Rally channels his inner Alfred E. Neuman (“What, me worry?”) to tackle a surprisingly serious question: does stressing about getting older actually make you age faster? A new study says it might. Well, grab a coffee, take a walk, and let Rally talk you off the worry ledge — Silver Beast style.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
RALLY:
Hey there, Beautiful People! Welcome back to the Silver Beast Podcast.
I’m Rally Preston, your host. Seventy-one years old here. In fact, I’m about the same age as Alfred E. Neuman. Who? That’s okay, I got a blank stare from my wife too.
So Alfred E. Neuman was the face of Mad Magazine. Still not ringing any bells, huh? I’m hearing crickets. Well, you guys must’ve been studying in class, instead of reading Mad Magazine — that’s the problem!
Okay. Well, Mad Magazine was a humor magazine, a lot of satire, political stuff, just a lot of silliness in it. It first came out in the 50s. And I thought, as a kid, it was hilarious.
Anyway, Alfred E. Neuman was this character, wasn’t a real person, more of a caricature. He was this goofy-looking, mop-top, redheaded kid, big ears, freckles, and a missing tooth. His famous catchphrase was this: “What, me worry?” The world could be burning down around him, but he always shrugged it off – “What, me worry?” Yeah, c’mon, it was iconic!
Okay, well, that little tangent was supposed to set up today’s episode. And this one will inspire you to be more like Alfred E. Neuman — only, let me assure you, you’re much better looking, but just go along with me here. Play along. I’ll tie it all in in a minute. Hopefully.
So okay, here’s your big question for today: Do you worry about getting older?
Like, actually feel anxious about it? Not just the normal ugh, my knees sound like I’m microwaving popcorn, that kind of thing. No, I mean feel some stress there about aging. Is that you? Once in a while, maybe?
Okay, well, here’s the newsflash here: it looks like worrying about aging may be doing something to you, and you are not going to like it — I guarantee it.
There’s this new study out that basically says worrying about aging might actually speed up biological aging. Yeah.
So, okay, some details here. Researchers looked at a large group of women, different ages, and asked them how anxious they felt about getting older. About their future health. Their looks. And so on. Okay.
Then they checked their blood samples. They were looking for markers that might show how fast their bodies were actually aging on the inside, biologically.
Okay, here’s what they found: Those women who felt more anxious about their health as they aged? Well, they showed more signs of accelerated biological aging. Yeah.
Now, why would that happen? Well, you can blame stress. Stress does a number on us. It cranks up inflammation in the body. Which, we know, inflammation is not good – it wears things down faster.
So worrying about aging, a lot, too much, well, that’s chronic stress. So worrying isn’t just something that bounces around in your head – it could be showing up in your cells.
It’s the whole mind-body connection thing going on here. And doctors have known for years that stress messes with your health. Ulcers, high blood pressure, all kinds of things.
But this study, it takes it a step further. It’s saying that, specifically, worrying about getting older is its own little stressor, that might be quietly doing some damage.
Alright, but here’s the thing about this one – it doesn’t 100 percent prove worrying about aging causes faster aging. It just found a connection. A pretty strong one, but still, a connection. So everybody’s different. You got to take into account other health issues. So it’s not as simple as worry equals faster aging.
But still, I think this finding is at least worth paying some attention to.
So in this study, one of the researchers made a great point. She said anxiety is supposed to trigger us to do something. That’s its whole job. It’s not to just upset us, to give us one more thing to moan and groan about. Anxiety is supposed to inspire us to take some sort of action.
So instead of stewing about getting older, there might be a way to channel that anxiousness into something more useful. You know, less destructive.
So how would this work?
Okay. Well, say you’re worried about your health. Then go take a walk. It’s good for your health, right? Worried about slowing down? Well, stretch, work out, lift something heavy – again, a healthy outlet for that anxiety.
See, that’s the flip. Anxiety becomes the catalyst for something positive. Because for a lot of us, especially I think our generation, I don’t think many of us grew up talking about our feelings all that much. Well, keeping those woes-is-mes to yourself isn’t always the best move here, right? But channeling it? Now that’s something you can actually do today. Moving your body and connecting with people — that’s basically what these researchers are recommending now to get out of your own head.
Now, another thing this researcher mentioned was to take a closer look at how you’re defining aging. Instead of keeping a running score on everything you’ve lost, think about what you’ve gained with age. You know, like wisdom. Perspective. Grandkids. A nice house. Whatever it is. You’ve probably survived stuff your younger self would have never thought you could handle.
And look, there are times when most of us miss what our bodies – and maybe our minds too – were capable of years ago. Like, you can’t do a standing backflip anymore, or whatever. So what? Look at what you can do now. That’s what this study’s saying. Their solve is to find new ways to get back some of that joy. Things you can do now.
Maybe you can’t run marathons anymore, like me. And, that’s fine. Take a scenic walk with a friend instead. Same sort of joy, just at a slower pace. And that’s what I do. Sure, I miss the runner’s high, but I appreciate the scenery a whole lot more.
Now I know, stop worrying and do something else – well that’s easier said than done. A 100 percent true. You can’t just snap your fingers and stop worrying. We’re not magicians.
I still worry about getting older sometimes. I do. But now, when I catch myself going down some rabbit hole, I try to redirect that. Pull myself out of that funk and go do something else. You got to interrupt the pattern, as Tony Robbins always says. It’ll work more times than not.
Alright here’s your Silver Beast action steps, to be more like my Mad Magazine buddy, Alfred E. Neuman. What me worry? Well, we’re going to stop worrying about aging so much. We’ve got better things to do. Ok, here’s your get-out-of-worry-jail steps here.
First, notice when you’re thinking too much about getting older. Most of us do that, and it’s natural. So, just notice it for now.
Alright, Second. When you catch yourself going there, you need to flip the script. Focus on something else. Something positive. What’s one small thing, some action, I can take right now? Could be tiny. Like, take a walk. Make a phone call. Jot down a paragraph in your journal.
Alright, Third. Build in something social this week with other people. Like a visit, a call, a coffee with a friend. Connection with others lowers stress, and stress is the real problem here. You’ll be distracted and lower the doom and gloom level at the same time.
Alright, Fourth. Try one thing that used to bring you joy, but you let slide. And it doesn’t have to be big. Just something. I’ve got a no-fail one, if you want to use this one. Make yourself a root beer float. Hey, that might work. You got to try it.
And Fifth. And this one’s important: give yourself some grace. You are not failing at aging. Nobody gets a perfect score on it. So, go easy on yourself there.
Now I know you can do some of these things today.
Look, worry is just a part of being human. You might as well accept it. It’s not going to go away completely. It was factory-installed, right, a long, long time ago.
Just turn that worry, fretting, anxiety, apprehension – whatever you want to call it – about aging into some kind of action. Positive of course. What could you be doing if you weren’t so busy moping around? Man, I sound like my mother there! Well, back then I’d go outside and play. Ride bikes, chase fireflies, catch bullfrogs under the streetlights. Your joy is still out there, somewhere – your job now is to find it.
Alright, quick reminder: this show is for information and motivation, not medical advice. If anxiety’s really weighing on you, please talk to your doctor or a counselor.
Alright, I’ll leave you with the immortal words of Alfred E Neuman: “What me worry?”
No, no, not me. Not about aging. It’s just a waste of time. And I’ve got better things to do.
Alright, this is Rally Preston. Hey, thank you so much for stopping by the Silver Beast Podcast, and I will catch you next time. Take care!