I’m going to tell you a true story.
I once went to the doctor, to complain about sudden fatigue. His weary response was to remind me that I was getting older, so tiredness was “inevitable”.
I was only in my forties! But more than that, he was wrong. In fact, I had a tumour on my lung that was restricting my breathing – so no wonder I was tired. Once that tumour was removed, my energy came back. Simple as that.
We tend to see doctors as the ultimate voice of authority about our health, yet I think we are being tricked into expecting too many negative changes as we age.
Do you know people who no longer fully enjoy life; who have stopped meeting new people or learning new things, just because they are “too old for that”?
I certainly do, and it makes me feel sad. Whenever I discuss age with people, I’m far more interested in how old they feel, rather than their biological age. After all, we have all seen or heard about people still driving, dancing, or even going to the gym in their nineties, while other people feel “too old” by the time they turn sixty. This fact alone suggests that we all approach ageing differently.
Imagine if your biological age was irrelevant – that you had no birth certificate, and your age was simply based on the way you feel inside. How old would you say you are now?
There is real scientific evidence to show that believing you are younger than your birth certificate brings huge health benefits. You’ll have less chance of developing mental degeneration or physical illness, you could recover more quickly from surgery, and you may even live longer! Doesn’t all that sound amazing?
Every thought or idea we have causes a physical reaction. This means that if you tell yourself all about how young you’re feeling, your body will respond. The mind learns through repetition, so you will need to plant the seed of your younger beliefs, water that seed every day and watch it grow.
So, just how will you plant that seed?
1. Start by noticing your core beliefs about ageing. Try to question the negatives – are they actually true, or are they simply based on the way you feel about yourself?
2. Make a decision to think differently every day. You could make positive affirmations, including, “I’m feeling younger every day! I am taking better care of what I eat, and my energy levels are improving.” “Feeling youthful is
available to me, and I’m so excited about feeling younger.” I feel younger than my age, I love my body and I take care of it.”
You get the idea! Write down a few of your favourite phrases, so that you can repeat them daily.
3. Stop worrying about the future…and relax! The future is out of your control, so what point is there in imagining that you will fall ill one day? Instead, why not picture yourself living a long, healthy life?
4. Enjoy today, and make the most of all that is available to you.
If you do nothing else, I would like you to promise to stop instructing your body that you are old! Stop telling yourself that you are falling apart, that there is no hope for happiness in the future, or that it’s “all downhill after the menopause”.
If this is too difficult, perhaps try to imagine that you are from Mars (yes, you read that right). One Earth decade equals just 5.3 Martian years…so with some simple maths, you can slow down the ageing process as if by magic!
You know that old saying, “youth is wasted on the young”? Well, it really doesn’t have to be that way. If you are young at heart, you can benefit from all the wisdom that comes from life experience…and still enjoy all the energy and exuberance of youth.
What an irresistible combination that is!
So begin today. Create a happier, healthier future for yourself, simply by changing the way you talk about your age, and the person you are.
My ‘Slow Down Ageing’ audio has been recorded to help you along the way, so why not download it now?
