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Everybody ages—it’s a natural part of life. Even though age is “just a number” and a lot depends on the habits you’ve built up over the years, you’ll still see your life change over the years. However, accepting it can be hard for some people.
Internet user u/musclelivx recently inspired an interesting discussion on r/AskReddit. The online community members shared what they think are some of the clearest signs that someone’s getting older, from feeling way out of touch with pop culture and trends to taking their physical health far more seriously. Scroll down to check out their opinions and experiences.
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#1
Genuinely not caring what other people think of you anymore.
RELATED:
#2
Getting out of bed in the morning and walking like a new born giraffe for about 2 minutes.
#3
Having to scroll wayyyyyyyy back when you put in your birthdate.
Though we can’t control the fact that aging happens (yet! Longevity scientists, we believe in you!), we can change our lifestyles to ensure that we’re fit, sharp, and independent even as we grow older.
Though our genetics and environment are huge factors in how we age, a lot still comes down to things that we can control. That means cultivating the right habits, from getting plenty of exercise and eating healthy to keeping our minds sharp and investing in our positive relationships.
#4
Newest fashion trends look ridiculous and all new music sounds like garbage.
Remi (He/Him) 5 months ago
Or newest fashion trends look like something you're ashamed of having worn in your youth
#6
It's the good knee and the bad knee instead of the left knee and the right knee.
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 5 months ago
Or the bad knee and the realllly bad knee.
We don’t just need lots of regular movement and a ‘blue zone’ diet to live a long and high-quality life, though. We also need an active social life, to feel like we’re part of a community, and to participate in activities that give us a sense of purpose.
According to the longest-running study on human happiness, out of Harvard, it’s our relationships that we should prioritize. When we actively invest in our most significant relationships, we end up being far more resilient to the stress that life inevitably throws our way. We become tougher. We bounce back quicker.
#8
The doctor says "Yeah, that just happens." Instead of trying to fix anything.
T'Mar of Vulcan 5 months ago
I was having a kidney test (in which they inject iodine into your system). Was waiting for the 'warmth' that signalled it had reached the kidneys. When I said, "Oh, I can feel it; it's nice and warm," the doctor said, "Almost like being a young thing again, huh?" I was 38!! THIRTY-EIGHT!!!
#9
When you start realizing you really don't like most people.
keyboardtek 5 months ago
The only people I dislike are the people brainwashed into the hate-anyone-different-from-them political/religious cult.
It might sound obvious that we should take care of our social lives, but doing so consciously is difficult. Especially when you’ve got work, chores, and a bunch of other responsibilities all vying for your time and energy.
Just as good relationships can improve our lives, the lack of a strong social network can be very detrimental to our lives. Not just mentally but also physically.
#10
One day you’re cool and young the next you get excited for new kitchen appliances.
#11
When they tear down a building that you remember getting built.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 5 months ago
I hear you. Today, one of my former students became a fellow teacher.
#12
How easily I am annoyed by loud vehicles, regardless the time of day.
The National Institute on Aging explains that social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. Socially isolated individuals also have weaker immune systems and have a great chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Those most vulnerable are people who have lost their partners, are separated from family and friends, go into retirement, lose their mobility, and lack transportation.
#13
When you think the new generation's slang is just idiotic and not worth your time to understand.
#14
When your back goes out more than you do.
robin aldrich 5 months ago
You pull one little muscle... just a little bit... one time ...and it's never quite the same afterwards
#15
Time goes faster.
Annik Perrot 5 months ago
Just like à roll of TP. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes./j
Which of these answers did you vibe with the most, Pandas? What, for you personally, are the clearest signs that someone's getting older? On the flip side, what are some indicators that someone's maturing in the best possible way? What have you changed in your life as you age? Let us know what you think in the comments!
#16
Don't like applying makeup anymore and don’t care how I look. Not that I don’t look presentable but I just don’t care anymore.
