How young or old are you, really?

(Photo by Jill Greenberg)
I was having a fun little conversation with two of my coworkers yesterday at the end of our lunch break. I can't remember how we got on the topic, but the subject of psychological age came up. There's chronological age and then there's psychological age. Psychological age differs from chronological age in that the difference lies not with how many years you've been on this Earth (chronological), but with how old one perceives or feels oneself to be emotionally and mentally.

Interestingly, I noticed a pattern in our discussion about this....fluctuation or fluidity in psychological age depending on the context of situations, relationships, life experiences,etc. We were talking about how old we feel at work vs. maybe in regard to romantic relationships or other facets of our lives. I commented that I feel like a 40 year old when I'm at work/in sessions with clients, but most of the time I feel about 25 years old. What about you, my blog readers? Are there certain situations in which you feel "older," "younger," or your actual chronological age?

I remember thinking when I was a little kid (ok, even as a teenager or in my 20's, haha) that one day I would reach this "magical" stage or moment where suddenly *Poof!*: I would feel like an "adult." Little did I realize that this never really happens, permanently anyway. At least for me. I can't speak for the millions of human beings on the planet. I'd be curious to see how people feel about chronological age vs. psychological age in other cultures around the world. Perhaps it's just us silly Americans that never really grow up? ....And I'm ok with that!

I know for me, there's nothing more gratifying than moments where I find myself having the silliness and playfulness of a 6 year old, the passions of a 17 year old, the free and adventurous spirit of a 21 year old, the confidence of a 30 year old, and the compassion and wisdom of a 40-50something year old.

Perhaps the indicator of a good life is being able to embrace the best of our various psychological ages.