How you feel about physically aging?

To be honest, I am terrified of it, but not because I'm afraid of looking old, or losing my youthful appearance or anything like that, but because of how it will feel.

I'm scared of all the physical illnesses and problems associated and afraid that it will hurt. I've never undergone any medical procedure without a general anaesthetic, and I honestly don't think I could. I avoid normal medical stuff that's done with sedation or local because of the fear of pain. I have severe anxiety that I can't deal with, and that is what terrifies me.
 
Griffschen said:
To be honest, I am terrified of it, but not because I'm afraid of looking old, or losing my youthful appearance or anything like that, but because of how it will feel.

I'm scared of all the physical illnesses and problems associated and afraid that it will hurt. I've never undergone any medical procedure without a general anaesthetic, and I honestly don't think I could. I avoid normal medical stuff that's done with sedation or local because of the fear of pain. I have severe anxiety that I can't deal with, and that is what terrifies me.
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Yes, I'm with you. Aging in and of itself doesn't bother me, if I can stay healthy. Pain, illness and incapacitation would bother me. I never made a living from my looks, and I've never been an athlete, so fading looks or physical prowess don't bother me much, as they might bother some people. Besides, one can stay healthy well into advanced old age, with effort and a little luck -- erm, and limiting the fried food. That is what matters to me: health and energy. Age does not *automatically* take that away for quite some time, if you don't let it. Age will get us all in the end, however, or else a grisly accident, if you're that sort, but the point is to enjoy health as long as you have it!

Actually, it is kind of nice to at least begin to move past the adolescent mating frenzies, and that intense focus on self and appearance and image and who likes whom and all that drama. And by adolescent mating frenzies, I mean this drive to couple we all seem to have lasting well into our 30s -- I think it starts to taper off somewhat, eventually, and people get just a little calmer and more sane after that. You can actually enjoy friendships with people of the opposite sex without wanting (too much) to get into their pants.

And at some point all the hard work we've done, all the experience we've gained, all the degrees (hopefully) we've earned, all that stuff... eventually we start getting rewarded for what we've done in our lives. Or punished, as the case may be. It can be satisfying to work very hard for something, get knocked down, get back up again, and finally, FINALLY, after what seems like an eternity, to be in a somewhat secure place, without the drama of the teens and twenties.

And personally, the older I get, the less I give a damn about what other people think of me, if I know I'm doing right. That can be a good thing. I hope it happens to you all.
 
I'm fine with getting older (I'm 55), but then again I have few serious health issues to contend with. Perhaps it's a matter of perspective.....in my mind I am 183, so yeah for 183 I feel great!!!
 
testing said:
And by adolescent mating frenzies, I mean this drive to couple we all seem to have lasting well into our 30s -- I think it starts to taper off somewhat, eventually, and people get just a little calmer and more sane after that.
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As if. :becky: :tongue:

:wink:
Ian
 
aeon said:
As if. :becky: :tongue:

:wink:
Ian
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hehehehe

Well, you give me hope. Or terror. Not sure which.

Attempt at re-wording: We often get so busy in mid-life, that some of us may at least be temporarily distracted from the Frenzy, and our interests and passions expand beyond it in a different way, which can actually be somewhat refreshing? Perhaps that is a better way of putting it.

It's so terribly poignant and painful for the very young, and so all-consuming for them... poor dears...
 
I don't care about the number or appearance THAT much. It's mainly the impact on function... I'm only 24 but I already notice things... My hairline isn't quite where it used to be. My left ankle is jacked up and is taking a lot longer to heal than when I was younger... I don't look forward to the loss of function as I age, but I'm not particularly concerned with this life. This is just a shell. I'm just passing through.
 
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I'll be 50 this coming April, so I have given this some thought.
Would I like to be 20 again?
Sure. But only if I could retain the knowledge I have now. I would hate to repeat past mistakes I made. On the other hand since I wouldn't be as naive, I may miss out on some of the good times. What I mean is, I now think about what the consequences of my actions may be tomorrow so I may hold back. That is one of the great gifts of youth is not having much worry for what tomorrow may bring.

Physically I am beginning to ache a little more. My knees don't appreciate more than a couple of trips up and down stairs, and I can't read a damn thing without reading glasses. That was something that seemingly happened overnight. At about age 45 it seemed like I woke up one day and was squinting.

My hair is graying, which doesn't bother me. To each there own but the thought of using one of those treatments to lessen the gray is silly.
I do still have a thick full head of hair which I am grateful for.

So overall I'm cool with aging. I don't allow it to define who I am and most guess me as being younger than I am.

Funny how when you are 20, 50 seems so far off.
But once you approach 50, 20 doesn't seem all that long ago.
 
I dont mind aging and looking different, I am just not looking forward to the immobility of old age.
 
I'm going to live fast and die young so that I don't have to worry about this junk.

Actually, I am not really looking forward to aging. I like being young and healthy. I don't want to have to deal with my body breaking down piece by piece before it finally completely breaks. Getting old isn't for wimps.

How well I accept it, I think, will depend a lot of what happens between now and then. I know too much about the social construction of aging and whatnot to take aging as most people conceive it seriously. For example, with the exception of alzheimers i guess (which kills you), cognitive function does not actually have to get worse when you age, esp. memory. Also, they've done studies where they took old guys and put them in an environment where everything was exactly how it was from when they were in their 20's, and they all became happier, had significantly increased muscle mass, etc.

The point is that you don't have to accept become old the way other people pretend you do. Yes, some things will decline, but it is nowhere near as bad as people assume it is. You can still be strong, healthy, and mentally aware and with it when you are old (and I'm not talking about playing dominoes to exercise your mind- I mean completely with it and able to function cognitively to your best).




