8 replies to this topic

[ViolettVol]

Befor you laugh out lu at this, hear me out and maybe direct me to appropriate articles

I'm 27.. drat 28 since yesterday. When I turned 26 I got into this panic about aging. I looked at myself in the mirror, saw no wrinkles -in fact, I looked like 8 years younger than I really was, people kept thinking i was in highschool. ,But since my 26th birthday in the back of my mind there has been this thought "According to sciene and biology, you started aging" And only a few months later, I started noticing wrinkles and felt less energetic, sort of thought myself into "being older"
On the other hand I read about a movemetnt of people who meditate, refuse to accept their own aging.in one article, a woman in her 60's reversed her loooks into early 40s.

Is such mental power possible? Even in theory?
Please dont laugh or dismiss me, just tell me if any neuro-scientists have studied this and if such a thing is possible. Human mind is powerful, that I think no one can dispute.
And please dont be offensive, i'm fragile

[Droplet]

My deepest sympathies...I'm 28 next month!

As for "thinking yourself old," I do think from people I've met that it is possible. The healthiest old people I've ever met have been those who stay as active as possible and ignore their biology until it finally floors them. When I was about 19 in college, we had a seventy-odd year old woman on our A-Level Psychology course who had more life in her than most of us! What I did notice is that she used to say how she related more to and enjoyed the company of young people as well as not focusing on her biological age.

I have also seen it work the other way in that people with small ailments begin to convince themselves that they are now getting old and it is as if the focus on their aging makes it somehow worse.

I do think that it is not a far fetched idea to "think yourself old" in the same way as you can "think yourself sick." I personally would guess that it has a lot to do with the fact that you are focussed on the getting older/sicker and so being more aware of the slihgtest change. Perhaps the stress of doing so is what eventually makes one look older.

I too am no expert..these are just my thoughts.

[corb]

started noticing wrinkles and felt less energetic

I'm not sure about the wrinkles although I think 28 is a bit too early for those, on the other hand skinnier people get wrinkles earlier so it depends on your body really. Also stress can cause an influx of cortisol in your body and cortisol CAN cause your skin to wrinkle, so yeah it's possible to stress yourself into looking older.

The loss of energy is definitely in your head though, your mitochondria are supposed to work at maximum efficiency at least a decade more. You're probably depressed and you might need to workout more and a better diet, but there is no way a healthy 28 year old would have less stamina than a 20 year old, in fact most people reach their peak physical condition at 30.

So cheer up, go for a jog and eat some prunes and oatmeal.

Edited by corb, 08 October 2011 - 02:26 PM.

[ViolettVol]

Thank you guys for your positive responses, they really make me feel better.
My problem with "thinking myself old" started when I noticed I had almost zero interest in the job in the field i have spent my 19-24 year old period studying. I've alwasy trulyn wanted to be a singer, i used to sing since i was like 4 althoguyh my education was very patchy -tutot here, tutor there. Now in my mid 20s i became more self aware and reaolized this is my true passion in life but heard and read so many messages that I am too old. That no one will want to listen to a new singer who is starting to wrinkle and is not teenage and hot. (And I thought all that even though I look 21 and could pass for a teenager) Me thinking that caused me to develop some underyeye wrinkles from crying and overall stressed my skin...
Do you think I'm too old to become an artiost and be somewhat successful at it? is it possible that future technological developmnents will allow us to look as young as possible?
What mental attitusdes should I adapt to "think myself younger" and not depressed (psychological therapy didnt work much, they thooguht i went too much into philosophy)
Any advice is appreciated, but be kind. Can I still become a singer?

[Marios Kyriazis]

You are never too old for anything. Age is not important, it is the way you see your age that matters.Forget what age you actually are and get on with your life. The more active (mentally and in spirit) you are the less likeley it will be that aging will affect you. When you become 40 or 50 years old and you read posts about 28 year olds feeling 'old' you will laugh at their naivity (in age terms).

[Droplet]

You are never too old for anything. Age is not important, it is the way you see your age that matters.Forget what age you actually are and get on with your life. The more active (mentally and in spirit) you are the less likeley it will be that aging will affect you. When you become 40 or 50 years old and you read posts about 28 year olds feeling 'old' you will laugh at their naivity (in age terms).

Amen to that.

Violetvol, at least you know what you'd like to do and have a passion in life. I envy people like that.

[brokenportal]

I think you could yes. Depending on what you're thinking about your body puts together and sends out various chemicals among other things. You list some examples, and then one of many more examples is that presidents are known to become grey soon after entering the presidency. Some are thought to age more rapidly because of it too. I was reading about Abraham Lincolns supposed quick aging and they were attributing it to the heavy cost of his civil war embroilment woes.


Lincoln the year before taking office. Lincoln in 1865 after 4 long years of dealing with a terrible war.

[nowayout]

Well, I am not disputing that stress can wear you down, but Lincoln looks pretty much the same to me in both pictures, modulo differences in lighting and zoom.

[mettmett]

Here's something I made up on this matter: "We don't slow down because we get old, we get old because we slow down." Meaning, as we age we usually let different things in our life get in the way of us keeping active and staying healthy/young. That being said I do believe that you can 'think yourself' young.

http://www.wendi.com...n_of_youth.html You should check that out if you are serious about this. I haven't tried this product personally but I have tried a couple of her other ones and can attest they are worth the money, which isn't much anyway. She uses binaural tones in the background and has a naturally soothing/hypnotic tone to her voice.

Also, you could consider getting your hormone levels checked and make sure they are at the levels they are supposed to be. I have read a lot recently about bio-identical hormone therapy. The word hormone originates from the greek word which means 'put in motion.' So if your hormone levels are off then your body isn't being put into the right motion.

You should research more on that on your own.

Good luck