Aging is inevitable so why not enjoy it?

Do you remember, when you were a kid, how excited you were about getting older? Adults seemed so cool and commanding. Plus of course, they were allowed to do whatever they wanted! As we experienced the shift from childhood into teendom, the adult realm just beyond represented the opportunity to rise above the perils of puberty and claim total autonomy. For most of us, that forward-looking aspiration—that inclination to embrace aging—tends to continue as we look to women who are older, more together, and more accomplished. That is, of course, until it doesn't.

And why is it that having crossed a certain threshold in midlife, we suddenly start looking backward instead of forward? Aging is an entirely inevitable reality of life, so why place such a negative slant on it? It's true that we can't avoid the challenges that come with getting older, but each twinge of arthritis or embarrassing senior moment represents a trade that should be met with gratitude, because in return for their presence and in reward for our kick-ass endurance, we have not only mastered the credentials of cool and commanding but also claimed the prize of untold wisdom and experience.

True, we can't gloss over the grimmer aspects of aging, but we can definitely choose to navigate them without even a smidgen of shame. All while actively exploring new ways to find joy and continue to evolve. Are you ready to enjoy and embrace aging—perhaps even doing so just a little disgracefully? If that sounds fabulously appealing, then here are some tips:

Embrace Aging Now—Yes, Now!

There is an element of the self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to assuming that all of the negative stereotypes of aging are our sealed fate. For example, evidence suggests that those with a negative expectation of the process of getting older may actually decline faster than those that don't. However, in contrast, embracing aging with curiosity and optimism can have quite the opposite effect, enhancing both mental and physical wellbeing.

“I don’t believe in aging. I believe in forever altering one’s aspect to the sun.” —Virginia Woolf

This makes the notion of doing everything we can to treat aging as something to avoid seem quite silly. To put it another way, we place only the greatest esteem on aged wines and liquors, rarefied antiques, or majestic long-standing trees. Why not treat ourselves to the same celebration? To do anything else is to overshadow a period of our lives that should be filled with its own distinct flavor of joy, while also being free of the sense that there's somewhere more important ahead to get to.

Move and Meditate With Reverence

Fascinatingly, it would seem that both movement and meditation hold the power to protect our brains as we age. We often hear that exercise is important for maintaining muscle strength and coordination as we age, but it provides an additional perk in the form of countering the natural shrinkage of the hippocampus—a loss associated with increased risk of dementia.

In perfect complement, meditation has been shown to slow biological aging by protecting the integrity of our telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes that guard against decline. When we add into the mix that both practices ward of stress, the appeal of a dual routine becomes quite compelling.

Become a Joy Seeker

Stimulating the senses, learning new skills, and making social connections have all been associated with more positive aging experiences. A study looking into what happened when participants actively sought out things that invoked wonder and awe perhaps partially explains this, as they discovered that the more those positive powerful emotions were tapped into, the more quickly and more readily they could be accessed.

“If you associate enough with older people who do enjoy their lives, who are not stored away in any golden ghettos, you will gain a sense of continuity and of the possibility for a full life.” —Margaret Mead

Another study tied getting frequent cultural fixes with a lower risk of mortality, suggesting that a richly stimulating life—shared with friends and filled with opportunities to experience the new—is a means not only to find more joy in the now, but also to elevate our quality of life for longer.

Time to Take Control

Rather than feeling bereft about aging, there's a lot to be said for taking control. Instead of mourning an empty nest, consider the achievement of having sent whole, new, human beings off into adulthood as a cue to establish a vibrantly reimagined home life. If you feel dissatisfied with your current status quo, seek out a life coach or take a course to gain the skills you need to define your next chapter.

“With age comes the inner, the higher life. Who would be forever young, to dwell always in externals?” —Elizabeth Cady Stanton

If you feel uncomfortable with the physical changes that come with aging because you can't freeze the clock, then why not make a change and reinvent your appearance? One of the best ways to embrace aging now is to let go of the urge to resist the passage of time, and instead use it as an opportunity to discover new versions of yourself. This can also include exploring what younger generations are bringing to the table with curiosity and openness—because there's no reason to step out of the conversation when you can instead add to its richness. There's nothing stopping you jumping from on TickTock if you want to!

Fundamentally, with every passing generation, new paradigms are envisioned and old ones are overturned, allowing society to grow. Just because we've potentially got more decades behind us than before us doesn't mean that the wisdom those years afforded can't flow out as a voice in the endless conversation that is the human experience. Enjoying every possible moment of our lives from start to finish means understanding that joy is growth, and crucially, it is change. Because every positive experience changes us, just as we change the world around us by moving through it.