Fear of Getting Old Phobia – Gerascophobia

Source

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” ~Mark Twain

Hello Fam! Good to have you here again. Kindly check out my last post on Seed Sowing, i talked about how you can unlock great treasures forever, through Sowing seed.

Growing older is inevitable; aging is by choice . Time is said to be the greatest assets we have. Time represents life, and the time we use can never come back to us.

Everyone tends to be in a rush in this world. Getting old is something that happens to all of us and like death is sadly inevitable.

To an extent, most of us are afraid of growing old. No one wants to lose their youthfulness, develop wrinkles and face other health problems that are inevitable with age. Right since the dawn of mankind, humans have been searching for the mythical fountain of youth.

Gerascophobia is derived from Greek ‘tha geraso’ which is a phrase that means ‘I am getting old’ and phobos meaning dread or deep fear.

Causes Of Gerascophobia (Of The Fear Of Getting Old Phobia).

It is generally accepted that phobias arise from a combination of traumatic events, heredity or genetics. Many specific phobias can be traced back to a specific triggering event, usually a traumatic experience at an early age. It is believed that heredity, genetics, and brain chemistry combine with life-experiences to play a major role in the development of phobias.

Symptoms Of The Fear Of Getting Old Phobia

• Feeling dizzy, fainting
• Shaking, shivering, developing chills
• Thoughts of death or dying,
• Palpitations and rapid breathing
• Inability to think or express oneself clearly- feeling disconnected with reality
• Feeling total loss of control- feeling as if one is going mad.

While this is perfectly natural to a degree, it is also unhealthy when it is experienced in the extreme, and if you find yourself very scared of getting old then this can start to become a distraction and a source of stress that needs to be counteracted. So how do you go about overcoming this fear and viewing getting old in a more natural and healthy manner?

1. Get To The Route Of The Problem.

it is very common for fear of ageing to really be a fear of death, and this is a universal fear that is nevertheless magnified to an unhealthy degree in some cases. If you fear death you might not only have an aversion to ageing yourself, but also the site of other elderly people who serve as a reminder of your mortality. It may be that you also have adverse reactions to other stimuli that is associated with death – whether this be skulls or other imagery.

In any case it is important to recognize the source of your phobia and to track it back to what is really causing the problem. Sometimes facing a painful memory or idea can greatly help to lessen the impact of a phobia through understanding.

2. Shifting Focus.

What would open up for you if you knew your age was nothing but a number? Once I decided to look at the process of growing older with compassion and see it as a gift not everyone receives in life, everything changed.

We create our own reality through the way we think and the story we tell ourselves about each and every experience.

3. Loving Myself: Mind, Body, And Soul.

In the same way that I am not what I do, I am not my body. My spirit refuses to be put in a box or labeled. If I identify my human value through my physical appearance, the process of aging turns into a burden.

According to research, the people who live longest are located in Okinawa, Japan. People there eat healthily and exercise. They don’t stress much and have a social life, despite their age. That’s what I also got to see during the years I lived in China and South Korea: older people exercising, doing tai-chi or chi-gong, dancing or singing in the parks of Seoul or the big squares of Shanghai. They were keeping themselves active and spending quality time with like-minded people in their communities.

Happiness is a mental and emotional state of being; it comes as a result of the choices we make. It’s all about attitude, perspective, and what we make age mean to us. We all are what we believe.

So next year I’m turning forty—nothing but a new beautiful number, a time for brand new opportunities and a gift from life. Getting older is a reality, and I have decided to embrace myself with love, despite my age. I know I’m going to end up with more wrinkles and I’ll love them, too. True self-love is valid at any age; there’s no expiration date to that.

4. Energy Psychology Or The Emotional Freedom Technique.

This is a form of acupuncture therapy without needles. It helps get to the bottom of the phobia by removing negative association with getting old.

5 . Plan.

It’s also a good idea to plan for the future and for old age. If you are currently dealing with your fear by refusing to think about death and this eventuality, then this will only result in your being unprepared and more frightened as a result. If you know more of what to expect, and if you have made plans, then it can make the whole matter a lot less alien. Things like preparing a good pension, and making some plans for how you will spend your time (travelling, writing a book, learning a new skill, working with charity etc) can all help you to actually look forward to at least elements of your old age.

And now, I would like to hear from you. Have you ever felt scared of the idea of getting older?

Thanks for stopping by, you are highly appreciated. 

Many thanks to @gbenga and @jodipamungkas for the cool badge.