Researchers have various methods of measuring age and perhaps the one that matters most at the personal level is subjective age. This is the age that you “feel” yourself to be, not the number of birthdays you’ve celebrated.
Subjective age is influenced by what’s happening inside our bodies and what’s happening around us – from the local to global level. Experiencing or witnessing traumatic events affects us – and ages us. Stress impacts subjective age by hindering the immune system to escalating aging at the cellular level.
If you’re a “Boomer” or older “Gen Xer” you’ve lived through some major historical upheavals. You’ve witnessed hard-earned progress in areas such as Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and the embrace of environmental advocacy and action. These were big wins, but the need for these achievements underscores the inequities that were present for far too long.
Fast forward to today, where we see rights being stripped away and people’s lives endangered by the very body that is charged with protecting the nation and its people, the government. It’s normal to feel anxious, stressed, or like you’ve aged years in a month.
To turn back the clock, volunteer for a cause you care about – altruism is healing. Find community – friends are top-notch stress buffers. Get outside – fresh air and sunshine lift moods. And guard against spending too much time marinating in news sites that only confirm your worst fears or generate new ones.
Science verifies you’re only as old as you feel, and if you’re exposing yourself to stress inducing stimuli without an emotional safety plan in place, you’re aging yourself a lot quicker than nature would.
I’m Suzanne Degges-White and that’s my perspective.