I guess you could say I think getting old is mostly a self-fulfilling prophecy, and you can stay young in some regards if you choose to.
 
I guess according to Rogarn I'm on that downward spiral--I'll let you know how that goes.....
*laughing*
 
I have no fear of aging physically. When my hair goes grey I'm not even going to dye it. I just hope when I become old and less physically able that I will not look upon this time of my life and lament about how I didn't do more. It's a good motivation. You can't fight or fear what's natural. It'll give you a complex.
 
WHenever I think about aging, I think about this amazing interview with the architect, Phillip Johnson. In this interview he was 90...he lived 8 more years and only cut down his work in the last couple, but never stopped. It's worth a watch. He also didn't start his career as an architect until about 30 or so; once you find your passion, no matter when, do it until you die.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1521371649740956773#
 
I don't really mind much, aside from getting more aches and pains, being more suceptible to illness etc. I'd prefer to get healthier as I got older, as I'd have more things I could do (you know, with age comes freedom?).

It's a little disturbing on a certain level, 'cause when I'm older this version of me will have already died. They call it 'growing up', but it's like no matter how much you grow, you always lose a certain amount to compensate for it.
It's like a glass of water: you have some old, stale water so you tip some down the sink and fill it back up with fresh water - you've still got a little bit of the old water in there, but the new water's taken over, so you've lost what you once had.
I'm taking both physically and mentally with this (although mentally is more worrying for me).

Heck, I already miss being able to fall down some stairs and just get back up again. Children don't know how lucky they are XD
 
Fight it! Fight it! When I die, I want to skid ten feet! 'Rage Rage against the dying of the light!'
 
I've been pretty lucky. I still look a lot younger than I am.
But I'm more concerned with my future health than my looks as I age.
I've found it getting harder and harder to bounce back from even simple illnesses since I've hit 30.
I'm also worried about loosing my mind. 2 of my grandparents have had Alzheimer's and one has dementia. To me mental deterioration is much sadder than physical. I hope I live a long time with a sharp mind. If I'm destined to have dementia or Alzheimer's I hope I pass away before it sets in.
 
I am perfectly fine with it but I also look very young for my age (I'm 32 and can pass for early to mid 20's). I am tall, lean and muscular. There are some gray hairs but I love how it looks.
 
SouloftheLaurel said:
hmmm, people look at my face, they think I'm 16


They look at my body, they think I'm 22

I'm not sure how I feel about it.

I kind of like the idea of simultaneously appearing older and younger, it gives people the impression that you're mature, but a golden child at heart. That's how I've always felt about it.
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hehehehe :))

They look at my height and think I'm 10 :)) :))
 
It's strange because I can move between ages at will. I never look my own age (usually older), but it's weird to shift.

When I began training to be a teacher, I rocked a beard to give myself a more adult appearance. I didn't want my students acknowledging that I was only 7 years their senior. With the beard, I can range anywhere from 28 to 38. I've been told I could pass for my father's younger brother (he's 44, but he looks 35-36).

Without the beard, I range from 25-28 in normal times, can spike into the 30s when I'm very serious, or drop into my teens when I'm in a playful mood.

A friend of mine twittered a few months back that he was "Watching a living demonstration of human aging" while I demonstrated my many faces.

I used to be kind of bothered by my "looking older" deal, but I realized that I wasn't physically older, I just carried myself older. Not only because of having a higher MA, but also because I'd gone through some serious chaos in my past, which has aged me considerably. I now consider it a badge of honor, something I've earned by living through it.
 
How do you feel about physically aging?

Aging for me wasn't a process; it was an event. Until my early 40s I looked ten years younger than I was and took my robust good health for granted; I was a runner, avid backpacker, rock climber. Then, at the age of 43 I suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage that paralyzed my left side, significantly impairing my mobility. It took me a year to learn to walk again with the aid of a cane and an orthotic, but even that didn't last long. A year and a half after the stroke I fell and broke my left hip, ending my walking days. Since then I've used a wheelchair for mobility. Still, I remained physically active as I was raising my two young sons and working in the disability-rights movement. When I hit my 50s I *felt* old for the first time. I started menopause, which was a nightmare because of my mood disorder. It seemed to last forever, but of course it didn't. When it was over, I had many silver hairs among my former dark ash-blond hair and lots of new wrinkles. As a result of a change in medication, I put on weight for the first time in my life, going from a size eight to a size fourteen in a matter of two months.

I am 62 now and feel more beautiful physically than I ever have before. Perhaps it comes from being loved. I am more passionate and sexually more active than at any other time of my life. My bones are thinner and I suffer more fractures, so, yes, there's more pain, but I still heal relatively fast and the memory of the pain fades quickly as well. I have become the incredible shrinking woman, going from 5'7-1/2 to 5'5" in the last couple of years.

In short, all the things I dreaded about becoming old when I was younger have come to pass and I am here to tell you, it ain't bad at all. In fact, it's some kind of wonderful, but it's a matter of perspective. I entered the NanoWriMo contest and after one day realized that the stamina I had in my late 40s is long gone. It's a disappointment, but a minor one. I will write the novel, just not at that pace. And my priorities have shifted as well. My younger son is going through a rough patch and needs time and my attention. In a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving and the day after that I will marry the man I love. I want to enjoy every minute of the preparation for both events.

So do I have any sage advice? Not really; I'm saving the sage for the stuffing at Thanksgiving. But I will tell you that what has worked for me is to embrace whatever life brings you, Learn something new every day, whether it be about yourself, a loved one, the universe Most important--at least from my viewpoint--is to remember that nothing is intrinsically good or bad; it's all in how you perceive it.

Signing off before I gag you all.
 
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