The 100 Years Club Installment #94: Scary Stuff

A little fear isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It can keep you safe and motivated.

But when fears start taking over your life, they can keep you from having new experiences and even shorten your lifespan. The impact of fear’s stress on your body is pretty significant. It can lead to:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Digestive problems
• Headaches
• Muscle tension and pain
• Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Problems with memory and focus

(I’m afraid to read lists like this one!)

October (Halloween, of course!) is a great month to consider the little and huge things we are still afraid of as adults and how they may impact our lives, resulting in health issues and inertia or missing out on fantastic new experiences.

But here’s some great news!

As we age, we become less afraid of aging.

Source

One of the reasons we need to present more positive images of older adults in the media is to help overcome the perception that life sucks as we spend more time on earth.

Encouraging intergenerational communication and collaboration is also important, so I am rebranding my podcast this month (on October 9th, Ageism Awareness Day) and having guests of ALL generations on the show. (But more about that next week!)

As I began the month, I made a list of small things I plan to do this month to overcome my own fears. I remind myself of all the things I was afraid to do and how I overcame them. (And, if you’re afraid of technology, I can send you this template and show you how to make your own list!)

So, prepare yourself to battle those demons — big and small this month!

And if you’re not afraid to learn more about fear, check out these posts from past years:

	2023
	2022
	2021
	I wrote about my fear of public speaking back in 2015. Fears can be overcome!