Consider calming yourself by talking about what is upsetting you. Talk to a trusted friend. Disconnect for a while. Take a break and go somewhere that lets you disconnect from networks, be they online, social or otherwise. Give yourself some space to gain perspective and to truly relax. Clear your mind of all future thinking, where worries about aging tend to pop up.
Accept that you won’t be able to move past being upset about your age if you’re fixated on wanting to be younger. Turning back the clock is not an option. It’s impossible to wish to be younger and suddenly be a child, a teen, a young adult again.
Remember good memories for what they are––good memories. Be content with knowing that you have had those wonderful experiences without feeling that such events can’t be again.
If ill health, a disability or other challenging issues have changed your life’s direction, now is a great time to work out what is within your capacity rather than constantly lamenting what is no longer possible. Things are still possible, they’re just going to be different things and it might take some more research and self-convincing before you’re on a new and more interesting path again. Realize that there are lots of things still ahead of you. Make the most of the opportunities that still exist. [2] X Expert Source Adam Dorsay, PsyDLicensed Psychologist & TEDx Speaker Expert Interview. 11 April 2019.
Read biographies of people who lost large chunks of their lives due to imprisonment, political repression or similar challenges but then went on to lead fulfilling lives much later, people such as Nelson Mandela and Václav Havel. Use their stories as inspiration for getting your own life back into gear. There are also plenty of books about starting over or transitioning at later stages of life; don’t feel it’s impossible, as many people have managed this successfully.
By talking openly about your age worries with people of your own age, you’ll open up a space in which you can all talk freely about a commonplace concern. Not only will this be a cathartic experience but you will also be socializing and being with people is one of the best ways to cheer yourself up.
Smile more often and make daily excuses to laugh. Positive emotions will help you move beyond the feelings of desperation and disappointment. Think about what is good about your life right now rather than obsessing about what was so great about the past.
