This Mom's 'Rules of Aging' Will Make You Lose The 'Birthday Anxiety'

Rules of Aging Birthday Anxiety Aging Anxiety Fear of the Unknown Effects of Aging Anxiety

By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Nov 02, 08:20 pm

Never again feel bad about birthdays and the additional year on the age with these set of rules about aging that is said to be proven true, a mother said.

Cameron Albert-Deitch, Success Editor at CNBC Make It, has watched a friend have a panic attack over the thought of turning 30 years old, and just last month, he spent a long weekend for another friend's 30th birthday where "over the hill" jokes kept on flying.

He has seen people hyperventilate upon graduation at the age of 22, thinking that they are already hitting adulthood. And, honestly, it is odd for him to see all these people getting "birthday anxiety," because he has never experienced this ever.

Aging Anxiety

"Birthday anxiety," or also commonly called "aging anxiety," for young people, could mean trying to rule out the mid-life crisis. Another significant element to aging anxiety, according to Yoav Bergman, a social psychologist and faculty of social work at Ashkelon Academic College in Israel, is the "fear of the unknown."

According to recent research by David G. Blanchflower from Dartmouth College, people are in their unhappiest state at the age of 47.2 - caught in the middle of what they have achieved and where they are supposed to go. It is hard to be happy on this point when answering those questions can be overwhelming and fearful.

Birthdays bring in front a sense of physical and/or mental decline, lesser social connections, changes in appearance, and the reality of death drawing closer.

Moreover, Bergman states that aging is often linked to a period where there are losses and no gains, which to him is inaccurate based on his study on aging anxiety for the past decade.

He further said that how a person perceives his/her aging process is an important determining factor of one's physical and psychological health, and even longevity.

And, Deitch cannot agree more because aging is actually beautiful and exciting. Thanks to his mom who taught him the "rules of aging," which saved him from being anxious whenever another year is added on his age.

Age is a number that should be meaningful

Lose the "birthday Anxiety" with these "Rules of Aging" that Corey-Jan Albert, Cameron's mom and a "professional creative" - part marketing writer and strategist, part playwriting teacher and singer-songwriter, in the Atlanta area, has created 25 years ago and has been practicing since she was 30 years old.

One's 20s are mostly practice - they almost don't count.
One's 30s is about figuring out who he/she is going to be.
One doesn't pick up speed until his/her 40s.
One doesn't gain real momentum until his/her 50s.
One likely would not have made his/her "most significant, make-a-difference in the world achievements" until his/her 60s.
One reinvents the self in his/her 70s
Therefore, one cannot possibly be old until he/she is well into his/her 80s, and even then, everything is still uncertain.

As per Deitch experience, to embody these guidelines can help one feel so much better about getting older and aging, which results in a healthier well-being and a more highly successful life, as experts have it.

Bergman also emphasized that one's peace in aging can reinforce self-confidence every day.

"Even now, at age 59, I have never felt bad about a birthday. They've all proven true. Forget the saying that age is just a number. Sometimes, those numbers are meaningful. It's just a matter of making them meaningful in positive ways," Albert declared.