How to deal with getting older in a culture preoccupied with youthfulness

There is an anxiety associated with getting older. But there are strategies that can be used to tell you how to deal with getting older.

Be comfortable with your changing looks

Confront your changing looks. Notice your first wrinkle, those smile lines, graying and thinning hair. Also notice those darkening circles below your eyes, besides the varicose veins, brown spots on your hands and face. There is the loss of muscle tone, that hanging skin on arms or neck, in addition to the hot flashes.

Identify yourself

You may be trying to hide from the world by layers of protection. In reality, that will only make you look ridiculous. It is a state of denial. You may be using it to cover up the shame and embarrassment that you feel as you age. But the problem here is that you are clinging to an illusion. Also, you would be relying on the approval of others in order to validate that illusion.

Listen to your inner self

There is an ongoing conversation within us. We may try to ignore it but that is not correct. So you should honor those dialogues by listening to them.

Stop blaming your elders

This is the part where you begin to blame your mother for your looks. As adults, we need to behave in a more mature way. Rather than feeling a loss of control as you are getting older, you have increased opportunities to fine-tune your responses that now come with experience.

Consider your adolescence

You need to remember those days so that you can compare! There are parallels between this gray-hair anxiety and that awkwardness you had gone through as an adolescent.

Enjoy your aging

Do not mourn the youthful part of yourself that is now embedded into your memories. Do not panic. Do not run after coloring every gray hair. Consider each silver strand as a proof of a new wiser, and mature you.

Just sit back and relax. Think when you were the happiest. Most likely they will not be your younger years. This is because you are much gentler with yourself now, and know yourself much better. You can be a true friend to yourself and do not need validation from others in any way.

You need to think differently, and come up with completely new meaning of beauty. All that you need to do is a lot of raw but candid self-exploration. Next, you need to follow the principles of acceptance. This way you would be able to experience peace.

Remember that beauty is not skin deep. While bothering about what you have lost due to age in terms of looks, think what you have gained in terms of age and experience. This is something that only you possess. You gain a lot more in terms of control. All this leads to a certain amount of glow to your overall personality that cannot be rivaled by any younger person.