We are all getting old, but some people are less happy about this than others. There is also a strong rumor that Marilyn Monroe was so afraid of growing old that that was the reason she took her own life at a fairly young age. So the fear of growing old can be life-threatening, even though we all secretly want to live as long as possible
We are all getting older on average. Therefore, you would think that getting old is much less scary and that there is no need to be afraid of it, but our society does put us into a certain hypnosis about old age.
For example, politicians are talking about completed life and when you can or cannot perform euthanasia. There is a staff shortage in retirement homes and many elderly people are wearing diapers because the staff is not there to help them on the toilet.
Then there are complaints that many people who actually need to go to a nursing home are occupying a hospital bed[1].
At least the communication in the media does not really show that we have our old fellow man's best interests at heart. And the prospect of being in a diaper because you are too impaired to get to the toilet in time on your own is not something to be cheerful about.
Another reason you may fear growing old is because growing old also reminds you of your own mortality.
Then you have the fear of getting physically old. It's not for nothing that botox and other plastic surgery for a young appearance are so popular.
Therefore, the fear of growing old if that is your vision for the future is not at all surprising.
But it actually is!
After all, we are also getting healthier as we age. Having to wear a diaper for years at a later age is the exception rather than the rule.
Japan is where people age the longest worldwide and also stay healthy the longest in their lives. Japanese research shows that Japanese people do worry about that old age and can be anxious about it. These worries then often pass:
- Getting sick
- Becoming Bedridden
- Becoming Demented
- Loss of a stable income
- Becoming a widow/widower
- Getting a sick or bedridden partner
- Loss of relationship with friends or that ties become less close
- Having to change your way of life[2]
This, of course, is a row of concerns that can make you anxious about growing old.
Fear of old age is a self-fulfilling prophecy
If you fear old age then, it also affects how you experience old age yourself. For example, research shows that fear of old age causes you to feel less well.
The greater the fear of old age, the worse you feel as an elder.
This study was conducted on people between the ages of 55 and 57 years old[3].
So if you expect your life not to become fun as you get older, your life will become less fun.
This is already a major reason to overcome your fear of growing old.
Overcoming fear of growing old
There are several ways to overcome the fear of old age. For example, it is important to get out of that media hypnosis about older people and out of your own fears about yourself as you age.
How to do it.
Hypnosis can very well help you overcome your fear of old age. To do this, for example, it is first important to identify the cause of your fear. The cause often lies in the beliefs you have about the world, how it functions and how you function in it.
So it's also about your beliefs about how the world is and how you experience it as you age.
You have helping beliefs and non-helping beliefs. It is especially important to figure out where those non-helpful beliefs come from and whether they make sense or not.
With hypnosis, you often use regression to get rid of unhelpful beliefs in a quick way. With regression, you go back to the moment when the fear of getting older or growing old was created. These are often events from your early childhood. Who knows, you may have seen an older person treated with total disrespect once and no one did anything about it. It could be anything.
You go back to that moment while under hypnosis. When you have arrived at the moment where the fear of growing old has arisen you start to do something with that moment. Because this moment is unique to everyone, what you are going to do with it is also unique. You will be helped in this by the hypnosis expert. For example, you can look at the event from other points. For example, as a kind of divine figure from above, or you empathize with one of the persons who was there.
Then you can more easily release the feeling of fear of growing old by having experienced the event in a different way.
Overcoming your top 10 aging fears
Another way to overcome fear of growing old is to confront your fears. For example, you make a top 10 of the fears you have and then start confronting them. For example, this could be the following top 10:
- Getting an old look.
- Long-term illness.
- Losing friends and family.
- No more getting a job.
- …
- …
Fill in the rest yourself. Next, the hypnosis expert can help you overcome these fears. For some people, this starts with watching videos and pictures; for others, you enter into a guided visualization right away where you learn to deal with those fear feelings.
You can even learn what you can do and how you will behave to keep ties with family and friends strong. What you can do if you lose your job and want to keep believing in yourself, no matter what your age.
With these tools, your fear of growing old will already be a lot less too.
Old age or the next level?
Then hypnosis can also change your entire outlook on aging. This can include strengthening your helping beliefs or "installing" new helping beliefs in you.
This is done while you are under hypnosis. Which beliefs will help you get rid of your fear of aging depends on your beliefs you already have. A hypnosis expert will determine these with you. Then you will repeat those helping beliefs while you are under hypnosis.
Because you do this while under hypnosis, you also feel more of what you are saying and it enters your unconscious better. This makes it part of your identity and the image you have of the world.
These can include hypnotic suggestions such as:
"I level up every year."
"With old age comes wisdom."
"It's fun getting older."
"I am who I am."
"Every year I get smarter."
So depending on your beliefs, you may get different suggestions from your hypnosis expert.
After all, getting older every year is very special. If you look at computer games, the levels get harder and harder the further you get in the game. So you also get better and better at the game, and just like in a computer game, you can also start your life over if you think things are not going the way you wanted for a while.
Because you do get older every year, you can also look at it in a way that each year you reach a new level of life. Some levels are easier and some are more difficult, but how cool is it that soon you will just reach level 100?
So hypnosis can help you look at life in a different way. This will help you overcome your fear of aging. Want to know exactly how hypnosis works?
Then come to a free online master class.
You can also attend the hypnosis seminar to learn more about hypnosis and develop yourself.
Or enroll directly in one of our training courses. Ask about online options if that suits you better.
Also pin this handy infographic as a reminder:
Sources:
[1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(08)60748-5/fulltext
[2] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53487_10.x
[3] https://academic.oup.com/geronj/article-abstract/39/6/756/546199
