Aging in Reverse: A Journey to Mindfulness and Growth

Today we’re going to have story time. Then I’m going to explain how thoughtwork, gratitude, and Hellenistic astrology, can help you control your mindset and navigate life's challenges in a way that contributes to your ability to age in reverse. 

I’ll also talk about the importance of physical health, rest, relaxation, connection, curiosity, and living your purpose, and how these contribute to how old you feel. 

By the end of this episode, you'll have a clear blueprint on how to use personal development to not only navigate life's challenges, but also to feel and look younger. 

This is not about chasing an elusive fountain of youth, but making deliberate choices that make us feel more vibrant, engaged, and youthful. Now on with the story…

As I was out grocery shopping, I suddenly heard someone saying my name - loudly. I looked up from the dream zone I tend to walk around in and saw someone waving at me who looked vaguely familiar and I realized it was a former student.

I recognized her and immediately pulled her name out of the swiss cheese that is my memory - this is a minor miracle.  For those of you who don’t know me well, my memory is hit or miss when it comes to a lot of things for a variety of reasons. So I knew her name and that I’d taught her between 16 and 22 years ago. Yes. I’m that old, more on that later.

The thing is, sometimes I completely forget that I was ever in a classroom. That seems more like the recollection of a past life or a semi-vivid dream. If I’m honest I remember some of my dreams far more vividly than I do the years I spent teaching. I talked about my experience of that period a little bit in Episode 10 of the podcast, I Use to Have a Voice.

Back to the story. 

I had very little additional context other than I remembered I had enjoyed her and that she was an extrovert. I don’t know if she was at the beginning or end of my teaching career or what kind of student she was but she remembered me, in an apparently positive way.

The first thing she said to me was along the lines of “OMG you look amazing!”

Immediately my brain was disagreeing with her because for the me that I am now, I really didn’t. No makeup, my hair wasn’t done the way I like, and I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. 

But then I realized. Oh. Even on my low effort days I look a million times better than I did when I was teaching. 

I texted my oldest friend and told her what happened and she said, “Yeah, I agree with her. I think you’re aging in reverse.”

That phrase lit up my inner movie screen with fireworks and I knew I had to write about this and make it a podcast episode so here we are.

I’m Almost 50

Let’s talk about age. I’m almost 50 which sounds shocking to most people. To be fair I’ve only recently hit that milestone but as of this episode I’m 45 and I’ll be 46 before the end of the year. If we’re rounding to the 10s place I’m closer to 50 than 40.

I conducted a little poll in my Instagram stories and the average age guessed by followers was 39.5. What’s funny is that most of my students thought I was in my mid to late 30s when I was teaching.

The thing is, when I was in the classroom teaching I was in my 20s and I was very much living life on auto pilot. I did what I needed to for my career, family, and husband but I didn’t really pay any attention to me. I didn’t see how it was relevant. 

When I turned 30 I had my first child. Over the next 8 years I had another child, my father was diagnosed with brain cancer, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, nearly all of my family of origin died, I experienced multiple traumatic events, and got divorced. 

Then I started over.

I never thought about what I really wanted at all until I was 38, I didn’t figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was 42ish and it wasn’t until I was 44 that I was really doing it. 

But every year I spent moving towards what I wanted, I’ve been aging in reverse. 

Turning Back Time

I think there are a few reasons that I appear to be aging in reverse that can be applied to anyone else who wants to turn back time that have nothing at all to do with great genetics. 

Here are some practical tips, drawn from my own life coaching and astrological practices, that you can start incorporating in your daily routine to turn back time:

Invest in Personal Development 

The first step towards reversing aging starts with you. 

As a coach, I can’t stress this enough: investing in personal growth can be transformative. But I don’t mean money. No matter how much money you’re willing to spend, you won’t get anywhere if you’re not willing to spend a significant amount of time thinking about your thoughts. I know, that’s mind bendy.

But it’s not as hard as it sounds. My journey started with books and podcasts. I stopped reading fiction and started reading things that helped me understand my own brain and life experience better. 

Your investment could be achieved through reading self-help books, attending seminars, listening to podcasts,  or hiring a life coach. Remember, the goal is to continually evolve as a person not throw a lot of money at “fixing” your life. 

Thoughtwork

The easiest way to get started with personal development is what I call thoughtwork.

One thing I've learned over the years is that our thoughts greatly influence how we age. Negative thoughts can be incredibly draining, while positive ones can literally make us feel younger. What’s even more shocking (to most people, including me) is that thoughts are completely optional.  

It’s important to become aware of your thoughts and separate them from facts. That’s the core of thoughtwork. 

The next step is to consciously replace negative ones that you’re thinking automatically with ones that make you feel better - that help you become the version of you, you want to be. 

I do thought work by journaling - a lot. The method I started with was Morning Pages from a book called the Artist's Way. Basically you sit down and write out all of the things in your head for a set period of time every single day.

