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“My Brain Still Thinks I’m 25”: People Reveal The Worst Things About Their Current Age
Interview
Years come and go, problems stay. However, the type of problems will inevitably change with time. Bad grades, knees, and managers all manage to feature at various points over a lifetime.
So one netizen was curious to take a somewhat existential trip and hear others’ thoughts on the “worst” thing about being a certain age. From early teens to late seventies, people from all walks of life shared their thoughts, opinions, and experiences. Some wrote complaints, others shared sweet moments. We also got in touch with counseling psychologist, psychotherapist, and content creator Divija Bhasin to learn more. So get comfortable as you scroll through upvote the most relatable posts, and be sure to comment your own “worsts” below.
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#1
58. Being single again. Dating is very different now. Oh, and my brain still thinks I'm 25 and my body thinks I'm an idiot! Lol.
Pickles, Pennies, & Ponies 1 year ago
Going on 53(f). After living on my own for 10 years, I don't think I could ever live with anyone ever again. House is quiet, no chaos. Next boyfriend/husband can live across the street and come visit.
RELATED:
#2
42 - I wake up with bodily injuries from sleeping.
#3
I'll be 38 on Friday, worst thing is all the questions I receive about whether or not I'm planning on getting married and having kids or being asked why I don't have kids yet. Trust me, it wasn't for a lack of trying, PCOS is a bastard plus unhealthy relationships. Can we finally move forward from asking women when they will have kids? It's rude and insensitive to those with fertility issues or who decided to remain child-free.
Bored Panda got in touch with Divija Bhasin to learn more about the fear of aging and she was kind enough to answer some of our questions. Divija is a 26-year-old counseling psychologist, psychotherapist, influencer, and content creator based out of New Delhi. She is also the founder of a mental health organization called “The Friendly Couch” which provides therapy to people in need.
We wanted to hear her thoughts on why the idea of aging often affects people negatively. “There could be many reasons for this depending on the person. One of them is that we are afraid of our own mortality. We would like to avoid the idea that we cannot live forever and aging reminds us of that. Another reason could be how society views aging. We see old people as “incapable” and not as a part of society.”
#4
55 here, we've experienced so much change in our lifetime. We were here when there was only 3 or 4 channels on TV and no remote controls, there were no cell phones , no home computers, etc. Now look what all is out here in this world. To be honest I miss the days before all the technology a little and think it's kinda sad that kids today don't know what it's like without it. People were more real back then. Being a teenager in the 80s was great.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago
Not quite reached that age yet, but agree with the sentiment. Did or said something stupid? Only those around you will know. Now the whole world can constantly be aware of it. Going out for the day with your mates and back when you got hungry. No one checking up on you. Yes, sometimes bad things happened, but they still do today. That freedom of just being was amazing,
#5
44 and just went through the worst year of life yet. Lost dad. Mental health declined due to my mother declining alzheimer's (stage 6 of 7) lost job after not dealing with this well. I say lost but I was bullied out by two women. One of those women died days after sacking me (natural causes). I live in a small dreary town where people are two faced. I turned to weed big time and my relationship took a nosedive. Health took a bigger nosedive. But... I feel like I'm coming through the worst. I got stronger and determined to chase my dreams of being a writer. I placed in the top 1% of a screenplay contest with the BBC recently and have been placed on their radar as a writer and have two labradors who get me out the house. I stopped smoking and started looking after me and honestly. The future looks okay.
I was on the verge of ending it all and without a consultation with local help I may have. If you're in the dark, reach out. I promise people want to listen and want to help. You don't have to go through it alone. Even if it's reddit. People care. You matter.
#6
35m. Ability to gain weight, and lose hair increasing at a terrifying rate.
"It is looked down upon if an aged person does “normal things” like working, dating, etc. This can be extremely isolating and make the process of aging more difficult to deal with. As humans, we like to be in control of our bodies as it is easier to protect ourselves that way. Aging is beyond our control which makes us feel helpless and unsafe, she shared with Bored Panda.
#7
36 - I'm single and don't want kids, and finding someone my age who is single and doesn't already have kids is proving difficult.
Weasel Wise 1 year ago
Difficult but worth the wait to not compromise and settle for being a stepparent to a child you never wanted.
#8
29 - last year of being in that fruitful 20s stage. People expect that you should know by now. People also expect that you should get married and have kids or else whatever. Spoiler alert: I get tired just by existing.
#9
At 43 it's watching the younger generation struggle. It started to get bad in the later 90s, but at least I could afford a studio as a young man.
