Does aging scare anyone else?

[Whengcame]

A few pictures came up on Facebook of some local ladies. These women are not old. They would be late 40s going on 50. Seeing their pictures scared me because they aged so quickly. I couldn't believe it. It would be a few years since I last saw them but they looked well before. Now, their hair is thin, and there are winkles on the face and they did not look good.
Seeing what's in store for me for the future.

Truly terrifying isn't it? Poor woman ,I'm so sorry. Makes me quite cross when I hear women moaning about a few lines.

Couldn't care less about hair getting thin and wrinkles

The thought of death and infirmity getting nearer is a worry.

I’m over 60. My motto. I’ll never be younger than I am today. Don’t know why, but that puts it into perspective for me.

The other thing I think about. We don’t know how long we have on this earth. And with modern medicine we somehow think we should all have an allotted 80 plus years, and if someone dies before that, they have been shortchanged.

But I don’t think like that now. Some of us will get long lives, some tragically short and some quite middling. We just don’t know who, but we can’t beat the odds. I’ve done well to get to my age. I don’t mean health wise only, but I’ve avoided accidents and all the other things that cut life short.

My mother died suddenly at 86 from a stroke. Up til then she was living very independently, getting more frail but living as she wanted. She would hated to have had a long illness and be in hospital. We all agreed for her it was a good death.

But, i happen to know she had high blood pressure and a thyroid condition, and wouldn’t take the medication from the Gp. It’s given me something to think about.

I am afraid of losing my dignity and being a burden. I am afraid of losong freedom, being unable to walk or run, or enjoy fresh air. I am afraid of not being useful. So I really do not look forward to old age.
A family member recently died aged 75 in her sleep, having just returned from a lovely family holiday. Sad for those left behind, but I see other family members getting frail and suffering with dementia, and I don't want that to happen to me.
I find the physical reminders of my body failing, such as wrinkles and grey hair, a bit depressing because of all this. I don't particularly want grey hair, but what is represents is my fear, rather than how it looks.

Ageing is better than dying!

The only thing about ageing that concerns me, is possibly being a burden to others - I will not allow that to happen!

Now and again. I think it frightens everyone. But the alternative is death. And if we live once i dont to die young. Youth and beauty are one part of life. Hopefully as we age we realise we are more than that, we are deeper than that. All of life is a lesson in letting go.

To reassure you...its a normal and totally understandable fear that every human being will experience to varying degrees. Try to embrace the present- we only go round this lifetime once.

I'm not scared by that kind of cosmetic aging, no, not at all. I am somewhat scared by the likelihood of reduced mobility and general physical and mental decline in 70s/80s/90s. Hoping for quick and easy death without too many years of serious health problems but realise few people have the perfect outcome, however much they look after themselves. I'm over 50 and husband is over 60 so I am definltely more aware these days that there are only so many fit and healthy years left. Obviously that was always the case, but it seems to have become more pertinent since our last big birthdays. Plus we have very few older relatives left now.

Nah it's fine. I'm 50 and I don't look like I did a.few.years ago but meh.

I'm more concerned with loss of function though. I can feel that I'm less strong, have less stamina, and things like my eyesight aren't as good as they were in my 40s. I worry about loss of bone density.

I won't be bothering much with my outward appearance but I do need to give myself a kick up the arse and get some strength training going.

I don't mind ageing but then I've never been one of those people who want to look eternally 25. They clearly aren't happy. Dying in pain. I won't because I will just order a prescription of morphine and inject myself if I have to!

Ageing per se doesn’t scare me. Losing my looks doesn’t scare me. Dying doesn’t scare me as such, as that’s the end point of suffering.

What does scare me is losing my health or being in chronic pain and suffering. That scares the shit out of me.

Ageing as in grey hair, wrinkles etc couldn’t give a toss but that’s what a YOPD diagnosis will do for you.
As well as losing two good friends under 50 within 6 months of each other, where they were alive and seemingly well one day and gone the next makes you put things into perspective.

