What is Midorexia?

Age and our perception of it, whether we feel older or younger than we actually are, affects our way of thinking and behaving. Midorexia manifests as a self-esteem crisis that makes a person try to preserve their youth.

According to Daniela Carrasco, a professor at Diego Portales University, midorexia doesn’t arise in an isolated way. Instead, it emerges in an environment that encourages it. 

Due to the judgmental nature of Western society, this disorder appears more frequently in women between the ages of 40 and 50. They try to live their youth a second time and, as a consequence, pay more attention to how they look.

Midorexia and leisure activities

Midorexia makes a person try to preserve their youth as much as possible. This attitude encourages them to make changes in their life that go beyond their looks. 

Therefore, people with midorexia may dedicate their time to making plans that involve younger people. Examples of this include going to specific bars and restaurants or planning a trip full of random activities.

The positive side of midorexia

Although midorexia may seem like a negative thing, like a disorder where people don’t accept their age or resist aging, it can also have some good ‘side effects’.

Midorexia can make a person live their youth a second time by not letting age be an excuse to stop enjoying life. Making an effort to live a youthful lifestyle can help us avoid getting stuck in an awful and monotonous life.

Midorexia can actually help us overcome the psychological difficulties associated with age. It encourages us to live experiences that we wouldn’t have even considered before because we think we’re too old.

For example, we can enjoy trips to exotic places or play extreme sports without caring too much if it’s age-appropriate.

Moreover, another interesting benefit of this disorder is the possibility of befriending younger people. Following their habits can help us discover the things we have in common with people from another generation. Also, this will allow us to better understand the younger members of our family: our children, nephews, and grandchildren.

Midorexia benefits for seniors

When older people want to feel younger, they usually start practicing some kind of sport. This, of course, will bring great health benefits. Many elderly people tend to become sedentary, which increases their physical limitations. This also makes them more vulnerable to illnesses.

Other people try to go through a ‘digital’ transformation to learn to use new technology. 

Therefore, although it’s important to be aware of our age, it’s also important to consider age something subjective. With the exception of the physical limitations aging causes, being 50 or 60 years old shouldn’t be an obstacle to enjoying life.

Besides, we must also remember that life expectancy has been increasing significantly lately, which is why we must try to keep a youthful spirit for as long as we can. Therefore, midorexia can bring more positives than negatives into our life. It allows us to enjoy the attractiveness of youth and overcome age barriers.