If you haven’t checked out my article, “How to Stay Forever Young,” make sure you stop by The Huffington Post!
In our culture youth is coveted like never before — 50 is the new 30, they say. I often get mistaken for being a lot younger than I actually am. People sometimes even think I’m only 18, which is a great compliment, but they’re wrong! I want to talk about how I’ve accomplished this “agelessness.”
Like a lot of people, I’ve had a lot of really shitty stuff happen to me throughout my life, and there was a point where I promised myself that I would try to make the best of my life and stay young forever.
It wasn’t just about looks, though a good moisturizer does help. It was about attitude. Regardless of what happened to me, there are a few things I’ve consistently done to keep myself forever young.
- Never Bring Anyone Down. People are shocked when they find out about my past because they cannot fathom how I am such a positive person after what happened to me. There are many reasons why I am so positive. When I went through the difficult times I was in so much pain that I never wanted to make anyone else feel as bad as I did, so no matter what I was always positive and supportive of those around me. I don’t believe in bringing people down just because you’re in a bad mood.
- Give Yourself the Freedom to Do Whatever You Want. When things really weren’t going my way, I had to do whatever it took to make myself somewhat happy. So I did whatever I wanted: shopping, trips, working out, eating chocolate, whatever I wanted that was within my means at the time. And I remember there was a time where I only had300 in cash to my name and no job prospects. I was around 20 at the time and had just broken up with this guy. One night, for the heck of it, I took off and drove to Woods Hole, Massachusetts and took the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, where I stayed for the day. When I got home I only had about200 left, but I didn’t care, there was always more money to be made.
When most people hear the term “rape victim,” the image of an adult male is not what comes to mind. In cases of rape, men are usually associated with assailants rather than victims. Perhaps this is because 
