the face.

Home hair care

My strong and long hair is the merit of my mother. Her hair practically didn’t grow, and she wanted my hair to be good. She applied burdock oil to the roots of my hair, rubbed birch sap into my scalp, rinsed my hair with a decoction of birch leaves and nettle. As a result, they grew very quickly, I had a braid below the waist!

She also made me a mask: she mixed a spoonful of butter with egg yolk, a spoonful of melted honey, lemon juice and a spoonful of a skate. It must be applied to the hair for 3-4 hours, creating the effect of steam heating (you can put on a shower cap and heat your hair with a hairdryer, and wrap it with a towel on top). We pass on this recipe by inheritance - now this mask is made by my daughter ( Dina Nemtsova - ed.).

I like very much shampoos and balms brandsMoroccanoil,St Barth, Heya. The brand has Lebel A chic hair care line. It is very expensive, but there are situations when you are ready to give everything to look good. For example, before a photo shoot or before a date.

A woman wants to look irresistible on a date at any age, not just 20.

Beauty, of course, is not the main thing in a relationship. More important is spiritual harmony and coincidence of interests.

We take care of ourselves for ourselves in order to feel more confident. When I do styling and makeup, I immediately want to go somewhere, I feel more comfortable in communication. That's important for me.

Make-up and styling by Ekaterina Odintsova: Profile Professional Club Text and interview: Daria Sizova

So you graduated from school, entered somewhere. You defended your diploma, finished your studies, and your main task was only one thing - to learn how to provide for yourself. The first job, the first experience, the first money - everything is a joy, everything is new, and it seems that an eternally interesting career full of various events and accomplishments awaits you ahead.

And then - family, children, vacation once or twice a year, and now, after decades of work experience, you understand: a routine has begun in your life. Yes, yes, that very routine when you suddenly have a lot of time from somewhere to think about something that you did not even have time to think about - why are you working at all. What are your prospects ahead? And does your work carry at least some value for your own family (besides what is enough for everyday needs) and for society?

And then you get scared, because the answers to these questions do not please you at all. However, you are not alone here: according to various statistics, the vast majority of people (from 70 to a record 92%) do not like their work, simply not seeing any value or any real prospects in it.

Why? The whole thing can be both in the change of your life values ​​and priorities, and in your undisclosed potential. Perhaps you have grown up children, and you no longer feel the incentive to make money for them, albeit to the detriment of yourself. Or you did not choose the right profession at all - perhaps under the yoke of your parents or the trends of that time. In any case, whatever the reasons, one thing remains unchanged - from now on you simply cannot get rid of the thought that you are working in the wrong place and not even in the area in which you should be.

Wait out the midlife crisis or change everything drastically?

What to do? Maybe it's just an age crisis that will end soon? Or are they just stupid thoughts in your head that will pass by themselves? They all live like that. Maybe we should wait it out? Yes, of course, you can - wait until the children grow up, when the situation in the country becomes more stable, when the financial cushion increases and when the mortgage is paid off.

The main thing is that later it would not be a pity that for so many years you have postponed the resolution of issues with the search for yourself. For so many years you have been waiting for the perfect time, but it never came.

I prefer to think that the best time is now! For life, for the fulfillment of desires, for dreams, for pleasure, for self-realization. Calculate how many more years you still generally plan to work? How much is needed to master a new profession or start a new career? Do not worry, you will definitely have enough - with a large, large margin. In my practice, there are already several hundred examples of people who find what they love and start from scratch at the age of 50. In this sense, the common cliché that "life begins after ..." should become your main attitude, prompting you to specific actions.

How to find your own business

How to understand what your soul really lies in? It is enough just to concentrate on these three aspects for a while.

Understand your abilities and talents. If it seems to you that it is too late to change the field of activity, then believe me - you underestimate yourself. And, most likely, you are much more capable than you think ( read also: Expect more: why you need to look for a position above your current capabilities). Plus, no matter how useful the skills you acquired in your previous job are, you have one invaluable quality - experience that will undoubtedly put you ahead of newcomers. Ask yourself: how much are you realizing your potential at this stage? It's good if at least 80%. Most are much smaller. So, your primary task is to understand your abilities, grope them and reveal them in such a way as to see and realize your greatest strengths.

Determine your true desires. What do you want to do? Not what do you need, but what do you really want? What kind of work to do? In which place? What objects? It is important to understand what interests can become your work / profession.

We arrange desires and talents. And we convert them into a specific profession or line of business, which will bring pleasure and good income. It is important to understand: what you love should bring results in the form of money! This is what makes it different from a hobby that you can get carried away with in your free time and without expecting any income.

How to go

You can tell me, “No, I cannot change jobs. I have a family, obligations. I can't just give it up and take risks. What if it doesn't work out? " So, I have a strategy in which everything will work out.

There are two of them in total: sharp, in which you almost instantly leave one area of ​​employment and move to another, and smoother. I recommend that most people focus on the second.

The plan looks something like this:

Defining what we love to do with the three steps outlined above - but still retaining a place in our previous job. At the first stages, it is important for you to maintain a stable income and organize your own fund both for planned (learning a new profession, savings for education for a child, if he is still young, etc.), and for emergency expenses (for example, if your business is not Will "shoot" immediately).

We define a set of skills and knowledge that need to be acquired for the transition to a new profession. Choosing training.

In parallel with studying in our free time, we are slowly trying to practice ourselves in a new business, while simultaneously calculating all our possible costs and potential income.

Only after reaching the first stable money can you think about the final transition to a new profession.

Estimated terms - from 6 months to 2 years, depending on the case itself and your individual speed of transition to it. However, it is important to understand one thing: this, in any case, is very fast on a life-wide scale. And most importantly, it is very fast on the scale of those years that you have already spent on your unloved work.

Photo: Getty Images, press archives