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With age comes wisdom. And stiff joints, less energy, worse eyesight, worse hearing and less tolerance for hangovers and technology that you don’t understand...
When I was a little kid, I couldn’t wait to turn 16 and get my driver’s license. Freedom, here I come! When I was 20, I couldn’t wait to be out of university. Even more freedom, here I come! But then one day I woke up and realized that not everything gets better with age. In fact, sometimes things get worse.
Reddit users have recently been sharing some of the things they enjoy less and less as they get older, and to be honest, some of the replies are a little sad. From being less enthusiastic about Christmas to dreading nights out in loud bars, we’ve gathered some of their most spot-on responses down below to see if you aging pandas agree with them. Keep reading to also find interviews we were lucky enough to receive from gerontologist and host of the Aging Greatfully podcast, Holley Kelley, and writer, editor and host of the B[OLDER] podcast, Debbie Weil.
Be sure to upvote the replies that make you feel less alone, as you realize that all of our preferences shift with age, and feel free to share anything else that has become less fun over the years in the comments section. Then, if you’d like to read a Bored Panda article highlighting the most hilarious parts of getting older, you can find that piece right here!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Honestly leaving the house, I used to be a social butterfly and now I have to convince myself to go get basic necessities and go to work..
RELATED:
#2
Being a certain level of presentable to be in public. Me in my 20s wouldn't have left the house in sweatpants unless I was deathly ill on my way to the doctors. And the idea of a family function without a full face of makeup was horrifying. F**k that noise. I'm grocery shopping in my sweats and y'all lucky if I show up to family functions at all, much less in a full face of makeup.
Taylor Carroll 2 years ago
This needs to be higher! I won't dress in a trash bag, but I do NOT care what other people think of my dress sense in public. Girl bye.
#3
Apps.
Everyone and their mother has to have an app to download for every little thing, especially if you wanna use a coupon, or earn rewards, or whatever. I'm tired of places asking me to download an app. I don't want your f*****g app, I just wanna buy your s**t and be done with it!
Aging is inevitable, and there’s no reason to fight it. But it is fair to admit that, as we age, some things just don’t feel as enjoyable as they used to. I no longer want to wake up at 5am on Christmas morning, and I feel wrecked any time I stay up past midnight. Sitting in traffic is a lot more painful than it was for teenage me, and I no longer feel proud when I make a large purchase on my own. Spending money brings me more anxiety than excitement, and a busy weekend is something I often dread, as I know I won’t be able to feel refreshed on Monday morning.
To gain some insight on this topic, we reached out to gerontologist and host of the Aging Greatfully podcast, Holley Kelley. We asked Holley if there’s anything she has come to enjoy less and less with age, and she had an excellent answer: appointments. “I’m a huge advocate of everyone overseeing their best medical, health, preventative, and general well care,” Holley told Bored Panda. “The amount of these tend to increase as we grow older and spending more time at these various appointments isn’t something that is considered fun but they are still very important not to neglect.”
#4
I haven't liked religion since i was 15, but I downright hate it now. Now that I see in even more ways the ridiculous hold it has over people, and how that affects everyone's lives. It's like this unquestionable monolith that prevents rational thought.
And my beef isn't that people believe in deities and such, I don't care about that. I'm not one to make snide comments about "Sky daddy". I simply hate how religion dictates how everyone lives. How people are basing policy and votes on what their own misguided religious beliefs tell them. Add to that how straight up crooked and slimy so many churches are.
Believe in God all you want. But quit standing in the way of science, psychology, and other people's well-being. That's all I damn ask.
Sue Bradley 2 years ago
This is a bit of a sideways move - but - people who have survived a medical trauma, they are thanking the lord, all down to Jesus, nooo!!! down to the hundreds of medical staff with years of training and experience, modern equipment and medicines. With age I lose my rag even faster to rage at these ********* (choose your own expletive)
#5
How fast time is slipping away from me rather than how slow it used to be as a kid
Rosy Maple Moth 2 years ago
That’s one of the worst things about getting older. But you also value time so much more than you ever did.
#6
Shopping. for anything... including groceries. Shopping used to be fun. Now it is a chore.
But according to Holley, it’s perfectly natural for our preferences to shift with age. “Our preferences can shift for a variety of reasons as we grow older. For example, if you’re referring to a shift in cuisine preferences, this can be due to the fact that our taste buds not only decrease but can become impaired with aging,” Holley told Bored Panda.
