Biological Age or Psychological Age

After sustaining a horseback riding injury in 2009, in which I broke some bones in my neck, my first book “It Has Nothing To Do With Age” was published by Winter Goose in 2011. In that book, I focused on male and female athletes 65 years of age and older that were still competing in extraordinary sports. Many of these athletes were acquaintances that provided me with additional insights about their aging process. Simply put, their physical daily activities had to do with who they were as Homo sapiens. In other words, their competitiveness , their choices, their commitments and their ability to stick and persevere under varying conditions of stress in their particular sport or sports make up their identity. People, age differently which is reflected by who they are. Pay attention to the subject matter when having a conversation with a senior. Some, talk about their aches and pains; past or upcoming medical procedures like surgeries; or go on or bring up the many things that they used to do. These individuals more than likely have a psychological age, older than their birth age. One can argue that they are impaired. For others, talk centers around how good they look and feel; current and future plans regarding activities; compared to the doom and gloom and focusing on the “used to do.” These individuals have a psychological age that is younger than their chronological age. Psychologically speaking, Homo sapiens exhibit 4 basic processes. They perceive and sense. That is, he sees, tastes, smells, touches, and hears. Secondly, he moves and acts. That is, he walks, eats, swims, throws, climbs, etc. Thirdly, he feels or emotes. That is, he loves, hates, fears, becomes guilty, feels depressed, etc. Fourth, he reasons or thinks. That is, he remembers, imagines, hypothesizes, concludes, solves problems, etc. We know that none of these four basic processes are experienced in isolation. If the Homo sapiens perceives that he is different-he views himself looking older than his peers, his posture may be bent over as he walks; he may be depressed about his weight or physical health; and he may conclude that he’s not doing too well. With these Homo sapiens, their psychological state is significantly influenced but only in part by biological limitations. Mind and body are a two-way process. If one thinks he can’t run, then his body complies. If he is overweight and has bad knees, he believes that he can’t run and doesn’t run. Briefly put, how an individual perceives, thinks, acts, lives his life, emotes and feels about his daily activities determine who he is .Focus on actions and the ways in which he spends his time and it begins to paint a picture of his identity. It’s easier when in a career to have an identity related to that occupation. In retirement, one has to fill or re-create that gap in the 40 to 50 waking hours every week. To Be Continued