Gina, 42 yrs

"We shouldn’t care about looking younger, yet we all do. The older I get, the more I fall into the trap of 'I don’t want to look, feel, or be old' but you can’t reverse time. When people guess my age correctly, I’m slightly offended. I want them to say younger. I want them to notice the experiences and wisdom I have, but it comes down to appearance sometimes.

What I fear most about aging is my body and mind failing me. I already feel it. But we’re also living in a time where we have so many medical technologies at our disposal. By the time I reach old age, there’ll be more. I don’t have children to take care of me when I grow old, so I’m hoping that there are robotic things in the future that’ll help me function as an older person. It’s exciting that I get to live in a time with all these amazing medical technological breakthroughs. It makes aging less scary than aging in the past would have been.

I think what aging means has changed over the decades. Back then, people were more accepting of old age, as older adults had more of a role in their society; they were teachers and important members of households. Then I see my parents’ generation, and I think it comes back to appearances again. They’re boomers, so they’re holding on to youth as much as possible. My generation is completely different. People are having a little more fun with aging because we’re a bit more open-minded.

I like to learn new skills. It’s important to fill your time with hobbies and activities so that time doesn’t pass by you so quickly. I try to focus on doing things because I enjoy it, not to monetize it or get approval from others. With age, it goes from 'what am I supposed to do with my life?' to 'oh, it doesn’t really matter'. What matters is that I’ve enjoyed my time here.

You don't age alone, it’s what unites us as humans. If you’re lucky, you get to be old. Instead of being caught up on the negative aspects of aging, allow yourself to be open to other people who are experiencing the same things and be vulnerable so you can commiserate with each other. Focus on adjusting your mindset towards aging. In the long run, it’ll help us all age a little bit easier."