#17
Having a favorite grocery store.
Extra points for having one for produce and one for bakery and one for pantry or meats.
Crescent 3 5 months ago
Or getting angry when they remodel, or change where things are in your favorite grocery store. "The bread has always been in aisle 17! Why did they move it to the back of the store? I can't find anything in here now!"
#18
I remember having friends, but have no friends.
keyboardtek 5 months ago
One sign you are taking good care of yourself is how many people you have outlived. But it does get lonely and unless one is in a retirement community it is hard to make new friends.
#19
When the grocery stores are playing your jams.
#20
Becoming invisible.
I always heard older women become invisible.
Well I think that's how I know I'm old now.
Nobody randomly talks to me anymore. Nobody hits on me anymore. Nobody gives a s*** what I'm doing, where I'm at, I'm just completely ignored in public. Nobody takes a second glance at me anymore. No random smiles as I walk by anymore.
When I was younger, without trying, I always got attention. People would say hi to me. Or approach me. Or ask if I needed help or strike random conversations with me. Their heads will turn and smile at me and keep going. I can't think of the last time somebody turn their head at me as I walked by.
All of that stops. I'm truly invisible just like the old ladies used to say 😂
Now I go through my day watching younger women get approached, get attention, have those small meaningless conversations and stay seen by society. Their presence is acknowledged. It's really interesting watching it from a different perspective instead of experiencing that anymore.
I just don't exist.
Oh and the kids park! My youngest is seven. My oldest is 18. I'm no longer the young mom at the park. I watch all the young moms, and reminds me of the old moms watching me and smiling from afar. when I used to be a young mom. I don't know how to describe it, but it's kind of bittersweet watching young moms with their new babies and reminiscing at the same time.
Jill Rhodry 5 months ago
For me the invisibility is one of the major pros of getting older - just simply go about your day with no f***s given!
#23
Not caring about social media. Facebook account deactivated for over a year.
#24
Sitting cross legged on the floor for a few minutes makes it difficult to walk for a couple seconds.
but you're not REALLY old if you don't call it sitting "indian style".
#25
I used to use the pull-up bar to make my arms big.
I now use the pull-up bar to decompress my spine.
cerinamroth 5 months ago
I like to have a float on my back in the swimming pool after going for a good swim. The only problem is that now I have grey hair everyone starts to panic and think I'm dead.
#26
I’m definitely more into birds and birding and I feel I’m slowly slipping towards owning binoculars and identifying species.
cerinamroth 5 months ago
Get the Merlin Bird ID app! I love it! We live near some wetlands and as I'm walking back after an evening swim at the local pool, I love to see which birds it identifies! I would have loved to have discovered this app when I was younger. But of course apps weren't a thing when I was young, and nor were smartphones!
#27
Pain everywhere around the body.
cerinamroth 5 months ago
Do your stretches, people! (Reminds me: I must do my stretches.) I know plenty of women in their 50s and 60s here who are sporty and show no signs of stopping. I plan to be like them.
#28
When your blood runs cold after you find out that the person you thought was at least 15 years older than you turns out to be your age. I always tell myself (and I like to think it's true) that at least I LOOK 15 years younger than that person.
Ladedah 5 months ago
You're not wrong... the same age can look way different in appearance among different people. I remember a few years back, I was assigned a patient who was my same age (35 at the time) and thought, "oh good, they're my age"... assuming they would mostly likely be more mobile / independent than our typical kind of patient ... well, you know what they say about assumptions... ...dude got up to the room and looked like he was maybe in his mid-sixties ... actually, my 73 y/o dad looked younger and was more physically fit. Dude looked like he had lived a real rough life (and moved like it, too). The same age isn't the same on everyone. Most people put me in my early thirties when guessing my age... I'm 38.
#30
Snap crackle pop used to be the sound of my breakfast. Now it’s the sound of me getting up in the morning.
What do you think ?
