For decades, society has been told that aging is a disease. The media and the billion-dollar anti-aging industry reinforce this belief with fear tactics and temporary remedies.
When you believe aging is a disease, it’s easy to see it as an elusive thief that steals your zest for life, cancels your dreams, and forces you into a lonely, discontented life.
Could humanity’s view of aging rest on invisible rules and false societal myths we were taught are unchangeable?
If rules of aging exist, where do we find them, and can we rewrite the rules?
Beginning with this article and the accompanying video, we are going to address these questions and their answers in a new, 5-part exclusive series for 60 and Me readers titled “Rewriting the Rules of Aging”.
The Rules of Aging Are Hiding in Plain Sight
The rules of aging hide in plain sight. They are woven into our limiting beliefs, thoughts of low self-worth, and amplified by outdated stories and societal myths about aging.
In fact, the rules of aging are what fuel ageism and are the primary reason loneliness and isolation are now seen as an epidemic among an aging population.
We know the rules of aging exist, but how can we rewrite them?
The #1 Key to Rewriting the Rules of Aging
If you can’t see them, you can’t break free of the rules of aging, which is why being consciously aware of them is the first, and most important, key to rewriting them.
The rules of aging shape how we see ourselves as worthy of having our dreams and desires fulfilled as we age. Although they affect all generations, none are beset by them as much as people over 60.
Despite how pervasive the rules of aging are in everyday life, they’re hard to define and elusive to spot unless you know where to look. That is why the first place to uncover the rules of aging is to examine some of the most common challenges, obstacles, and beliefs millions of people see as insurmountable as they age.
- Feeling Unloved
- Low Self-Esteem
- Fear of Change
- Self-Doubt
- Limiting Beliefs
- Health Issues
- External Obligations
- People Pleasing
- Lack of Role Models
- Loneliness & Isolation
- No Support Networks
- Financial Constraints
- Unhealed Trauma
- Overcoming Past Regrets
- Resistance to Technology or New Skills
These 15 common challenges, obstacles, and beliefs are pervasive as people age, and their crippling effects are well documented. If they’re so well known, why are the rules of aging so elusive?
The Rules of Life Are the Rules of Aging
People have confused the rules of aging with the rules of life, which many believe are unchangeable.
Authority figures, from parents and educators to bosses at work, taught us the rules of life, and what we could be, do, and experience was almost entirely based on age. Getting older was once seen as a license to freedom, whereas now it is perceived as a death sentence.
To rewrite the rules of aging means we must be willing to rewrite the rules of life as they were originally taught to us. That is why we don’t rewrite these rules with an overly busy life, self-sacrifice, and hard work. We do so by turning inward and loving ourselves more.
Aging Is Not a Disease, It Is a Mindset
Rewriting the rules of aging is an inside job because aging isn’t a disease; it is a mindset.
Your beliefs and thoughts shape your mindset, and your mindset sets the tone for how you interact with your external reality while directly affecting your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
“Belief alters biology. When we break free from the collective stigma of aging and view our years through the lens of appreciation and soul wisdom, we literally down-regulate our stress hormones and protect our neural reserve.
Self-love is the ultimate pattern interrupt. It is the bridge from losing ourselves in the doing part of life to finding everlasting peace in being. True vitality is an inside job.”
This quote is inspired by longevity studies and the collective mind-body breakthroughs of stem cell biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton and Yale University’s Dr. Becca Levy.
As the author of The Biology of Belief, Dr. Lipton’s well-known work pairs flawlessly with Dr. Levy, who is known for Stereotype Embodiment Theory (SET). Dr. Levy’s groundbreaking data provided physical evidence that internalizing positive aging beliefs alters stress hormones and preserves neural tissue.
Dr. Lipton and Dr. Levy’s work, along with that of many others, shows that positive thinking isn’t enough to rewrite the rules of aging; you must embody it from within.
Rewriting the Outdated Rules of Aging
Rewriting the rules of aging requires looking inward to identify limiting beliefs, outdated stories, and false societal myths about life and aging, then replacing them.
Inspired action step for rewriting the rules of aging:
- Write down three limiting beliefs you have about aging.
- Reframe these beliefs into positive, growth-oriented statements.
- Example of a Limiting Belief: “Passion for life fades with age.”
- Example of a New Empowering Belief: “Passion for an exciting and fulfilling lifestyle deepens with experience, self-awareness, and confidence.”
- Write an empowering affirmation to reinforce your new belief.
- “I am growing into a version of myself that is wise, confident, creative, and passionately alive.”
By rewriting limiting beliefs, taking inspired action daily, practicing self-compassion, and rewiring your neural pathways with empowering affirmations, you can confidently rewrite the rules of aging and create a deeply fulfilling lifestyle.
Join me in the video as I share 10 empowering affirmations to help you rewrite the rules of aging.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What rules about life and aging rule your life currently? Are they true and grounding or limiting? How do you proceed when you hear a rule of aging that you disagree with?