“These changes in taste can be due to medication, infection, medical treatments, smoking, or other injury, ailment or disease but are also a normal part of aging,” she explained. “My grandfather, who never enjoyed spicy food when he was younger, really enjoyed it later in life because it really stimulated his taste buds. We see older adults adding salt to their foods to activate taste. Similarly, our sense of smell can also tend to wane. So, taste tends to shift.”
#8
Feeling like I've done all the right things yet the goal posts keep moving farther out.
#9
Social events. The mental preparation beforehand followed by the wide range of personalities at said event.. exhausting.
"If you are referring to general preferences shifting as we grow older, I believe this is not only natural but indicative of the fact that we are growing in our life wisdom through the amazing process of becoming," Holley shared. "In youth, we are finding our way and it is a time of great discovery. Through life experience, we learn, grow, adapt, discover and blaze our own distinctive trail to the best of us that has been there the entire time just waiting to be unearthed!”
And if anyone out there is a bit scared of aging, Holley has a great perspective on the topic. "It beats the alternative! And, aging is happening to all of us, from newborn infants to supercentenarians. Aging is our gift of life, if we’re lucky enough to be doing it," she told Bored Panda. "With that, not only do we want to do it as long as we can, we want to do it with a positive attitude and with passion, vigor and vitality. As we grow older, there may be some things we cannot do as we once did. But with some childlike wonder and an optimistic mindset, we can find FUNdamental ways to mine our passion and purpose in creative ways to give life meaning and even make a positive difference in the world around us.”
#10
The ultra wealthy.
I was never a fan to begin with, but seeing how the can grow their wealth by billions, live in extreme luxury, and pretty much never pay taxes, really makes me sick.
Elon Musk was able to increase his wealth by over $100 billion in less than a year, without paying taxes. He was able to buy twitter using a leverage scheme so that the majority of the $44 billion was money that was never taxed.
And he's far from the only person benefitting from tax laws that let the ultra wealthy pay little tax.
Mark Howell 2 years ago
I've met the Duke of Westminster (richest man in UK, owns Mayfair, Kensington). Nicest person, his kids went to local schools and he funded all local shools whilst they were there.
#11
Going to theaters to watch movies. They're more enjoyable to watch at home now.
#12
Social Media
It’s a literal biblical level plague
Aging isn’t all bad. According to Holley, the best part of getting older is “Being able to answer ‘PRESENT’ to the roll call of life.” And as she shared with Bored Panda, there are plenty of things she actually enjoys more now than she used to. “With age comes a deeper appreciation for life and the opportunity to experience grand living by design,” Holley says. “I believe attitude plays a big role in our life experience. That doesn’t mean every day is rainbows and roses. Because as we know, life is full of surprises for all of us. It simply means choosing to take nothing for granted and cherish life’s special “whatisness” – big and small, in the spirit of gratitude.”
#13
The world in general, it feels less and less like it has anything to do with me, more alien and absurd with each passing year. Perhaps that's natural for a creature that is closer to death than birth.
#14
Junk food! I can tell when I’m malnourished and it feels good to eat vegetables
FlamingoPanda 2 years ago
I have started craving salad. It is weird. But after a day filled with junk food and sugary treats all I want is a nice salad.
#15
Anything with a lot of hype that requires me to stand in a long a*s line.
Susie Elle 2 years ago
In other news; that shop has to have the least inspired banner I've ever seen.
“I remind my listeners to be active stakeholders in their growing older journey and design life on their terms to discover meaning, purpose and passion over and through the years,” Holley told Bored Panda. “Sure, growing older can have its share of challenges; it can serve up lemons we didn’t want.”
“But I love seeing how with resilience, grit and passion that bitter lemon can be sowed, and the next thing you know there’s an entire grove of lemon trees capable of serving lemontinis to the entire world. In other words, we can take that unfortunate circumstance and transform it into something greater than we ever realized was imaginable.”
"We continually fill our Virtual Treasure Trunks with the many Gems we collect along life’s way making us rich with Pearls of Wisdom, Emeralds of Empathy, Garnets of Gratitude and so many more. What fun we have mining for each of them in our life-long journey of self-discovery," Holley says. "With that, I invite everyone to love the st’AGE’ they’re in!”
If you'd like to hear more wise words from Holley, be sure to check out her podcast, Aging Greatfully, right here!
#16
I hate losing interest in things I used to love.
Chrissyfox 2 years ago
It's worse when you physically can't do things you used to love. I love horses but my hips won't allow me to ride anymore. I want a dog but I couldn't walk it. I used to climb mountains in Scotland and the Lake District. My fingers hurt when I do crafting... But I still really love K-pop!
