4 Myths about Aging That May Be Limiting Your Potential

Knowing how to handle aging can feel challenging, but you have a say in what happens as you age. Start by taking your aging self seriously so that you can start taking precautions right away. The aging process can be controlled in part by you, one tiny step at a time. You don’t have to fall for the many age-related myths.

4 Myths about Aging

Here are four myths about aging to consider on your journey:

Myth #1: During your retirement years, you should do nothing but relax and enjoy life.

Our culture has conditioned us to believe many age-related myths, such as that once we reach retirement age, life will be all about leisure and relaxation. There is a place for leisure and relaxation, and different people will define these in different ways. It is important to recognize, however, that leisure and relaxation do not mean doing nothing and avoiding growth.

Whether you’re financially prepared or not, it’s difficult to imagine that you can spend the majority of your retirement years just relaxing. Many people find themselves living for decades after retirement, especially with life expectancy rising.

Doing nothing for decades is not beneficial, and it can be harmful to your health. The idea that you shouldn’t do anything but relax when you get older is probably one of the aging myths that causes the most harm.

Can you imagine what would happen to your brain and body if you spent the majority of your later years watching TV rather than pushing yourself to experience new and exciting things that would help you learn and grow?

Traditionally, we have viewed longevity as three linear, clean life stages. The way that we view retirement years in the modern world is more cyclical and interspersed between stages as a result of longer life expectancies and cultural changes.

Seniors yearn for adventure and active lifestyles, according to research by Dr. Ken Dychtwald’s Age Wave organization and Merrill Lynch. According to their survey, seventy-two percent of people who are close to retiring would like to continue working after they retire and view retirement as a transition into a different line of work.

Another 2016 study from Oregon State University asserts that working longer promotes healthy aging. Researchers discovered that people can benefit from staying active and involved. Additionally, seniors who worked even one year past retirement age had a significantly lower mortality rate.

According to other studies, lifelong learning is also beneficial to your health. According to a study by David Cutler and Adriana Lleras-Muney, those with higher levels of education report suffering from fewer acute and chronic illnesses overall.

Myth Dispelled: There is evidence that suggests seniors want more from their retirement years than a straightforward life of leisure. Additionally, science demonstrates that staying healthy and living a long life are improved by being active, social, growing, and learning.

Myth #2: Dementia, loneliness, and depression are typical aspects of aging.

As you get older, it can be harder to meet new people because you’re probably not interacting the same way you used to. You may not be connecting with your co-workers as much and you are probably less inclined to be socially active.

Struggles faced by older adults are also on the rise:

• Depression is diagnosed in one in five baby boomers at some point in their lives (Gallup)
• Alzheimer’s and other dementias cause one in three deaths in seniors
• Over thirteen million older adults live alone, making them vulnerable to isolation and loneliness

Myth Dispelled: These alarming statistics can be avoided, or their symptoms reduced because they are not an inevitable result of normal aging.

Even though memory loss and a decrease in mental endurance are affected by age, forms of dementia are not included. The phrases “I misplaced my keys” and “Why are my keys in the fridge?” are completely different from one another.

You can take proactive measures to influence the things that are under your control. Making lifestyle changes and maintaining a social life are two examples of healthy habits that can prevent you from joining the statistics that are on the rise. According to the Hebbian theory, you can keep your brain active and form new neural connections up until the day you pass away.

Myth #3: As you get older, you become less competent, less capable, and less changeable.

To better understand another of these age-related myths, let’s examine some research:

• 24% of seniors volunteer, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
• Age Wave and Merrill Lynch’s study, which I mentioned in Myth #1, also demonstrated that 47% of people who are currently retired either work, have worked, or intend to work after retirement.
• Retirement provided an opportunity to switch to a different line of work, according to 58% of working retirees.

Myth Dispelled: Some behaviors are becoming more popular as people get older that demonstrate how seniors give back and contribute their knowledge, abilities, time, and energy to the workforce or a cause they support. By itself, this indicates that aging can have a significant impact on one’s ability to be effective, competent, and adaptable.

When you join a new organization, whether to work or volunteer, you must push yourself to develop and contribute, and you do this through your competence. To adapt to a new environment or system.

This is just one of the many myths about aging, as evidenced by the large number of senior citizens who are participating in volunteer work and the workforce. Many older individuals are effective, competent, and changeable.

Myth #4: As you get older, you become less creative and adventurous.

This is one of the more pernicious of the age-related myths. Many incredible people reach the height of their creativity and adventure in their later years. Even if you’re not particularly close to them, you probably know some outstanding seniors in your personal life who are thriving as they age.

Consider the following:

Eve, who is single, extremely sociable, and active in her community, has surfed on a longboard well into her eighties.

Elle, who is also very active in her community, continues to sell her handmade clothing at an annual art festival, kept her driver’s license valid until she was 93, and participated in her final breast cancer walk in New York at the age of 90.

Many well-known people serve as incredible inspirations for all of us, even if you don’t personally know any of them.

Gladys Burrill, a cancer survivor who made history by finishing the Honolulu Marathon at age ninety-two in 2010, ran her first marathon at age eighty-six.

George Blair, also known as Banana George due to the yellow wetsuits he wore, was renowned for his extreme barefoot water skiing. He began learning the sport well into his forties and practiced it until he was ninety-two years old. George died in 2013 at the age of 98.

Known for photographing John Lennon on the day of his murder, Annie Leibovitz (born in 1949) is a well-known American portrait photographer. She was the first woman to exhibit at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery and is still active in the arts today. In 2017, she announced the launch of her online photography course.

These are only a handful of the more well-known and impressive seniors in the world.

Myth Dispelled: Getting older can inspire you to be more adventurous and creative if you work on reaching your potential. There are many changes you can make in your daily habits that can ignite your creative fire and sense of adventure with the right mindset, resources, and willingness to try.

Do You Worry About Getting Older?

It is no surprise many people struggle with the idea of getting older given the many myths surrounding aging, especially in our culture where ageism is so prevalent. To dispel and demystify the fear surrounding some of the prevalent misconceptions that you may be struggling with, it can help to speak to a professional.

You can address your fears openly and rationally working through them to achieve freedom from things that hold you back. Contact us and speak to a counselor who can help you through Cognitive Behavior Therapy or talk therapy.