People Are Sharing The Worst Things About Getting Older, And It's Making Me Feel My Own Age
There are plenty of joys about getting older — as well as a few things that, let's face it, just kind of suck.
U/tywalker215 recently asked the over-30 crowd on Reddit, "What is the hardest part about getting older?" If you're young and reading these, don't fret — there's still plenty to look forward to, and now you know what to expect, too:
1."Random bullshit health issues that prevent you from doing the things you want."
2."Time goes by faster."
3."Feeling like you’re way behind on societal expectations."
4."Watching parents and older relatives get older has been toughest for me."
5."Coming to the realization that all the shit the adults told me when I was younger actually came true, and that the youth of today will ignore my advice just as I had ignored it."
6."Maintaining friendships or developing new ones, especially if you relocate or travel extensively for work. It's not impossible, just not as easy as it was in your teens and 20s."
—u/Catgurl
7."As a dude, your hair thins out on top. Apparently, it migrates to your nose, ears, and eyebrows. It's not a ton, just a wild hair here and there. I have to pluck my fucking eyebrows, WTF."
—u/CpuJunky
8."You used to be hip and with the times, but slowly but surely you’re getting older and more stuck in your ways — becoming the thing you desperately weren’t trying to be when you were younger."
9."Having regrets about choices made years ago."
—u/Graphite57
10."Trying to stay interested in the world. The older I get, the less fucks I give about pretty much everything. It's frustrating and exhausting to try to stay engaged with what's going on in the world."
11."Getting less attractive. I know this sounds a bit superficial, but as a woman, it’s hard."
12."Realizing that 'throwing your back out' is not just a thing for old people."
13."It's really easy to fall behind on technology. Over the last few years, I've had to make an effort to set a little time aside and make sure I'm keeping up. Otherwise, it's too easy to lean on technologies I've already mastered."
—u/Z0ooool
14."My mind isn’t as quick as it used to be. Learning new things is definitely harder than it used to be."
15."Looking after your own kids and your parents at the same time. Shit gets hard."
—u/Lukin4
16."I'm a big gamer and book reader, and one of the worst for me is that there's a lot less sense of wonder and discovery to be felt. The past few years have been especially rough, but the older you get and the more you experience, the less new experiences there are. You eventually settle on which one is the best or your favorite, and there's little to no incentive to venture outside of that because you already know exactly what it's going to be like. MOST things are egregiously formulaic, and once you recognize the formula, you can never turn off knowing what it is and how everything follows it. Few things are ever a surprise, or unpredictable, or mentally challenging."
—u/Cookie-Jedi
17."Realizing that when someone speaks of '20 years ago,' they're NOT talking about the 1980s. 😵💫"
18."Your repressed trauma comes for you."
19."The fact that my income will never come close to matching my parents' income at the same age, despite exceeding their level of education and never taking vacations."
—u/ryneches
And finally...
20."I’m 60 years old and a baby boomer. I think it’s sad that younger people make assumptions about my values based on my age. I don’t value amassing wealth, I support progressive causes, I support younger people in public office. Baby boomers are not all the same, just like how younger generations are diverse in their thoughts and goals. I support protecting the environment for future generations."
Agree? Disagree? Got your own? See you in the comments!
These entries have been edited for length and clarity.