#18
Small talk
Bleble BlebleBla 2 years ago
I cannot, I cannot stand pointless yapping! So much so that I have become the quiet one that goes to work to do my work and go home to my bed and cat.
We also reached out to host of the B[OLDER] podcast, Debbie Weil, to hear her insight on the topic as well. Debbie is a 71-year-old former journalist, story designer, podcaster and grandmother of 6 who divides her time between the coast of Maine and New Haven, CT.
When it comes to things she's noticed she enjoys less over the years, Debbie told Bored Panda, "Going out to a nightclub or a party, staying up late, and then sleeping late the next AM. Much prefer to skip the party, go to bed at 9ish to read, and then get up the next morning at 6:30. I realized this about 10 years ago," she noted. But she also think it's natural for our preferences to shift as we age. "Partially because one’s tastes change and partially because one starts to be clearer about what’s important."
#19
Capitalism. F**k working until I die for profit I don't get to enjoy.
#20
The way the internet is in 2022.
Ads, subscriptions, pay walls, unhelpful sites with more pictures than words, and streaming service content split up between around 200 platforms, and most of the good content is exclusive to one, and never available elsewhere.
On browsers, you have to have multiple extensions or the like to tell Cookies, Trackers, and Ads to go away. For people in Australia, we're also Geo-Blocked, so we have to use VPN to get around it or turn to other means.
Commercial radio is unlistenable, with the same 25 songs on repeat at the only five I can remember the channel for, and even that is preferable to the afternoon talk show of cackling, squawking gossip. (I'm happy to pay a contribution to my group's spotify; I can have that going on my phone, instead of listening to any of that c**p; I can have long playlists, *my* kind of music, and I don't have to pull over to change CDs).
Changing phone service provider is simple enough on the surface, but then you also have to update your 2-factor authentication, and if it's tied to the old number, which is out of service, you have to go in person to a store or office, or call customer support. For each instance.
Those are the most prevalent grips I have with modern life. It's all in regards to what I watch, listen, or read, and the devices I do so on. It's this tangled web of inter-dependant, exclusive-pushing, paywall-blocking, subscription-requiring noise that really does distract from more important, more healthy, use of time, energy and money.
#21
Huge gatherings of people.
Parties are cool. But like festivals, concerts, anything where people are shoulder to shoulder and packed in somewhere, no thanks.
We also asked Debbie if she has any wise words for anyone who might be scared of getting older. "As they say, getting old is not for the faint of heart," she shared with a laugh. "You have to be 'bolder' in order to keep trying new things, going new places, and meeting new people. I’ve taken up the cello because a wonderful teacher lives a few blocks away and because it’s satisfying as well as very challenging. AND I’m okay that I’ll never be very good. Who cares?!"
#22
Contrarians. A lot of people dislike stuff simply because it's popular, they think it makes them edgy and cool but they just seem like defiant teenagers to me nowadays.
#23
Crowds. I’m the guy at house parties that sits outside by the fire pit all night.
But getting older certainly isn't all bad. Debbie says, "The best part of getting older is that you care less about a lot of things (whether you’re good at something, for example). At the same time, you gradually, very gradually, start to appreciate the simplest things: getting outside for a walk on a fall day when the sky is blue and the leaves are yellow. Or walking down the street holding your partner’s hand (in my case, a husband of almost 50 years)."
If you'd like to hear more wise words from Debbie, be sure to check out her podcast about making the most of getting older, B[OLDER], right here!
#25
Kids.
I can't wait to get a cane so I can shake it at them while yelling to get off my lawn.
#26
Ignorance. It's almost always harmful and, at sone point, seems willful.
#27
Going to work. Working in general.
Zelda Blue 2 years ago
I totally feel incompetent to do any job now days. Why does everything have to be "fast paced, multi-tasker, blah blah blah"? I don't want to be a multi-tasker anymore.
Nobody can stay young forever, so we might as well embrace the beautiful process of aging. But that doesn’t mean we have to enjoy everything as much as we used to! Keep upvoting the responses noting things that don’t feel the same as they used to, and feel free to mention any more you think of in the comments below. But we’re also curious, what do you pandas think gets better with age? Christmas might not feel the same, but I’m guessing a cozy night in and the satisfaction of having a clean house are a lot more enjoyable now than they were to teenage you. We’d love to hear your thoughts!
#28
Deciding what to cook for dinner. You want chicken and chips great, 3 course meal great just tell me what you want to eat
Zelda Blue 2 years ago
This is so true. I swear if they say " I don't care, whatever" they are getting a can of cat food and crackers.
#29
New music, I don't have the time to care about what's relevant or "in" anymore. I'm sure it's great, but it's just so much easier to stay in my comfort zone with all the to-dos of life.