Now I do that plus get my brain coached because telling the difference between thoughts and facts requires daily effort no matter how long you’ve been doing it.

Practice Gratitude

Having a gratitude practice is the warm and fluffy version of thoughtwork.

Research has shown that people who regularly express gratitude have reduced stress and depression levels, better physical health, and increased happiness. 

Why? Because we are directing our minds towards thoughts that make us feel a subjectively positive emotion (gratitude) instead of spiraling out thinking thoughts that make us stressed, sad, or angry.

Make a habit of writing down things you're thankful for each day in a gratitude journal, your daily planner, a Google doc, your Notion account, or literally anywhere else where you will practice regularly.

Hellenistic Astrology

Because I’m me, you know I have to talk about Hellenistic Astrology. This ancient astrological system can serve as a guiding tool in your reverse-aging journey. 

Working with the Moon on a daily basis is where I tell everyone to start because it gives you a reason to check in with what’s going on every single day and it’s the fastest and most effective way I’ve found to help people become astrologically fluent so they can start working with fate instead of raging against it. 

This is also what I help people do when they work with me in the Crusade.

Physical Health

Physical health has to have a place on this list but it's something I only started paying attention to over the last eight years or so. I’m not going to give the standard eat healthy and exercise lines because I don’t find them useful. 

What I will say is that learning what makes your body work better is critical and it is a very personal journey.

Pay attention to how what you eat and drink impacts your mood and energy. Pay attention to how you feel with different amounts of sleep. Pay attention to how you feel when you move your body vs when you are stationary all day and experiment with all of the above.

But pay attention and listen to your body. Do more of what makes you feel better and less of what makes you feel worse and find doctors who listen to you and work with you. 

Rest and Relaxation 

Now let’s talk about rest and relaxation.

These two things are way more important and overlooked than most people realize. But again, it’s your body and how you achieve those could look wildly different from how I do it or how other people tell you to do it.

Things that tend to help are going to bed at the same time and getting the same amount of sleep on average every night. For me, that’s about 6.5 hours although I’m functional on 4. One of my best friends neeeeeeds 9 and is a zombie on 6. It’s radically different for everyone and the only way you can find out what you really need is by experimenting.

Relaxation is another big one. I use to think relaxation looked like binging Netflix, eating all of the cupcakes, or self-soothing in some other way but those things are actually buffering. Buffering is what we call it when we do something to escape reality. Relaxation is different, it’s being truly free from tension and anxiety (not just suppressing or hiding it).

This will take some experimenting and thoughtwork to unwind but it’s worth it. 

Connection 

Connection is way more important than I ever realized. 

Surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Relationships play a crucial role in our well-being and longevity. Foster connections that encourage and uplift you. 

I’ve always had people in my life but that doesn’t mean I’ve always felt connected to them. It’s important to cultivate connections with people who inspire you to be the version of yourself you most want to be. 

This is remarkably difficult for many people because they feel a sense of loyalty to the people in their lives or because they’d rather be surrounded by what is familiar than what is good for their growth.

I get it and it takes a lot of work in some of the other areas to figure this one out. 

Curiosity

Next up, curiosity. This one might be my favorite.

Stay curious and keep learning. Engaging your mind keeps it sharp and youthful. 

I think one of the reasons I love astrology and self-help is because there are infinite avenues of exploration.

Live Your Purpose

The thing that has made one of the biggest external impacts on me is discovering and living my purpose - on purpose. But holy mother of the gods was that hard to figure out. Or at least it took me a really long time to do it. For me it’s astrology and coaching, these two things are in everything I do now and I’ve never been happier.

But what does that mean for you?

Find what you're passionate about and pursue it. It can be a hobby, a dream, or even a second career. When you love what you do, it shows in your energy and appearance.

I actually have a book recommendation for this too, Designing Your Life. It will help you get out of any boxes you’re currently stuck in and come up with some ideas you may have never considered. 

Coaching 

I am a Fate & Free Will Coach so let’s talk about coaching.

Individual and group coaching can make a huge difference. A good coach can help you get to the root of your thoughts and help you find your footing on your journey to better health and happiness. They can provide you with a microscope for your thoughts, a framework for action, and hold you accountable to your goals.

And there you have it, that's the recipe for reverse aging. It's not a magic potion or an elusive fountain of youth. It's a series of deliberate choices and actions that enhance your life and keep you feeling youthful, vibrant, and engaged in the world around you. 

Of course, that’s my recipe and as any good cook knows - a recipe is just a recommendation based on someone else’s preferences. Think of it as inspiration and not a blueprint that must be followed exactly.

Remember, age is just a number. It's how we live our lives and the mindset we adopt that truly determines how we experience our lives. 

If you want help with any of the above, I’d like to invite you to the Crusade, my monthly membership where you can get coaching on any topic and learn how to leverage astrology. Learn all about it at www.wickedveracity.com/crusade 

Until next time, my wish for you is an insatiable curiosity about the next version of yourself.

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