After running into an old friend from high school, you go home and look in the mirror. Your friend was easily recognizable after all these years but she didn’t know who you were until you told her. She has aged well, you think to yourself. Why do I look so old at the same age? Why are we aging differently.
All of us have different genes and life throws us curveballs that affect both our mental and physical health. These leave their marks on us for all to see.
So how do we deal with our outward changes as we age and how do we continue to maintain relationships with those who seem to be aging at a different rate than us?
People age differently. Maybe you have a seventy-four-year-old neighbor who participates in bicycle marathons. Meanwhile, on the other side of him you may have a couple in their late sixties who are physically falling apart. They may look more like they are in their late seventies and both use walkers.
Seniors are also subject to different mental states. Some people are on the ball until the day they die, while others become very forgetful. You can even hear the differences in their voices. They sound as frail as they look. It’s as if all of their energy has drained away.
This is difficult for seniors to deal with. Many don’t realize that aging begins early. Even in our twenties and thirties, there are some of us who still look like high school students while others appear to be the same age as their parents. Most of us tend to be friends with those who are aging at the same rate we are but there are others who like a variety of friends in different age groups. They are bothered less by the appearance of their friends look. They concentrate more on what friendships have to offer and what they have in common with others.
Thinking young does keep you younger looking. Seniors with animated faces and a bounce in their step, who are not overweight and who love life also look younger than their counterparts who are inactive, bored and overweight. Just as when we are younger, we tend to gravitate toward those most like us. If we wish to maintain the relationship because it has always meant a lot to us, we need to find common factors and interests so we can still spend time together, even if we are aging at different rates.
Whether you are the one who looks young for your age or, on the other hand, you don’t feel you are aging well, the most important factor is to always have interests, those you can indulge in by yourself and others where you share your time with friends. Eventually we all get used to the fact that some of us look older than others. Deep down, it doesn’t matter, what does matter is our relationships. And how we feel!
