Feeling Older? Here’s How to Embrace It
The realization that you are getting older can come in waves. You watch movies and point to the actors, saying: “She’s dead. Oh, he’s dead, too.” Your parents move to a retirement community they call God’s waiting room. You hear more snap, crackle and pop in your joints than in your breakfast cereal.

The realization that you are getting older can come in waves.

You watch movies and point to the actors, saying: “She’s dead. Oh, he’s dead, too.”

Your parents move to a retirement community they call God’s waiting room.

You hear more snap, crackle and pop in your joints than in your breakfast cereal.

In society, youthfulness is glorified and getting older is cast as something to avoid, but as your age increases, your quality of life does not necessarily have to decrease, experts said.

Here’s what you should know:

What is ‘old’?

Most people wouldn’t say that a 38-year-old qualifies, but once you pass the median age of 37.8, you may statistically be considered “old,” said Tom Ludwig, emeritus professor of psychology at Hope College in Holland, Mich.