Are you, like me, inundated with scads of information about anti-aging? We hear about anti-aging creams, treatments, diets, exercise plans, undergarments and the like that profess to protect us from the monster we fear is hiding under our bed.

Well, have you looked under that bed lately? Peering under there, you’ll likely find a lot of dust bunnies in the form of old stereotypes limiting beliefs, and fears about what it means to be a maturing woman in a youth obsessed society. Time to get out the dust mop! It’s these unexamined fears and beliefs that hold us hostage and keep us on the treadmill of more, more, more! We end up with less, less, less time, money and energy. It’s exhausting!

Madison Avenue and our buy-in to the messages they offer have created much of the current hype around anti-aging. While the population of those over age 50 now exceeds those under 50, we’re still swayed by the plethora of information geared to a younger generation. It’s as if being a mature woman has no merit!

Have you noticed it takes a lot of time, energy and money to be anti-anything – on guard, forever vigilant, and always on the lookout for whatever tip will secure you a seat at the head table? Perhaps it’s more useful to be pro-aging and embrace and celebrate “what is” .

You’ll have to admit – our bodies are changing. Some of us are getting rounder and showing the effects of many decades of life on our faces. Our hair is graying. Our nurturing gene has been diminished. We are looking for ways to make a difference that goes beyond our immediate family. We want to awaken slumbering dreams. But why is that a bad thing? Who said so? Who are we trying to impress? What is it we fear losing?

According to the law of attraction you will draw to you the very thing you fear. Seen in that light, facing our fears and concerns about aging head-on is often the best way to lay those issues to rest and make room for a point of view that celebrates the amazing woman we’ve become.

So let’s make a list!

What are your worst fears about getting and looking older?

Which stereotypes have you bought into? What do you believe might happen as you age? Will you still be valued? Loved? Desirable?

The only way to change a stereotype is to challenge it. Let’s begin by sharing our insights so we can begin an authentic conversation around what it really means to be a woman of a certain age in today’s culture.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 3:52 pm and is filed under AMAZING GRAYS Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.