Ironically, we are always referred to as ‘old’, in terms of age, since the moment of our birth. An infant born merely one month ago is called one-month-old. A baby just completing one year’s existence is called one-year-old. Whatever your age – whether 10 years, 20 years, or 60 years – you will say that you are 10 years old, 20 years old, or 60 years old. The vocabulary of age measurement is not compatible with our desire to be perceived as young.
When we are in our teens or in twenties, becoming old one day never occurs to our mind. It is only after we cross 50, especially if inflicted with some ailment or the other, that the prospects of old age start looming on the horizon. Let me recount from memory two anecdotes which betray our vulnerability about being deemed as old.
The first pertains to my experiencing the bitter taste of reality check at the mere age of 35. I was about to board a bus at a bus-stand when a teenage girl approached and addressed me, “Uncle, where will this bus go?”. Piercing my vanity, the word “uncle” uttered by the teenager left me crestfallen. I brooded over the pejorative for a while. The premature thinning of hair and the fledgling paunch I had developed due to job-induced sedentary lifestyle would have made me appear middle-aged, I presumed disappointingly.
The second anecdote transpired couple of years back. My mother was admitted to a nursing home in a serious condition. The doctor asked me what her age was. Approximating in haste, I blurted that she was 85. My mother, who was almost unconscious due to the precarious condition, opened her eyes and mouth to protest annoyingly that she was 82 years old only.
All of us harbour not only an immense sensitivity about not being viewed as older, but also an innate desire to appear younger than the actual age. However, efforts have to be made to fulfil this aspiration of appearing younger. Let us have a peek into dos and don’ts of maintaining a youthful look.
Having the urge to look younger is the motivation enough for maintaining a fitness regimen. If your general health is good, you will look better. Keep ailments away.
People who maintain proportionate weight look younger. Overweight people generally look older than their chronological age. Understandably slim figure is a highly rated trait amongst ladies. Don’t let yourself become overweight.
These days, people generally manage to look younger with the aid of cosmetics. Dyeing of hair instantly metamorphoses men and women to look younger. Hair dye is usually used by one and all above 50 with the exception of few who opt to stick to their grey hair. Density and colour of hair matter in looks. While colouring can be managed through artificial means, the thinning of hair cannot easily be.
Gleeful and smiling faces exude youthfulness. Chronic stress precipitates early ageing. Try to shun situations which cause stress in your day-to-day life.
Uninhibited persons ooze youthful vibes. Mingling and making friends with persons of the opposite sex keeps you motivated. Be buddies with younger people to benefit from the contagion effect. Let us keep the child-like impulses forever reverberating in our hearts alive.