#31
Holidays. As kids it's about opening presents and eating, but as adults you need to be the one to cook the big meals all day and buy the presents for everyone. Halloween was getting excited about dressing up and getting free candy but now it's about buying candy to give away and maybe buying an expensive costume
#32
Dating. I just turned 40 and I feel like I may never find someone
Joshua Moore 2 years ago
I understand this one to the core of my soul. Before meeting the beautiful woman I'm with now, I was single for over 6 years (I'm 44). I had gone out on dates and 99% of those dates, the check couldn't get there fast enough and I couldn't wait to get out of there. I can truly appreciate what you're saying and feeling, because I thought my heartbreak and loneliness was just going to be it for me, for the rest of my life. I found a great woman though who took a chance on me, and me with her and I've haven't smiled and laughed so much in such a very long time. My heart finally fills good again. I'm not hurting and feeling hollowed out inside any longer. I finally feel love again in my heart. I know it's difficult, please don't give up. I know I almost did, I was so close to giving up. Please hang in there.
#33
Having social interactions, even going out with my friends is tiring.
Headless Roach 2 years ago
I'm supposed to take part in my university bazillionth graduation anniversary tomorrow and the closer it gets, the less interested I am.
#35
Lack of leisure time. When I was younger, it wasn’t a oh deal to go from work to gym to home to right back out half an hour later to bar hop or movie or something.
Now it’s like work…. Aw hell, gym? Not even half an hour to chill? No? F*ck. After gym I’m not doing sh*t the rest of the night.
#36
People with huge "look at me!" life-of-the-party personalities who have no off switch. I spent my younger years seeking friendships/relationships with this type of person, maybe because I wished to be more like that, but after years of being the supporting sidekick bestie to a series of main characters, I find them exhausting.
my other answer was "doing anything at all" but that's probably depression.
Samara Messer 2 years ago
Yes and also feeling like you have to shrink yourself back for these people because they get jealous if any attention is taken away from them.
#37
Going to the damn grocery store
indiecognition 2 years ago
I still love a good grocery store. But toy stores lost most of their luster by the time I hit my 30s.
#38
Rollercoasters. The more I see how little people care about their jobs, the more I questions how well put together those things are—especially at fairs and carnivals 😬
#39
Driving. I used to drive to do fun stuff like pick up my friends, go places I wanted to be, or just cruise during the night and enjoy the air.
Now I drive to work. Even though my car is a million times more fun to drive, Im perpetually annoyed.
Chrissyfox 2 years ago
Former rally driver here. I've realised that I'm quite happy being a passenger these days.
#40
Alcohol. It’s getting harder for me to bounce back on Sunday Fundays. So much so that I moved them to Saturday.
What do you think ?
ZeroCapacity 2 years ago
I hate that when I am looking for information on the internet that the first thing in a search is a video. If I wanted a video I know where to look. I can read ffs and it's not my fault people can not. Especially in public I do not want a video of someone teme an answer just give me the information ffs.
DuchessDegu 2 years ago
At last put captions if it's a video, I'm always already listening to something and don't want to pause it. No captions, I don't even bother.
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JoNo 2 years ago
Society, as a whole, is ageist. I hate that I'm looked on as middle-aged when I don't feel it deep inside. People of my age and older can be treated differently in stores. People in positions of authority are mostly younger than me, eg, doctors, police, accountants, they used to be older!
Kiwi Panda 2 years ago
I’ve always wondered what age people really feel like inside. I’m 42 and I think I’ll feel like I’m 25 forever-mentally anyways. It really changed my perspective when I realized that for the first time
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ZeroCapacity 2 years ago
I hate that when I am looking for information on the internet that the first thing in a search is a video. If I wanted a video I know where to look. I can read ffs and it's not my fault people can not. Especially in public I do not want a video of someone teme an answer just give me the information ffs.
DuchessDegu 2 years ago
At last put captions if it's a video, I'm always already listening to something and don't want to pause it. No captions, I don't even bother.
Load More Replies... JoNo 2 years ago
Society, as a whole, is ageist. I hate that I'm looked on as middle-aged when I don't feel it deep inside. People of my age and older can be treated differently in stores. People in positions of authority are mostly younger than me, eg, doctors, police, accountants, they used to be older!
Kiwi Panda 2 years ago
I’ve always wondered what age people really feel like inside. I’m 42 and I think I’ll feel like I’m 25 forever-mentally anyways. It really changed my perspective when I realized that for the first time
Load More Replies... Related on Bored Panda
