May you always stay forever young.
~Bob Dylan
Have you ever wondered why some people age slower than others while others are on the express train to old age? Sure we can attribute it to genetics, yet, there are crucial factors to staying youthful. Therefore, to understand aging, it is helpful to understand age.
1) Chronological age is your birth year. It is a number.
2) Biological age is what you do. It is a combination of your actions and your chronological age. For example, if you are an equestrian, you may have the stamina of a younger person but the knees or hips of an older one. On the other hand, if you are an athlete that spends an enormous amount of time outside, your skin may look ten years older. Yet, your lungs and heart are of someone 10 or 20 years younger.
3) Psychological age is the age you feel. Have you ever met someone who was young in chronological age but seemed like an older adult? So mature and yet so young?
Or someone that looked so young ( for their age) and was not.
Our biological age, combined with our psychological age, contributes to how we appear.
We cannot alter our chronological age. Of course, we can somewhat vary our biological age with healthy choices. But, our psychological age is the one we can change to affect a youthful attitude.
Our thoughts define us, so the thoughts and words we describe ourselves and our lives are influential in creating our reality. These thoughts also regulate our mindset on aging, which is critical. It dictates how we feel about aging and the aging process.
The mind is very suggestible; think something, and your mind will create it. Have you ever thought about the sour taste of a lemon or a pickle, and your salivary glands start to pucker? That is because the body has created what the mind was thinking. Or do you tear up when retelling a story or remembering a poignant moment? Even though that is a memory, your mind is recreating it for you.
It happens the same way with the words we choose to describe ourselves. Our thoughts directly relate to everything we manifest in our lives. Our thoughts become what we are thinking.
Here are 11 stepping stones to a more youthful you.
1) Start with your attitude.
When you say: “I am too old” to do something, it verifies to your mind that you are old. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are only as old as you feel you are. Replace that thought with; I have always been youthful. I am young at heart, then take action and do something fun.
2) Live your Psychological age, the age that you feel. Ignore those that tell you to act your age. If you still feel 40, 30, or 20. Rock it! Stop telling people your age and tell them I’m old enough, or, if you must, I am ( your age) young.
3) Wearing the world’s weight on your shoulders will age you before your time. Let go of the problems that you have no control over.
4) When you think you are not as sharp as you used to be and that it must be my age; replace the thought by learning new things. With aging, we lose muscle mass each year. It is also true of the brain. Brains games, learning new technology, and engaging in ambidextrous activities. Use the opposite hand or foot in daily activities. Learn a new language or musical instrument.
Change it up if something becomes repetitive and the brain becomes good at it. Anything that changes your routine forces the brain to remain active and alert.
5) When we have aches and pains and remark, my back hurts, it must be my age, replace those words with I may have overdone my yoga class, bike ride, gardening. I’ll bathe to soothe my muscles or be easier on myself tomorrow.
Remember that if we attribute aches and pains to age, our body will create what we think.
6) Flirt. Flirt with a man. Flirt with life. Flirt with the idea of doing something daring and fun. Feeling passionate about something will take years off of our faces. Passion makes you feel alive.
7) When you see a reflection of yourself and think, I look old. Substitute the word old with tired or pale. Replace the thought with doing something for yourself that makes you feel beautiful.
The vanity in vitality is a good thing
Get your hair done. Make a reservation for high tea with your girlfriends and get dressed up. It will keep you vital!
8) When you say this, stress is killing me. You are correct; it is indeed very aging for the body. Replace the thoughts with actions that will de-stress you. For example, take a walk, do some yoga or try a meditation class and just let go. Learn to release that you cannot change, and refuse to live in a world of what ifs.
Try Ohming. Remember, thoughts are powerful. Saying that it is killing me is a fast track to the psychosomatic influences of the mind.
9) Refrain from spending time with people that complain. Particularly with those that complain about their age and ailments. Seek out younger people to spend time with. Feeling young at heart is key to staying young.
Set an example and encourage your friends to do the same. Multi-generational gatherings are stimulating and uplifting. They expose us to cultural trends, music, food, new vocabulary, dance moves, and energy!
10) You can not smile and frown at the same time. Do something that makes you smile. You will always feel more beautiful with your lips turning upwards. Smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and your happiness.
11) Have Sex. Aside from it just being fun, it stimulates your creativity… So get creative.
The Let Go way is to change our thoughts and see how life will change. We cannot outwit father time. However, we can make the best of our time. I chose to follow in my mother’s footsteps; she vowed never to be old, ill, or a burden. She lived a life of joy and on her terms. When she was ready, she said she would go to sleep. She was true to her word.
RIP Mom aka Kiyo Glenn Sharp; 1933-2022
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh
