Thursday, 03 September 2009

  • Fear of Growing Old

    I've heard it said many times before: "I hope to die young so I won't have to get old." Have you ever heard this, or maybe even thought it? I personally have fallen victim to these words from time to time and it really got me thinking. Why are some people afraid to "grow old?"

    So I asked a complainer why they dreaded getting old and I was given some typical responses which were: not being independent, physical ailments or the body breaking down, the wearing of diapers, loneliness, mental diseases, being grouchy, and the list continues. After considering these, I realized that the future was looking rather dismal, but I knew that wasn't true and this is why.

    Many people today I have come to find live for the now and want to have a good time. It doesn't seem like you can or will have fun when you're older. I traveled with a missionary group a few years back and often feared the trips to nursing homes. I always assumed there would be grouchy old people giving me dirty looks. How wrong was I? Many of them were funny as hell. They may not have been out dancing and clubbing, but they seemed to enjoy company from others and good conversation. 

    Also, your way of thinking changes as you, mature. The things or interests you felt were most important or most appealing at one point are not as important any longer. I'm 22 and enjoy going to clubs. I spoke with an unlce recently and he told me that all he wants to do is go home, watch TV, and spend time with his family. "Clubbing is boring to me now." 

    I also think much of fear simply comes from not knowing. No one knows what the future will hold for them, but they'll focus on the negative and forsee their future as simply that. Have you ever thought something as a child, then when you were older realized it wasn't true? When I was a teenager, all I wanted to do was turn 21 and live life. Now I wishI was closer to 30 at times. It seems like it'll be so great to go out and have fun, but then you realize you have little financial stability, if you have a college degree and you're starting your career you're starting at the bottom, or you're battling your way through school, new responsiblities and expectations are piling up. I told this to my dad and asked if we could switch places. He laughed and said he wouldn't want to be in my shoes again. Many look into the future expecting something, but when it comes up, it's not what they were looking forward to.

    Okay, so if  that didn't help ease the mind of future diaper wearing, look at it this way: Every person is differnt and each person faces different challenges. Life is short, but it can be fulfilling if you take advantage of it. You may one day end up with one or two, or maybe all of those ailments some people fear of obtaining, but dweling on it will not make life enjoyable. Take everything as it comes. Don't rush, constantly longing for the future, it'll be here soon enough. Don't live in the past because it's not coming back. Enjoy who you are today and what you have right now.

    Healthkicker asks: Are you afraid of growing old?

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Comments (38)

  • methodElevated@xanga

    "You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old."
    George Burns
  • wolvenchic@xanga

    awesome  quote @methodElevated@xanga !!

    Personally!? I would LOVE to grow and bee 100 years old (or more). My boyfriend's great grandfather was 1 month away from being 100 years old, he lived in mass, he was a doctor and even at 99 years old, he beat a reporter playing pool! Very intellegent man too, when he was in his last moments, he was measuring his own heart-beat and pulse. Making jokes the whole way through.

    My great grandfather (on my moms side) smoked cigars everyday, got hit by a train and still lived to be 96, the guy rode his cycle machine everyday and freaking loved wheel of fortune. Guy made me laugh so much! My grandad on my dad's side may have had some wear and tear, but in never stoppped him from traveling or enjoying his favorite desserts ... the older I get, the more grateful I am to be alive!
  • ScorpioInBlack@xanga

    OH hell yah...I don't want to live in retirement home and treated like a child...and taking large amounts of medications to keep me alive.  I'm one of those people who want to pass before my bodily functions begin to fail in embarrassing ways.
  • silskezz@xanga

    i want to live as long as i can no matter what..no question about it.
  • mewithoutu77@xanga

    Honestly, yes, I do fear growing old.  I think more when I was younger and a teenager than now since I'm an adult.  When I was younger, I thought 30 was old and enough to die because my dad died of cancer when he was 29.  He was barely an adult and then he died.  So my fear of growing old was that I might get cancer and die before 30 but now that I'm 25, I'm more confident of who I am and if I were to get cancer, I would battle it through whatever.  And I don't fear too much about growing old because I know who I am now and what I want.  I also wonder what it will be like growing old with my SO and having children and seeing my grand children grow up.  So even though aging is a bit scary, I'm not scared of it as much as I used to be.
  • NikBv@xanga

    I have no fear of growing old... because I'm going to live forever. That's right, I've discovered the secret for eternal youth, and it can be yours for a low, low price! Message me privately for more details. Some conditions may apply. Possible side effects include premature ageing and even death.