Now you need two or three roommates to afford rent in a one bedroom and you're never going to make enough to buy a house, unless you stay with your parents until you are in your later 20s or early 30s and save up.
College does not guarantee a good paying job anymore and if you do find a job, you have a mountain of college debt to pay off.
I think it sucks watching the young men and women today struggle in the American nightmare.
pfeils wife 1 year ago
I agree with this... and feel awful when I hear people say "Gen Z complains too much!" But what this OP wrote is 100% true, and then some! It almost seems like these young men & woman just have no chance at all! I realize complaining solves nothing.. but their complains have merit!
Naturally, we wanted to hear what advice she had for people to overcome this feeling. “Some of the things people can do to accept that they are getting older - remember that you may not have control over aging but you do have control over other things in your life. Make connections with people of all age groups."
#10
71. Body is beginning its inevitable slowdown. Not happy. I still try to keep fit (do some jogging, some stationary bicycling and some really light lifting), but it sure takes a lot more effort than it did previously, and keeping the extra pounds off is really difficult. Also had a bout with prostate cancer (which happens to just about every man sooner or later; the saying is that you either die with prostate cancer or from it...) which was successfully dealt with by surgery but which has left me, well, half the man I was before (the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, as the expression goes). Once the plumbing begins to fail, the rest follows.
#11
33 — feeling simultaneously young and healthy and old and broken down. There are days i wake up refreshed and crush it in the gym, and there are days i feel like i tweak my back washing dishes or some s**t
#12
42 here, life is the best it’s ever been yet I’m probably halfway through or past halfway already. Time flies.
"This might help give you new perspectives and show you that everyone is growing old. It’ll show you how others deal with aging. Stay active. Just because society has this notion that an old person is just someone who sits on a chair all day and doesn’t “do” anything, does not mean it has to be true for you (as long as your health allows it)."
#13
19- I have no idea what to do with my life.
Rachel Smith 1 year ago
You don't have to know what to do with your life. Life doesn't have to have meaning or be special. You don't have to be ambitious, you just have to exist. I'm 29 and use to feel like that, but then I realized I don't have to have a purpose. Find a job with people you enjoy, maybe learn a trade and just be happy living life. There is nothing wrong with living a simple life, it brings a lot of peace. I don't have a fancy job, I work at a thrift store, but I love my friends there, they make my job super fun. I have a husband who I love but no kids, and no pressure to have kids, we play video games together and go hiking and stuff. It's a simple life but it's beautiful.
#14
39 m. I've finally arrived at the age where I can't get rid of this damned abdominal weight. I swear my stomach is in full blown Manifest Destiny mode and is spreading to my back in an attempt to stretch coast to coast.
#15
36 and watching the older people I love decline in health. So f*****g scary. I lost my Grandma to lung cancer a couple years ago. She was only 67. My dad’s mom died of lung cancer in her 50s. His dad died in his 60s. He was an alcoholic. My mom’s health is bad. She just found out she has cancer again (3rd time) and I’m so f*****g scared, dude. I’m not ready to be the most senior/responsible person in my family. I worry that my life is halfway over already even though I don’t smoke cigarettes and don’t drink.
She left us with some parting thoughts. “The problem with aging is not just the fact that it is difficult to accept due to the idea of death, it is also how we push old people away from society. Social support is very important for all age groups. It is vital that we talk more about the mental health struggles associated with old age so we can help support old people and help them live a better life.” You can find Divija Bhasin’s work on Instagram here and you can find her LinkedIn profile here.
#16
16- everyone expects you to act like an adult but still treats you like a child.
Weasel Wise 1 year ago
And the insane, new hormones that make us all into mental patients....I don't miss my teens...nor my 20's.
#17
52: Flexibility. I just wake up and nearly needs medical assistance just to go to pee. It requires 30min for the body to just acknowledge the fact that I am still alive and that I need all my fonctions up and running.
Judy Reynolds 1 year ago
And people expect me to be bright eyed and bushy tailed, 2 minutes after I crawl out of bed!
#18
58, I’m still 16 at heart, and not in bad shape, but man my knees and back are f****d!
#19
57. The realization that I'm 13 years away from 70 is wild. My parents are gone, my cousins are all in their mid 60's (only child) it's wild to think about the life we've lived.
#20
At 47 I had to give up a few sports that I can no longer play safely. Besides that, nothing, I appreciate the wisdom that comes with age.
#21
In my early 30's. In that age range, you have to be actively taking care of your body. If you don't exercise, eat responsibly, and/or sleep adequately, you REALLY feel it.
