It can feel as if society has an obsession with what is young and beautiful. There seems to be an endless pursuit of the “fountain of youth”. It often feels as if the media has created the idea that youth and beauty are what defines a person. With this unrealistic and unhealthy perception it is understandable that there can be a negative attitude about aging. Seeing the passage of youth can trigger feelings of regret and loss often leading to sadness and even depression.

Aging is a natural process everyone must go through, whether you like it or not. Like death and taxes, aging is an inevitable reality. Like all things in life there can be positives and negatives regarding aging. While it can be natural to fear aging, it can also be celebrated. It is unhealthy when your fear starts to distract and impair your functioning and quality of life.

If you are so overly preoccupied with the loss of your youth that you are missing opportunities, challenges, and adventures ahead, therapy could help.

When Your Fear of Aging Becomes a Phobia

Aging is a common fear for many. Advancing in age can mean wrinkles, white hair, retirement, illnesses, dependence, financial difficulties, and other challenges that can be terrifying to think about. If these thoughts, however, give you an unexpected or an incessant streak of panic, terror, or sadness, you likely have Gerascophobia, the fear of growing older or aging.

Gerascophobia is formed with the combination of “tha geraso”, a Greek phrase that means “I am aging” and phobos, which means deep fear. It is a clinical phobia classified under specific phobias, or fear of a single particular trigger. Those with it are more likely to view aging as a human imperfection or a disease instead of seeing it as a natural progression.

The persistent, irrational and constant fear of aging can be attributed to an underlying factor – anxiety. In a sense, those with gerascophobia develop this fear based on human mortality, by which aging is considered as the first sign of weakening immune systems. Symptoms may also arise from firsthand or secondhand negative experiences involving aging. For example, if a parent had debilitating conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or other age-related degeneration. Some may require full assistance and care in facilities, creating the belief that aging is equivalent to being dependent, weak, and lacking in autonomy.

In other cases, this phobia may develop from the fear of the future, losing significant people, the inability to support oneself, experiencing an accident without help, losing an active role in the family and society, and other terrifying possibilities. This fear can lead to negative consequences, including lost job opportunities, personal and social life interference, harmful drug abuse, cosmetic surgery addiction, an eating disorder, and other measures to maintain youth and beauty.

The Confirming Symptoms

It is natural to feel a certain amount of fear about aging and facing your own mortality. If the thought of this is so overwhelming that it leads to a full-blown anxiety/panic attack, you may have gerascophobia. You may wish to speak with a healthcare professional if you experience any of the following symptoms when thinking about aging:

• Dizziness and/or fainting
• Trembling or shaking
• Obsession with thoughts of death or dying
• Heart palpitations and shortness of breath
• Loss of concentration – detachment with reality
• Loss of self-control/feeling of delirium
• Extreme avoidance measures taken against the aging process, such as plastic surgery or anti-aging pills

Midlife and beyond is an important turning point that can bring changes to your body, physically and emotionally. It can be helpful to learn how to adjust rather than hyperfocusing or worrying about the losses that come with aging.

Excessive worry about aging can be highly stressful and can lead to health concerns like elevated blood pressure and heart disease. If phobias are allowed to persist, their symptoms can impair your daily functioning and cause you to completely withdraw making you more susceptible to depression.

Embracing the Beauty of Aging

Aging is a natural process, however, it can be difficult for you to let go of the past and embrace your future. Aging is going to happen no matter how you resist it. Fear of aging does NOT have to progress to gerascophobia. You aren’t alone, therapy can help.

If you have difficulty accepting this new stage of your life or find yourself trapped with unproductive thoughts and fears about aging, consider counseling. Look no further than Carolina Counseling Services – Fayetteville, NC, where an independently contracted therapist can help you embrace your next phase of life.

Aging gracefully is not about giving up. It is about gaining wisdom, experience and maybe even some senior discounts. Call today to schedule an appointment.