Harvesting the Energy of Youth

My friends and I. We used to be so young and alive.

"Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind.We grow old only by deserting our ideals.You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; As young as your self-confidence, as old as

your fear; As young as your hope, as old as your despair." - Samuel Ullman

Lately, I've felt old. I twisted my ankle in my sleep a couple weeks ago, and it has pained me ever since. Every time I bend it, I wince. I sprained my back watching the Cardinals vs. Packers game, jumping with exuberance, and suffering as a result. It has flared up once again, leaving me limping across campus as I teach my classes. These may seem like minor annoyances, but to me, they are stark reminders that I am getting older, and consequently, falling apart.

"But you're only 28!" That's what people always say when I tell them that I'm sore, that I'm tired, out of shape. "28 going on 80" is usually my reply. But what I find so unusual is how quickly exhaustion crept up on me. I feel like one day I was going to concerts, jumping in mosh pits, staying up til 3:00 a.m, and playing in a band in my spare time, and the next day I was struggling to get out of bed, taking mid-afternoon naps, avoiding foods that might upset my stomach, and going to bed by 11:00 p.m. What happened?

Life happened. Time passed. My metabolism slowed down. I got married. I became a mother. I got a career, not just a job. Things changed, and even though I love my life, I can't help but miss some of that energy from my youth. I always think, if only I had the energy of my youth combined with the wisdom of adulthood, I could conquer the world. 

Now, I can barely keep my eyes open on my drive home from work. When my daughter wants to play, I just want to relax. When friends invite us out on the weekend, we have to psych ourselves up for days just to go, and even when we do, we wish we could just stay home. 

But I'm too young to retire, too young to eat dinner at 4:00 p.m and settle in to watch my soaps. I've got a lot of life yet to live, which leaves me wondering, how can I harvest the energy of youth?

Here are ten tips that I'm following in hopes that I might be able to delay the effects of aging. Try them with me, and together we might just conquer the world after all!

1. Work and/or Volunteer with the Youth - As stressful as it is, I feel extremely blessed to be able to work with teenagers. I teach high school full time, and volunteer as a leader of a youth organization in my church. Naturally, it keeps me young. I am able to keep up with current shows, current music (however awful), and current trends. I can't become the grumpy old gal and do what I do. It won't work. Working with youth, and doing it well, will delay some of the harmful effects of aging.

2. Say Yes to Playtime - There will always be work to do. There will always be a house to clean, bills to pay. But your babies will only be babies for so long. Your toddlers, your kids that drive you crazy, will one day be adults who are too busy for you. Take advantage of playtime. Be willing to pretend, to push the wagon, to color, to engage in tickle wars. Not only will your children appreciate it, but you will too. There's no better therapy than spending time with kids you love. 

3. Get Enough Sleep - The fact remains, you're not a kid anymore, and you can't skip sleep like you did in high school. Appreciate the 8-hour minimum, and reach for more if you need it. I need a solid 9 hours to function and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If you want to be productive at night, skip sleep. But if you want to have a more productive day and avoid a sluggish brain and a cranky attitude, get your zzz's. 

4. Be a Believer - If you're a cynical, glass-half-empty kind of person, you are going to feel more run down, exhausted, and depressed on a daily basis. The world is an awful cesspool of hatred and filth and if you can't see beyond what is right in front of you, you will drown in darkness and feel older than you ever thought possible. Believe. Believe in God, believe in the power of the universe, believe in the future, believe in yourself. 

5. Try New Things - I used to want to try everything. I picked up a guitar and taught myself how to play. In college, I took electives about film making, writing, and theater. My friends and I traveled to places we'd never been, by ourselves no less, just to experience what life had to offer. Somewhere in the grind I lost that passion and ambition for trying new things. I developed a fear of failure, and a love of comfort. Recently, I tried Taekwondo. Despite my overwhelming anxiety, I grew to love it. I've even grown a love for yoga lately, something totally not in my wheelhouse at all. Try new things. Keep learning. Keep growing. You're not done yet.

6. Enjoy Throwback Thursdays - It's not just for social media hashtags anymore, kids. Pick one day a week (it doesn't have to be Thursday) where you throw it back to your youth somehow. Maybe you play a pickup game of basketball in the park. Maybe you pick up that guitar that's been collecting dust in your bedroom. Maybe you go to a concert, or watch an old movie you used to love in junior high. Embrace a bit of nostalgia. It will help you remember what it was like to be young and full of energy.

7. Let It Go - Elsa wasn't just whistling dixie. We've gotta learn to let stuff go. We hold on to grudges, we hold on to the stress of the work day, we hold on to fights or arguments, we hold on to regrets, and pretty soon we're holding so much negativity that we have no space left for anything good. If we can learn to let it go, leave mistakes in the past, allow stress to dissipate, we will be surprised to see how awake and alert we feel.

8. Make a Fool Out of Yourself - As adults, we spend so much time trying to be professionals, and sometimes we forget what it was like to be a goofball. When was the last time you sang in public? Danced? When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? When was the last time you were willing to sing karaoke or perform in a talent show? Sometimes, you've gotta be willing to make a fool out of yourself. Stop taking yourself so seriously. You're giving yourself wrinkles!

9. Be Passionate (and Unashamed) - Simon Pegg has said that "being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating.” When was the last time you were geeky about something? When was the last time you dressed up in costume? Painted your face to go to a game? Had a board game competition? Threw a party? It's time to stop caring about what people think of you and to throw yourself head first into what you love.

10. Love Yourself - Speaking of love, don't forget to love yourself. When we come into this world, we believe in ourselves. We believe in our capacity to achieve great things. We believe we are important, special, and beautiful. And then the world fills our head with lies, tells us that we are average, that we won't amount to anything, that we're ugly or unpopular. The reality is that we are incredible. As one of my colleagues reminds his students every day, "you are a miracle and you can do anything." If you want to harvest the energy of youth, you have to unlearn all of the negative things the world has taught you, and relearn how to see yourself as the bad mammajamma that you really are.

What has kept you young? How do you maintain a positive energy in the midst of life's greatest ills? Hit me with some comments below!