The good news is that I've managed to get into a good health routine, and I feel like I'm in my early 20's. The bad news is that most of my friends haven't, and don't have the energy to do things with me. The ones that have are now starting to have kids and don't have time to do stuff.
I honestly feel like I'm in my prime health, time, and disposal income years, and I struggle finding people to enjoy it with.
#22
34 - just old enough to start thinking about getting old and no longer feeling young.
#23
32 at years end. I have creaks and aches and joint pain but all I ever hear is "oh you're still young you have no idea"
2 things can be true old lady. My knee can hurt and I'm 40 years younger than you
#24
23. Empty wallet. No house. Still living at home trying desperately to find affordable homes for sale (nonexistent)
#25
Well, I will be 30 next month, so in gay years, I will be an old washed out gay.
Mark Fuller 1 year ago
Try being 40 and gay! I'm gonna punch the next little s**t who calls me, "Daddy".
#27
I’m 62 and have been walking a lot, long walks on Camino. So I’m in pretty good shape, still appear old BUT feel strong and young. Conundrum!
R.A. Haley 1 year ago (edited)
I've got the opposite problem, I've always had a baby face but I can't back it up any more. I think I'll grow a beard just to have *some* gray hair at least.
#28
16, everyone makes such a big deal of romance and sexual stuff, since I’m aromantic and asexual, I’ve never been in a relationship or even kissed anyone. Anytime I tell anyone this, they make such a big deal out of it, they act like im weird af, they cringe and say all the s**t they’ve done. Like idc? It’s my choice, I’ve had opportunities in the past to kiss but I’ve said no. Everyone expects people to focus on relationships and stuff, it’s just really frustrating.
Kelly Aitken 1 year ago
Good for you for being who you are, and not bending to peer pressure. Stay strong, and it will help you leaps and bounds as you get older. Also, as a mother of a teen (17F) - if your friends are making fun of you for those things, they're not your real friends. My daughter would highly agree
#29
23, you're expected to have so much ambition in life. Bonus if you're a female, you're expected to have a partner and are questioned if you don't.
#30
27 - pressure/social expectations of having a stable full time job, being in a relationship, thinking about buying house and having kids.
While I feel perfectly comfortable being single, childless and renting apartment.
What do you think ?
3 Trash Pandas (She/They) 1 year ago
14- terrified of the future, the state of the world and how I’m going to navigate it. To young for anyone to take me seriously when I express these things.
Lou Cam 1 year ago
I have a 14 year old and I'm worried about the state of the world for her. I also keep thinking what if I die and can't help her? Sort of thing that keeps me up at night. You're probably.a very observant and empathic person so you're really effected by the none stop negative news whereas some people live life with blinkers on and chug along oblivious.
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Trisec 1 year ago
Just turned 57. Prematurely aged from a bout of cancer a decade ago. Still living paycheck-to-paycheck. Somehow put our son through college, but raided retirement to do so. Wondering if we'll ever recover. When something hurts now, is the cancer back?
LoopsyJ 1 year ago
I hear you! It's a horrid way we have to deal with this going forwards in life with the cancer thoughts x
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ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
31 - It'd be so easy with this kind of post to separate ourselves from each other. We're literally naming ages and it's easy to say "oh you're experiencing THAT at your age, try when you're MY age." Instead, we should have empathy for each other. "Damn, I'm sorry you're going through that now. I've been through that too and it sucks." Let's all aim for that.
3 Trash Pandas (She/They) 1 year ago
14- terrified of the future, the state of the world and how I’m going to navigate it. To young for anyone to take me seriously when I express these things.
Lou Cam 1 year ago
I have a 14 year old and I'm worried about the state of the world for her. I also keep thinking what if I die and can't help her? Sort of thing that keeps me up at night. You're probably.a very observant and empathic person so you're really effected by the none stop negative news whereas some people live life with blinkers on and chug along oblivious.
Load More Replies... Trisec 1 year ago
Just turned 57. Prematurely aged from a bout of cancer a decade ago. Still living paycheck-to-paycheck. Somehow put our son through college, but raided retirement to do so. Wondering if we'll ever recover. When something hurts now, is the cancer back?
LoopsyJ 1 year ago
I hear you! It's a horrid way we have to deal with this going forwards in life with the cancer thoughts x
Load More Replies... ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
31 - It'd be so easy with this kind of post to separate ourselves from each other. We're literally naming ages and it's easy to say "oh you're experiencing THAT at your age, try when you're MY age." Instead, we should have empathy for each other. "Damn, I'm sorry you're going through that now. I've been through that too and it sucks." Let's all aim for that.
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