Dying scares me. Every time I think of it I have to snap out of it, otherwise I end up in a downward spiral.

Wrinkles? No. If you’ve put a lot of importance on looks, that’s quite sad, there’s so much more to life.

Thd only thing that bothers me is being less able. I’m early 40s and love running and sports and walking for miles with our dogs. I hate the thought of not being able to do those things but I guess it will be gradual so maybe not too bad. I don’t worry about it though, the only thing I can do is look after my body, eat well and hopefully I’ll stay active til I’m very old.

Ageing scares me lots more now.

I was happy and healthy 8 years ago. Then I had a mild traumatic brain injury and post concussion syndrome, and got brain damage and was injured by psychotropic meds (am antipsychotic called Pericyazine prescribed off label for severe anxiety and insomnia after the head injury). I now have a permanent neurological involuntary movement disorder that is a bit like Tourette's and Parkinson's combined.

I feel like a tired, totally different person now. Not looks wise, but my brain doesn't work well any more. I'm not as sharp cognitively, i have bad reactions to side effects of medication and I hate the fact I am permanently like this now for the next 30 odd years.

Losing my looks would have been far preferable to any of this.

@WilsonMilson losing my health has been the worst thing in my life. You are right to be scared. Appreciate your good health while you have it. I wish I had 💔😭

This!

I don't care about looking older - I'm in my 50s and happy to look it. My mum was always obsessed with aging and staying young looking - what a waste of head space. She is in her 80s now so of course she looks wrinkly and old, I can't believe she ever bothered fretting about it.

I am lucky to be fit, healthy and active, my greatest fear is something debilitating that stops me getting out into the wilds and walking up mountains, which I love. I don't give a toot what I look like doing it, as long as I can do it.

I'd be terrified to if I hit my 50s and grow 'winkles' on my face

I'm 48 and totally at peace with my wrinkles. I do dye my grey hairs though!

I'm in my 60s and laugh in the face of people worrying at 40.
Those in their 80s probably feel the same about me.

But I have learned that it is not what you look like on the outside that counts.

I have wrinkles on my face, not ecstatic about it but just ignore it. Never been that bothered about my looks and never used make up. My hair still looks dark from a distance, but more grey now in the last 18 months.

I'm fit and healthy, no real problems at all, everything working ok. I do need to wee a bit more often than I did which is annoying as I love walking and try to walk at least an hour a day. I do admit to forgetting things though, now and then I'll intend to do something then forget it. My main problem is insomnia, which is awful at times, ok at others. Had it for decades.
I do a lot of decorating, gardening and generally active. I live on my own and this is one of the best times of my life. I've adult children and grandchildren and am retired.

I'm 73. So I count myself extremely lucky to be able to say the above. So old age isn't as awful as you may think for some. Don't judge until you are there. Being shallow just makes you worry about things which are superficial, concentrate on being as healthy as you can be, that's the absolute priority. I've always tried to look after myself and not eat much processed/junk food.

A close friend died aged 66 and I think of her and know how privileged I am to have the years she hasn't, and am so very grateful. It won't always be like this I know but will face things as and when they arrive. I hope not to be in pain for years, that is my biggest fear....not my looks.

I’m not scared of looking old but I am scared of my body falling apart and my mind disintegrating. I’ve watched it happen to others in my family and already there are simple household tasks that are a problem for me.

Don’t fear the wrinkles and silver hair. That’s like worrying about crossing the road because you don’t like the way the tarmac looks ynder your shoes, instead of worrying about the traffic zooming towards you.

Stay fit, drink lots of water and take your vitamins people!!

Why would it scare you? It's inevitable, best to meet it head on and embrace it.

Ageing doesn’t worry me as such. What I’m scared about is the possibility of ending up physically or (worse?) mentally too enfeebled to care for myself, largely invisible and unheard, dependent on others for everything, which would be bad enough if those others had good intentions, but a nightmare existence if they didn’t.