Feeling insecure about aging?

[mlh1981]

For the first time in my life, I've had to really start watching my diet and exercize more. I'm still slender, but this past summer, I started noticing that I was getting a bit of a gut. That's been trimmed down, but gone are the days where I can eat total crap all the time, and not suffer any consequences.

Another thing is, growing up, I always felt like my goals were right in front of me, graduate from school, find a job, etc. The future seemed limitless, and full of possibility. I've lost some of that youthful exuberance, and while I'm happy with my life and where I live, some of the "innocence" is gone. I think more about the reality and practical aspect of things more than I used to.

[reppy]

I don't really care about getting old as much except the fact that the quality of women seems to be going down.

But really the only thing that gets at me is the fact that I figured by around age 30 or so I'd be in like "settle down, start a family" mode. I'm nearly 28 and still single.

[gigantes]

...I'm trying not think too much about the stigma attached to turning 30, but I know it's not too far away. Did any of you guys notice a significant change in your life and lifestyle when turning 30, or shortly after it?

felt like some part of myself was dying, or was supposed to die, so i kind of hunkered down and awaited the huge hammer blow. nothing happened!

nothing happened, so i just kept doing what i was doing and felt all clever and pleased with myself, like i was saying "haha, take THAT, life, your miserable motherf--ker!"

later on i realised that dying in stages and being reborn in stages is what's SUPPOSED to happen, so i kind of had to go back and do the work anyway.

[9512]

Feeling is old has never been a problem. I consider myself "young at heart." kinda corny to say it and it's very cliche but it's true for me.

Actually it's the perception of others that bother me. I have suffered from social anxiety disorder my entire life so I care too much what other people think. I get anxious with what people would say when I will reach a certain age.

Right now I am losing hair like crazy and people have teased me about it. I wouldn't care but the truth is looks can affect how people view you especially in the dating world and job interviews. Those 2 processes are very harsh and people involved will look for any reasons to not go for date #2 or not hire you for the job. I have seen males get turned down by females for the pettiest reasons. And employers have rejected candidates for having bad haircuts.

I know it's common for people aged 50-65 to be perpetually unemployed. It's a problem in France. I am not looking forward to be part of that group. I hope to NOT be.

Being over 65 and forced to give up independence scares me. My grandmother has had Alzheimer's disease for 7-8 years before passing away at age 82. She was a vegetable and had to be fed, changed (diapers and all), washed, and my aunt took care of her. She was practically an overgrown baby.

Obviously diseases creep up on you at this age. Not just Alzheimer's. Cancers of all kinds may appear. Not looking forward to that. My uncle died 3 months before my grandma did. He was a chain smoker and the cancer did him in. A few months ago, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. He is having chemo therapy done on him. He will be fine for now but you just never know.

I honestly would never wish cancer or Alzheimer's on anyone. Not even my worst enemies.

I can accept being old. But it's the preretirement and retirement era that I am not looking forward to.

I never envisioned myself as being old, gray, hunched over, waddling with a walker, being toothless. I visualized me being young and vibrant with a few wrinkles an gray hairs but really old. No.

I have no answers to inspire anyone. All I am doing is trying to appreciate every present moment because death can knock at our door at any age.

[Stuckey]

turning 25

not worried at all, I look forward to death because that's my real retirement considering I believe in in life after death, hopefully it's not reincarnation

but until then, I have LOTS of work to do to stay alive, raise my future kids well, and pay off my mortgages

I guess it's because I'm asian and still look like a teenager, but I dont think about age

dont let it get to you, one day at a time. As long as you're working towards your goals at a good pace, dont stress.

[ace23]

I turned 25 at the beginning of last month, and it's kind of a bummer when I think about the fact I'm now closer to 30 than I am 20

Depends on how you interpret that. You'd be closer to 30 only if you considered the day that you turned 20 the only day that you were truly 20.

[Nevaeh]

I knew I was getting old when I stopped keeping up with today's latest musicians and stars, and actually didn't give a f@ck to know who they were.



For me, the culture shock of getting older actually hit home for me when I realized that my latest job has more 20-somethings than I had ever worked with in years. When it also dawned on me that I was old enough to be some their fathers (40 this summer), it bummed me out a bit, but on the flip side I don't find myself getting emotional over things like they do, be it work or personal stuff.

[goldenryan]

I knew I was getting old when I stopped keeping up with today's latest musicians and stars, and actually didn't give a f@ck to know who they were.

This. I dont keep up with music like I did as a teenager. Same with most mainstream movies back then I got excited to see The Phantom and Batman forever now superhero movies are much better made (avengers) but it's like meh. Dating is different too in your late 20's, decent bishs your own age won't give you the time of day unless you have a career, house,new car, etc. The best advice I can give is live a healthy lifestyle and keep your real friends close don't worry about impressing fake people.

[GatorKid117]

Many people will never get to experience what its like to grow old. If I'm able to I'll consider myself lucky

It may suck but thats just life for ya.

[JerryWest]

you guys are old

[gigantes]

Many people will never get to experience what its like to grow old. If I'm able to I'll consider myself lucky

average lifespan of a male in china looks like 71. are you in a high risk area or something?

[JEFFERSON MONEY]

Good thread

[code green]

I only get insecure about my age because I feel like I've underachieved so far. I see some of my friends from high school working great jobs, starting families, buying their first house, etc., and I get bummed out that I'm 26 and just had to move back home to go back to school. The only consolation is that I'm finally doing things right now (I'm getting ready to go to an interview for a network engineering position for a pretty large firm later today), which definitely softens the blow a little bit. If you put yourself in the best possible situation to succeed in life, aging definitely becomes less scary.

I'm sure the older gents here will, and have already said 26 is child's play, and if it makes the OP feel any better, I look back at 22/23 and think the same thing. It's all relative, so just make the most of your life while you can. Hold onto your youth as long as you can, but realize you're always moving forward.

[DeuceWallaces]

Never really bothered me. I remember my 29th birthday kind of sucked as I was thinking about how I'd be 30 in a year, but that was really the only time.

[Jailblazers7]

Don't think I will ever freak out about age but I do kind of freak out about life experience that I haven't had yet. For example, I'm 23 and never been in a serious, committed relationship before. I always bail pretty early on right before things are about to get serious. I know I'm only 23 so its not that unusual but if it is the same situation in 2-3 years I will start to feel a little incomplete. Relationships and even heartbreak are part of the maturation process and I feel like I've missed on that a little bit so far.

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 2 years ago and it has made me a lot more balanced mentally and emotionally. Before it was diagnosed, I had to go through the mental torment of self-diagnosis and was convinced I had colon cancer for a while. It was an overreaction but it made me reflect on things pretty heavily and really consider how I would feel if I didn't live for more than 1-2 more years. That little episode gave me a ton of perspective that has helped me a lot since.