Next Thursday 24th July at 11pm AEST (9am Pacific Standard Time in the US) I’ll be presenting a webinar for the American Society on Aging about the physical and mental harms of agism, and what we can do to thrive rather than just survive into old age.
We tell ourselves how to grow old — whether we’re aware of it or not.
How we age — whether we become feeble or flourishing, forgetful or fruitful, weary or wise, cranky or curious — is a direct result of our cultural stereotypes and self talk.
I’m going to make the case that becoming physically frail and mentally slow is NOT genetically or biologically pre-determined; it’s a social construct generated by our beliefs, which drive our health habits and our brain and body chemistry.
As Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography, ‘There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.’ To which I’d add: especially when the statistics pertain to ageing. The good news is that we can dismantle ageist beliefs to profoundly enhance our mental and physical health. So tune in next week to discover how to grow bolder rather than older — like the driver in my Nashville photo.
Register for the webinar here.
Photo credit: I took this photo while walking along Broadway in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on a typical summer evening. You’re never too old to do (or drive) anything in Nashville!
