The sun low over a wide estuary, its light reflected across the water.

THE voyAGErs PROJECT

What does ageing actually feel like?

Moving through the decades

I’m exploring what ageing really feels like, rather than what we’re told it should feel like.

The realities, surprises, challenges and possibilities of moving through our 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond.

Different decades. Different experiences. Different perspectives.

Start the questionnaire

There are no right or wrong answers. Just your experiences and perspectives.

Why Sarah is asking

What people further along the voyage can share with those coming behind them

Sarah is interested in your experiences, thoughts and reflections, and in what people further along the voyage might be able to share with those coming behind them.

It takes about twenty minutes, and you can answer as many or as few of the questions as you like. Thank you for being part of it.

Sarah outdoors by a river with a friend on a bright day.

The questionnaire

Answer as many or as few as you like. Everything here is optional except the final tick box, and your answers are kept as you type them, so you can come back to this tab and carry on.

About you

Age

GenderIn your own words, or leave blank.

The questions

1. When you were younger, what did you imagine being your age would feel like and how does the reality compare?

2. What has surprised you most about getting older?

3. Do you feel more like yourself as you’ve got older, less like yourself, or about the same? Why?

4. When people hear your age, what assumptions do you think they make about you and how different is that from how you see yourself?

5. What matters more to you now and what matters much less?

6. What have you learned about the people you choose to have around you?

7. What’s one of the biggest lessons life has taught you so far?

8. What has AGE given you that you didn’t have when you were younger?

9. What are you doing, enjoying, creating, learning or experiencing now that your younger self might be surprised by?

10. What are you looking forward to, curious about or hoping to experience in the years ahead?

One last thing

14. If someone younger than you was worried about getting older, what would you want them to know?Optional.

Staying in touch

Your nameOptional. Leave blank to answer anonymously.

EmailOptional, and only used to come back to you about this.

I am happy for Sarah Taylor Phillips to use my answers in the voyAGErs project, including anonymously in writing and talks. I understand I can ask for my answers to be deleted at any time.

Your answers are stored on this website and emailed to Sarah. They are not shared with anyone else, and this site runs no analytics or advertising trackers. The privacy policy has the detail, including how to have your answers deleted.

Thank you for being one of my voyAGErs.

Your reflections will help us better understand what ageing actually feels like, challenge some of the assumptions about getting older and explore what we can learn from people moving through different decades of life.

Every voyage is different. Every perspective matters.

Talk to Sarah