When I recently became eligible for the Old Age Security pension, my mind was blown. I mean, I was flabbergasted. I had thought: when did that happen, how is it that I am that old? I don’t feel sixty-five. I am not a senior. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I did not have the mindset of my actual age. This is called having a ‘subjective age’, and it is more common than you think.
By definition, ‘subjective age’ is: how old someone feels in comparison to their actual chronological age. Surveys show when you think you are younger than your age you feel younger. Same goes for the other side of the coin. Subjective age, when it is lower than your chronological age, is shown to be helpful for better physical and mental health. How does one establish and maintain this ‘younger than my age’ mindset? Well, because Sarnia seniors comprise around 24% of the city’s population, there are resources, activities, services and communities that can help.
At the Strangway Centre, for example, seniors there enjoy a variety of activities, like pickleball, billiards, woodworking, arts and crafts, line dancing, music, yoga, tai-chi, and more, to help them think and feel young. Physical health is an important strategy for healthy aging. Inspiring activities may enhance cognitive ability, help with memory function. So is having a younger mindset, learning new things, establishing supportive environments and nurturing social relationships. These may help fight against the negative, psychological aspects of aging: depression, poor cognitive ability, lower age of mortality, a lesser satisfaction with life.
Subjective age boils down to these five things: Changing your mindset. Having purpose. Living an inspired and active life. Being mindful, living in the now. Staying connected with your community and nature.
It is said that the journey is more important than reaching the destination. Reaching that age where one is technically a senior, this statement hits home. In countries that have greater numbers of centenarians, the old are given respect and purpose. They are active, not only on a personal, physical level, but within the community. They do not seem to be subjective about their age. They celebrate it. It is all about the journey.
Here, because there is a negative opinion and perception toward ageing, we have to have strategies for healthy ageing. The importance of the journey has never been clearer.
Sarnia Lambton has services and resources, opportunities and activities for our seniors. One online resource, Age Friendly Sarnia, offers information in areas such as transportation, food, clothing and housing, mental health and health care, financial and legal support, employment and volunteering. To name a few. There are centres that offer social, recreational and educational programs for seniors. There are services that provide leisure activities and fitness programs for seniors. Having a lower subjective age is made easier in our community.
Having a subjective age means you are as old as you think and feel. In our community, there is help and support to celebrate the journey. I have to stop being flabbergasted by the passage of time. I have to realize that age can be just a number. That it can be a subjective thing.