Has anyone ever said to you, “Act your age!” What does that mean anyway? Let’s say you’re 35 years old. Can you describe to me exactly how a 35 year old should act? If you are able to do that, where did you come up with the answer? Who told you what a 35 year old should act like? Will the same ...Has anyone ever said to you, “Act your age!” What does that mean anyway? Let’s say you’re 35 years old. Can you describe to me exactly how a 35 year old should act? If you are able to do that, where did you come up with the answer? Who told you what a 35 year old should act like? Will the same rules apply in a different country, city, or neighborhood?
The reason why one would tell someone to act their age is because the way they were behaving did not align with what society sees as acceptable for a person that age. It’s perfectly okay for a kid to bust up laughing while rolling on the floor but if an adult did that, people would think they’re on something or they’re a bit nuts.
Putting all of society’s rules aside, I’m here to tell you why you should not act your age.
Let me ask you this. What group of people would you say has more fun, a group of uptight adults or a group of 2nd graders? The answer is obvious, the kids. But why? It’s because they are able to truly express their excitement and joy without being looked at funny or condemned.
Do you remember back when you weren’t such an uptight boring adult? Do you remember when you were able to just jump up in the air while swinging your arms all over the place and laughing for no particular reason? More importantly, do you remember how that felt?
You see, as we got older, society placed a bigger and bigger chain around our ankles. It told us that if we don’t act a certain way, if we didn’t walk like “adults” or if we laughed way too much in public, people will think there’s something wrong with us. The rules suddenly became, no jumping around and acting like a kid and if you’re excited about something, unless if you’re at a sporting event, hold it in.
The problem with this is that when you conform to society’s rules for too long, you will slowly kill off our inner child. You see, if you really want to be happy, you must be able to let your inner child out every once in a while.
When was the last time you just let loose, stopped being such a boring adult, and just had fun? I’m not talking about polite laughter with business associates, I’m talking about having so much fun to the point where when you were laughing, your sides started to hurt or you made sounds you haven’t made in decades. If you want more joy in your life, laugh like a kid again.
If it’s been too long since you’ve experience real joy, here are some benefits of bringing that inner child inside of you out to play now and then.
1. You Will Have More Joy in Your Life
Since you’ll be letting loose, you’ll naturally laugh more and enjoy life more.
2. You Will Live Longer
Studies show that people who enjoy their life more and laugh more will live longer.
3. You Will Make More Friends
People prefer to be around fun loving individuals compared to uptight ones.
4. You Will Have Less Stress
Since you’ll be able to enjoy your life more, your stress levels will go down.
When you stop worrying too much about what others might think of you and start expressing your joy, happiness, and passion freely, you will truly know what it means to live.
So the next time someone tells you to act your age, touch them on the arm, say, “You’re it”, and run.
There are plenty of tools you could use to help increase your happiness such as happiness quotes and self improvement articles.