Jay Scales 5 months ago
No one said 'You look in the mirror & your mother/father looks back at you!
Thomas Hunt, Jr. 5 months ago
I don't look like my parents. I resemble my grandfather though. No hair loss, though. Muahahaha
Load More Replies...
Justin Tyme 5 months ago
Bored Panda Staff: "Let's repost this list every week. It's easier than finding new content."
Gianna B D 5 months ago
I have started complaining about younger people. "Darn Zoomers! They're a bunch of lazy idiots who think they invented everything. Grumble grumble grumble."
FaceTime Audio 5 months ago
I'm not even old, and yet half this stuff applies to me. Oh, how I miss the carefree days when my joints didn't ache from sitting wrong and I could jump up from sitting on the floor with ease! You take these things for granted.
Alexandra Nara 5 months ago
I feel old when my adult kids ( 20+) talk about " those crazy kiddos nowadays" and I realize they already mean the next generation But at this moment I enjoy the pros of getting older and giving way less f..ck
Crescent 3 5 months ago
Just yesterday, my wife saw an article and said, "Wow! Shaun Cassidy is 65 years old!" And she was shocked until I looked at her and said, "You mean he's 5 years older than me and 7 years older than you." Her face fell and she just said, "Damn.'
Incognito11 5 months ago
When you start talking to a co-worker as if they're the same age as you but they understand none of your 80's/90's references
BookFanatic 5 months ago
There are two "you're getting older" traits in my family. On my mom's side, hearing goes to absolute s**t. On my dad's side, a familial head tremor that gets progressively worse (not Parkinson's). Lucky me to have both of them.
MoMcB 5 months ago
My Dad was an only child. He died at 52, his parents at 36 & 61. My brother and I are both losing our hearing, all sorts of inherited joy, while my mother's family all lived to a ripe old age, And my mother is still going strong at 95!
Load More Replies...
Layla Layla 5 months ago
How old is this old we're talking about here.. I'm worried about these ppl
Jay Scales 5 months ago
No one said 'You look in the mirror & your mother/father looks back at you!
Thomas Hunt, Jr. 5 months ago
I don't look like my parents. I resemble my grandfather though. No hair loss, though. Muahahaha
Load More Replies... Justin Tyme 5 months ago
Bored Panda Staff: "Let's repost this list every week. It's easier than finding new content."
Gianna B D 5 months ago
I have started complaining about younger people. "Darn Zoomers! They're a bunch of lazy idiots who think they invented everything. Grumble grumble grumble."
FaceTime Audio 5 months ago
I'm not even old, and yet half this stuff applies to me. Oh, how I miss the carefree days when my joints didn't ache from sitting wrong and I could jump up from sitting on the floor with ease! You take these things for granted.
Alexandra Nara 5 months ago
I feel old when my adult kids ( 20+) talk about " those crazy kiddos nowadays" and I realize they already mean the next generation But at this moment I enjoy the pros of getting older and giving way less f..ck
Crescent 3 5 months ago
Just yesterday, my wife saw an article and said, "Wow! Shaun Cassidy is 65 years old!" And she was shocked until I looked at her and said, "You mean he's 5 years older than me and 7 years older than you." Her face fell and she just said, "Damn.'
Incognito11 5 months ago
When you start talking to a co-worker as if they're the same age as you but they understand none of your 80's/90's references
BookFanatic 5 months ago
There are two "you're getting older" traits in my family. On my mom's side, hearing goes to absolute s**t. On my dad's side, a familial head tremor that gets progressively worse (not Parkinson's). Lucky me to have both of them.
MoMcB 5 months ago
My Dad was an only child. He died at 52, his parents at 36 & 61. My brother and I are both losing our hearing, all sorts of inherited joy, while my mother's family all lived to a ripe old age, And my mother is still going strong at 95!
Load More Replies... Layla Layla 5 months ago
How old is this old we're talking about here.. I'm worried about these ppl
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