7 rules to be happy as you grow older

Life is a rat race, there is no denying this global truth. What is also undeniable is that it does not have to be. We choose to be the runners in this race and we can choose to stop if we want to. As people turn more and more anxious with each birthday, worried about missing an imaginary deadline that age imposes upon them, Corey-Jan Albert, a "professional creative" in Atlanta is here to remind you that life does not have to be that scripted at all.

There's great pressure on the youth as they graduate college or university and become an "adult". Suddenly they are supposed to find the best job, make the right investment decisions, and so on and so forth. Corey says, while the choices one makes in their 20s can have an impact on their lives, the age slab is basically a practice run where one can spread their wings as an adult and try on different hats to find their best fit.

The experience gained from the right and wrong choices that one has made in their 20s adds momentum to their 30s. This is when you figure out what job you really want, or which person you want to seriously settle down with.

The 40s are the time when one has had enough practice for all those "right things" they discovered in their 30s. These may have seemed like revelations two decades ago but have now become your identity. So, the 40s are basically when you build wealth, settle in with family, and know your work responsibilities like the back of your hand.

By Corey's advice, one does not, by and large, make a difference in the world until they are in their 60s, which essentially means by the time they retire. In their 70s, most people try to reinvent themselves, learning new skills, and therefore, she says, it is impossible to really get old until you are well into your 80s, and even then, if you feel it!

People dislike getting older for a number of reasons. For one, the younger group is trying to hold off a midlife crisis. Others feel that getting older means that they will lose their vigour, strength, importance, and even loved ones. Age can also mean a change in the outward appearance of people and the fine lines and wrinkles remind people of the ticking clock and their inevitable demise. However, constantly stressing about aging can quickly become a self-fulfilling strategy, affecting people's physical health, psychological health, and even longevity.

Corey's guidelines can make people feel better about themselves and age better too. It can give people hope that there is more to life, even beyond a certain age and gets them to focus on the positives of aging. Therefore, if the onset of old age gives you the jitters, give Corey's rules a chance- make a mental checklist of all that's left to do and get to it!