Age Affirming Beliefs (AAB) are healthy ways of thinking that challenge ageism:

Age Affirming Beliefs could be healthy ways of thinking that challenge ageism, self-stereotyping, and the idea that getting older automatically means becoming less capable, valuable, attractive, or relevant.

Great Age Affirming Beliefs

1. My age is part of my story, not a limitation on my future.
2. Getting older does not diminish my worth.
3. I may continue to learn, grow, and change throughout my life.
4. My experience is an asset, not a burden.
5. I don’t have to compete with younger people to have value.
6. There is no expiration date on curiosity, creativity, or personal growth.
7. I am allowed to discover new interests at any age.
8. My wisdom may coexist with openness to new ideas.
9. I may be both experienced and still learning.
10. My life may not have to look like anyone else’s timeline.
11. I don’t need to apologize for my age.
12. Growing older may not be the same thing as becoming irrelevant.
13. I may redefine what aging means to me.
14. My appearance may not determine my worth at any age.
15. I deserve respect regardless of my age.
16. I may remain socially connected, engaged, and purposeful as I age.
17. It may never be too late to begin something meaningful.
18. I may adapt to change without losing who I am.
19. My past experiences may inform my future without controlling it.
20. I may appreciate what my younger self accomplished without wishing to become that person again.
21. I may not have to hide my age to be valued.
22. Age may bring perspective, depth, resilience, and self-knowledge.
23. I may take care of my changing needs without seeing those changes as personal failure.
24. I am more than my age, my appearance, my productivity, or my abilities.
25. Every stage of life has its own possibilities.
26. I WILL ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF MY HEALTH, REGARDLESS OF MY AGE!

A particularly powerful one

“I am not aging out of life; I am continuing to live it.”

And perhaps the deepest age-affirming belief:

“My value is inherent. I do not have to remain young to remain worthy.”

These beliefs may be especially useful for countering internalized ageism, when negative cultural messages about aging become part of a person’s own self-image.

Shervan K Shahhian