{"id":97913,"date":"2018-04-06T11:31:59","date_gmt":"2018-04-06T15:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=97913\/"},"modified":"2018-04-06T11:46:12","modified_gmt":"2018-04-06T15:46:12","slug":"why-are-we-afraid-of-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/it\/journal\/why-are-we-afraid-of-aging\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are We Afraid of Aging?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hungry for more tips on holistic skincare? Check out Wanderlust’s first-ever wellness expo,\u00a0Wellspring<\/a>, October 26\u201328 in Palm Springs, California.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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The conversation on aging is one that I\u2019ve exhausted in my time as an esthetician<\/a>. If you have recently had a consultation with me you may have read the following:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to mention that I use the term aging very literally. I don\u2019t believe in the shameful labeling of ‘anti-aging’ and have been advocating for the removal of that oxymoron of a marketing term for a decade now. So if by any means that word is triggering for you please let me know.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I make my point pretty clear right away that I don\u2019t want to waste my time with someone who wants a quick fix and shame themselves into thinking they need to turn back the clock. They don’t. You don’t. But regardless of how much I advocate for self-acceptance and self-love<\/a>, I still feel the pressures to keep up with it all and change my perspective toward aging. How can I expect you<\/em> to move past this if I get sucked into the bulls*** too?<\/p>\n

Do you remember being younger and desperately wanting to be an adult? I couldn\u2019t wait to have my own apartment, drive my own car, wear high heels etc., which are all the seemingly normal things to aspire to but, I also wanted the physical parts of aging.<\/p>\n

I wanted to be a woman. I wanted wrinkles<\/a> because to me it meant that I was going to be free of acne. I wanted smile lines because it meant that I must be living a happy life filled with laughs. However, now that I\u2019m in the full swing of adulthood, I realize that not many people had that feeling about physical aging like I did. So many folks are terrified at any premature sign of getting older that they are willing to take extreme lengths to prevent and reverse it.<\/p>\n

But where does that fear really stem from and why are we really afraid of aging?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I have to admit that I\u2019ve also always looked really young. I\u2019m a smaller individual with an oily complexion, and I\u2019m in the skincare industry. I’ll be honest, the chances of my skin showing premature signs of aging are significantly less than the average person. However, when I look at myself these days I start to notice that my face is much different than what I remember. One side has lost a significant amount of fullness, my dark circles<\/a> are much more of a permanent fixture than before, my chin has doubled in size, my forehead is fully packed with lines of expression, and the days that I spent in the sun (or, unfortunately, a tanning bed) has now created patch of hyper-pigmentation on my right cheek. I still experience a breakout if I\u2019m not consistent with my supplements, nutrition, and skincare routine.<\/p>\n