Are you older than your age, or younger? You are what you believe.
Can an illusion become a reality? Can a perception created about ageing become a reality for someone? Can you convince someone that they are a certain age?
Is your age equivalent to the number of years you have spent on this planet? Is it possible that you are older or younger than what you counted on your last birthday?
Is the statement ‘what you think, you become’ relevant to ageing too? Can you age faster or slower if you manage my thoughts? Can you feel your real age?
How much sense do people make when they compliment, or comment “You don’t look your age…!”?
Considering the signs of ageing as slowed physical movements, cognitive processing and biological processes, decaying of tissues leading to lines and wrinkles on face, dullness of skin, etc.
We are driven by our beliefs. What we believe we can, we act towards it, and that is a sign of youth, while a sedentary lifestyle is a symbol of ageing. Sedentary life also happens to be one of the apparent behaviors of depression or stress which is caused by the lack of willingness, or strength to act due to believing in one’s inability. A life in which one stays in bed, with least exposure to sunlight leads to undernourished skin showing lines, wrinkles and dark spots, sleepless nights lead to dark circles under the eyes that are actually signs of ageing. Mental illness can also lead to smoking and alcohol consumption to the level of causing issues with respiratory and digestive systems (biological processes) and ageing of skin. Lack of exercise( or limited physical movement) and low exposure to sunlight, another symptom of depression, leads to slowing of limbs, physical complaints such as back ache, headache and pain in the joints. This is a clear demonstration of how one’s belief or perception can turn into reality.
Passage of time: It has been demonstrated through experiments that aged population perceives time less accurately (passing at a speed slower than it really is) than the younger population. However research on time perception of depressed population is less conclusive.
I find a common affirmation, “I’m ageing”, “I’m aged”, “I’ve grown old” in people around me. Many a times it seems to be a witty comic getaway out of tasks, however, if we observe it is also apparent in their movements at the moment. What’s the issue in that, you say? Our body listens and responds depending on the strength of the affirmations. Our body and mind are not different. Lack of physical movement and exercise lead to faster ageing, reduced telomeres and tend to be signs of depression and mental health disorders.
Ageing doesn’t need to be in number of years lived, but the way in which the years are lived. A 90-year old man who keeps the guts to be positive about climbing a mountain and outrunning a youngster can be apparently younger than the youth with above affirmations. This is how my grandfather lived his life.
We notice, as people age, they start expecting things, situations to obtain or happen in their lives. They want their life to be predictable, hence they start predicting life however, also realistically engaging in goal- directed behavior. Younger the population, lesser the expectations out of life and situations and people, greater openness to novel experiences and the world around, greater tendency of moment- to- moment living. Hence it is observed that the younger population is less susceptible to fall for illusions than the older population. So might it be possible with mental age too?
It is said that seeking novel experiences makes time appear to have passed at a pace faster than it really did, at the moment but slower in retrospect. Thus, it makes us believe that we have lived a longer life. What a wonderful way to trick our mind and stay young.
If we can be of age greater than our number of years on the Earth, can it be possible to slow our ageing, or even better, reverse it? It might not affect the death rate accordingly, but definitely lengthen life significantly because of the life choices we make.
So can we achieve slow ageing, or better, age reversal? We can surely move towards it… by making the following choices and following through them. A gradual incorporation for a prolonged period shows its results.
- Increase readiness to vulnerability, acceptance of our limitations
- Persist and persevere to achieve one’s goals
- Dream and strive to fulfill them
- Stop expecting, start acting
- Seek novel experiences
- Observe things and situations, than predict
So now, how seriously would you take someone who is trying to predict your age? How much would you let it affect you if someone says, you don’t look your age? What age would you like to feel?
Whatever you decide would be new, don’t miss the opportunity to observe it and its impact on your body, and then getting deeper into your mind. Have fun.
