Do you not enjoy your birthdays anymore because your age makes you anxious? You could be experiencing what experts call age anxiety, it can also be associated with the fear of ageing called gerascophobia.
By definition, according to Springer Link, age anxiety refers to negative feelings and fears associated with growing older, including physical, psychological, social, and transpersonal losses. The publication continues to explain that the physical losses include health changes, sexuality shifts, and outward appearance changes and psychological losses involve dependency, cognitive decline, and poor life satisfaction.
If you have read this far and realised that you actually are anxious about growing old, then you could use some help. Luckily, there are ways you can utilise to lessen the anxiety and live life peacefully, because to be honest, you don’t have to go through all of that. Ageing is inevitable, as much as we would love this but no one lives forever, therefore growing old shouldn’t be something that bothers us at all.
Here is how you deal with the anxiety of ageing:
Normalise the emotions: According to Happiful, normalizing anxious feelings is important for coping with them, because ignoring them will do you no better. “The very nature of anxiety can feel threatening to us, and we can get stuck in a fear and anxiety cycle, so changing the way we respond to our thoughts is important in making a change.”
Focus on what you can control: The above publication also claims that as we age, we often worry about what might happen to us, a fear of not having control. To manage this, it is advised that you focus on what you can control, whether it’s a small action or a larger issue. “How we choose to view our situation is one of the main things we always have control over.”
Create cheerful hobbies: Next Avenue mentioned that creating happy daily activities helps to maintain positive choices. “Continually take time in your day to express gratitude for the good things in your life; try to bring humour into your daily life by enjoying some comedy on the TV or radio or watching a DVD.” The publication continues to state that taking a walk, riding a bike, or engaging in outdoor activities can lift spirits, reduce stress, and improve health.
Stay connected: Finding ways to connect with others is essential for maintaining health and preventing loneliness, depression, disability, hardship, and loss, according to the Help Guide. It is mentioned that regularly connecting with friends and family, spending time with them, and maintaining communication with them can help keep relationships fresh and maintain a positive outlook.