  • Princess_Sakurina@xanga

    I dont really want to get old


    but when I do i want to make it over 100
  • Morningstarrising@xanga

    No way! I have no fear of growing old.  I have a bigger fear of my daughter outliving me, but that doesn't have much to do with a fear of growing old, but a fear of what will happen to her after my husband and I are gone (she has autism).  I will appreciate every single day of my life, though, no matter how old I am when I pass away.
  • niceBrice@xanga

    I'm 20 and I'm already terrified.
  • agmhkg@xanga

    at the age of 40+ and seeing people around me start the aging process....and even going away fast.....is horrifying.....
  • xraindropsonroses@xanga

    The only fear I have about growing older is that I will have to become completely independent and I still don't know what I want to do for a career.

  • baconlicious112@xanga

    i'm afraid of changing
  • Ork58@xanga

    Not so much the age but the ability to care for yourself and be pain free. I am in my fifth decade, and still am in my 20's in my mind. My body doesn't agree. I don't have the stamina or strength I did even 10 years ago, that is hard. I enjoyed raising my kids and I miss them now they are on their own. They were such a huge part of my daily routine. Leaves a real void. I watched my Aunt nurse her health for years. Ate right, exercised and walked daily, etc. Had a stroke at 88, and is now frail, afraid of falling, housebound, lonely. All her friends, classmates, etc are dead. She is terrified of having to be in a nursing home with all those "old people" watching them sit around and drool on themselves, can't care for themselves or even feed themselves. She walks on pins and needles. One fall, a cracked bone, she'll go in a nursing home and never be let out. It's mental hell to live like that. Getting old sucks. You can call it waht you want, but that is the reality. I don't want to enter heaven with a perfectly preserved body. I want to come dragging my ass in, all worn out and used up, and say "BooYah, that was a great time, can we do it again?"
  • chelseanataliex@xanga

    I also don't want to be old either, it's just a common thing I guess that everyone wants to be young, I don't really know why. But, they just do; no one wants to get old because of a lot of reasons and I have my reasons, too. So yes, I do fear growing old. 

  • Chandlerklebs@xanga

    I just want to stay independent. I hope to still be walking miles like I do now as long as I live.
  • Erika_Steele@xanga

    I am growing old, there is no need for me to be afraid of it.  However, I refuse to become a person that is old at heart.
  • xox_blackroses_xox@xanga

    yes.  i am much to happy being young.  no one likes adults anyway.
  • soniiuh@xanga

    Not now... I'm still pretty young. I'm sure I'll start to freak out when I'm 28. 
  • KelseaPhobia@xanga

    I'm terrified of growing old. When you get old, you forget things. You forget your family, yourself, and your most precious memories. And in my family, almost everyone has developed alzheimers, and I don't want that to happen to me. I guess all of us who are afraid of growing old just need a reason to want to.
  • DistantStarlight@xanga

    I'm not afraid of growing old myself. The only thing I'm afraid of is that my sweet husband will die long before I do. If we can grow old together, I'm sure we'll find the humor in most things, even adult diapers. As long as I don't have to be alone, old age doesn't sound too bad.


     My 90-something year old great-grandmother is pretty healthy, although she lives in a retirement home mostly for companionship and a little help with eye medication, and she is sharp as a tack. Her mind is all there. 
    My grandmother on the other side is in her 70s but is beginning to lose some short term memory. However, she and my grandpa still have a loving, wonderful relationship. They still take romantic mini vacations to the mountains together and my grandmother, since she's losing it a little, is even more likely to brag about how they have great sex. >.
  • calisartangel16@xanga

    r u kidding me?!? i cant wait to get old! but i dnt think ill make it there! lol i just cant imagine myself old and wrinkley. lol
  • LovelyLady0808@xanga

    I just turned 20 and already live on my own,have a husband a kid ect ect in the army too. So Im still young but I feel like Im a million years old lol But then again I look younger and am under 5 feet tall so I get mistaken for younger , i love it!
  • adept_of_chaos@xanga

    It really depends on how you take care of yourself.  My parents did too many drugs and drank to much and they both had all kinds of health problems (along with a lot of their friends and siblings of the same age and life style).  On the other hand, my grandmothers are some of the most active people I know.  The one is a total playa and had 5 boyfriends for a long time until she got bored and picked one out of the bunch. 


    I'm not saying don't have fun, just saying it never hurts to exercise and get your antioxidants and avoid heorine. 


    I'm turning 28 this weekend and I'm happy with that age, I'll also be happy when it's 38, 48, ect.  Maybe you guys will be in the old folks home, but I won't be ;)
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  • ShimmerBodyCream@xanga

    IHOPE MY VAG DOESNT SAG

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