Rather than fearing getting old, here’s how to embrace it

I might have a messy CV (communication, psychology, ageing and mindfulness), but I feel like it is all coming together. Today I am proud to say I had an article published in psyche.eu

I thought I would share some of the article with you here:

Do you dread getting older? You are not alone. There’s a widespread assumption that old age is painful, lonely and unattractive. While most of us in the developed world appreciate the medical developments that mean we can expect to live around six years longer than our grandparents, we don’t actually want to be old. Marketing and media messages tell us that life is all downhill from the age of 50, and we are offered copious amounts of ‘anti-ageing’ products or lifestyle changes that can help us avoid going down that hill.

With an increasingly older population, I believe it is about time that our collective mindset on ageing catches up with reality. Luckily, the negative picture you’ve probably formed about ageing is simply not true. For instance, research into the so-called happiness curve indicates that our level of happiness increases from around midlife and up until the age of 70. Yes, it might take you a little longer to learn new things late in life, and you might perform some activities more slowly than you used to, but there are also many ways in which older age is a strength. With increasing age, you can expect to accumulate better knowledge of the world and become better at retrieving and applying it, and for your emotional intelligence to increase.

Of course, as in all stages of life, old age brings distinct challenges. But instead of telling older people to age ‘successfully’ (which basically means ‘Don’t age!’), I think we should be more supportive of these challenges. After all, we do not tell teenagers to avoid the challenges of their age. Rather, we try to facilitate ways for them to face their challenges and come out wiser and more resilient. We should support people transitioning through life after 50 in the same way. In that spirit, here are some ways to embrace increasing age, so that, instead of running away from it, you can let it be a catalyst for growth.

You can read the rest of the article on psyche.co (it´s free!)