When did you first feel really old?

[SqualorVictoria]

Tell me your secrets! I’m starting to feel so old in my late 30’s I’ve become like a little old lady who reminisces about the good old days’ of the 80’s and 90’s. Oddly growing up and even in my 20’s I really believed I would never age, I just didn’t believe it would happen, I reasoned that I looked in the mirror every day and nothing changed and as long as I looked in a mirror every day I would never get wrinkles. It made total sense to me. I was wrong!

I don't remember the 80s but I always talk about how great the 90s are and I will never stop. The greatest decade, bar none!

For me it's part psychological and part physical- I try to look after myself as best as I can with eating well and so on and psychologically I don't allow myself to feel old. If I think back to an experience in the 90s for instance, I don't think "wow I can't believe that was x years ago, I feel so old". I'll look back with fondness and think to myself I was so lucky to have had that experience in the best decade ever

Also my 20s were a mess, my self esteem was in the toilet, I constantly got with unsuitable men, wasn't happy. Much happier and confident in myself nowadays

Hope that doesn't sound preachy!

 

[Gembo]

I don't remember the 80s but I always talk about how great the 90s are and I will never stop. The greatest decade, bar none!

For me it's part psychological and part physical- I try to look after myself as best as I can with eating well and so on and psychologically I don't allow myself to feel old. If I think back to an experience in the 90s for instance, I don't think "wow I can't believe that was x years ago, I feel so old". I'll look back with fondness and think to myself I was so lucky to have had that experience in the best decade ever

Also my 20s were a mess, my self esteem was in the toilet, I constantly got with unsuitable men, wasn't happy. Much happier and confident in myself nowadays

Hope that doesn't sound preachy!

Not at all it sounds great and I know I need to sort out my attitude, if I keep telling myself I’m old then I will feel old. Attitude has to be a lot of it as we’ve all met someone in their later years who just seems so young and active for their age and people who are young but seem so old. I think it is probably because my 30’s have probably been my most stressful decade with a lot of grown up stuff to deal with so on reflection it’s no wonder I feel ancient. A lot of those thing have are behind me though so I think I need to inject some more fun into my life. I do try to look after myself through exercise but can be a bit bad with my food I’m definitely going to be working on this because I know a day will come when I’m older and I’ll look back and think what a twit I was!

 

[svdwoodsen]

I'm currently in my late 20s but hitting 27 was when I really started feeling it, because suddenly I was much closer to 30 than 20. I think 30 isn't actually old at all in itself but society's expectations for your achievements and behavior change A LOT as you are close to 30. Suddenly all the things that people used to talk about with amusement or even envy ("They can afford to take a year or two off and do nothing because they're just figuring things out/being a young person/being a free spirit") are suddenly looked as being irresponsible or childish. As a woman, the pressure to find someone permanently so I can procreate in the next few years has also increased significantly both directly (friends and family asking) and indirectly (seeing people around you get married). It's also more frowned upon to move around (you're no longer hip for gathering international experience) but people really respect things like taking on a mortgage and settling down in one place.

 

[SqualorVictoria]

@svdwoodsen that hasn't been my experience at all. It's a lot more common for people in their 30s to rent because of how difficult it is to get on the property ladder. I've known many people to take career breaks in their 40s also.

I do agree about the pressure to meet someone. I was single at the end of my 20s and constantly had nosy aunties and people quizzing me and friends trying to pair me off with (usually unsuitable) acquaintances. So annoying

 

[svdwoodsen]

@svdwoodsen that hasn't been my experience at all. It's a lot more common for people in their 30s to rent because of how difficult it is to get on the property ladder. I've known many people to take career breaks in their 40s also.

I do agree about the pressure to meet someone. I was single at the end of my 20s and constantly had nosy aunties and people quizzing me and friends trying to pair me off with (usually unsuitable) acquaintances. So annoying

I can definitely see people having different experiences depending on where they live so thank you for sharing your experience! I live in a fairly expensive city in North America where the average detached house is well over a million dollars and constantly rising so a lot of people hope to get a down payment and mortgage going sooner rather than later.

The pandemic has definitely not helped me in terms of nervousness about finding a life partner. My current one and I are on the rocks and I suspect I may be single soon. The thought of being single at my age and looking again (I'm not comfortable doing online dating generally, and especially not during a pandemic!) is dreadful to me. How did you handle that?

 

[SqualorVictoria]

I remember my friends husband trying to set me up with his friend, I did not fancy the friend in any way. He said "but he has a huge fool!" I replied well why don't you sleep with him then! I just told people I was fine and didn't need to be set up with anyone. It used to drive me up the walls I have to say.

The worst was family weddings with the nosy aunts. My cousin was getting married and my aunt said to my Dad "we'll set Squalor Victoria up with a nice guy at the wedding". They lived the other side of the country and she wouldn't have a clue about the type of guy that would be a good match for me! I couldn't make it to that wedding in the end so I didn't get to see who she had in mind.

Met my boyfriend in my 30s and I feel I was more ready then. Like I said earlier, my 20s were a mess for me personally and I was definitely not in the right headspace for a relationship.

I'm sorry to hear about your relationship. Hope you can work it out but if not, my Mum always says what's for you won't pass you. A clichè maybe, but I do feel it's true xx

 

[Mrs McCarthy]

I am 25, and I felt old the other day when several people have asked me if I have my own kids. Heck no!
And that’s with me having a 4 (nearly 5) year old sister and when we are out I get comments like “Well, you started early!”

 

[watermelon sugar]

About 10 minutes ago i seen a post on Facebook saying 'when you were younger and you used to think the over 25s category on X Factor were dead old. And now you are over 25' that made me feel old

 

[Rbarb-bkini]

When a 21yo colleague hadn't heard of Nightmare Before Christmas and said to me "Isn't that one of those old films?"
Granted, I am only 28, don't feel old inside and still get ID'd so I look young. But that hit me!
I figured cos I feel young I could hang out with a 23yo and the 21yo at work and it not be weird but when they talk about pop culture of their time and I'm like what is that? Doesn't help that when he turned 21 he went "Oh, I'm old now" I was thinking "Oh honey, you've no idea."
I still get colleagues in their 40s telling me I'm so young though so it doesn't bother me then

 

[Dexy]

Seeing pop stars who would have been my contemporaries, looking their age in their 50s or 60s. Also my mum is in a care home with dementia and she was only 23 when she had me. Decades fly by.

Definitely this. Loosing pop stars I loved in my teens. I’m 40 so grew up in the 90’s but I consider George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson and Whitney all legends of “my time” even though they weren’t exactly but just loosing them all really brought it home.

I don't remember the 80s but I always talk about how great the 90s are and I will never stop. The greatest decade, bar none!

For me it's part psychological and part physical- I try to look after myself as best as I can with eating well and so on and psychologically I don't allow myself to feel old. If I think back to an experience in the 90s for instance, I don't think "wow I can't believe that was x years ago, I feel so old". I'll look back with fondness and think to myself I was so lucky to have had that experience in the best decade ever

Also my 20s were a mess, my self esteem was in the toilet, I constantly got with unsuitable men, wasn't happy. Much happier and confident in myself nowadays

Hope that doesn't sound preachy!

The 90’s were fab! I agree! I look back with fond memories and so glad we just lived and played out rather than have social media like youth nowadays.

 

[Gembo]

Pop stars are a thing that make me feel old! I remember when my parents didn’t know anyone other than Kylie and I once got to meet some pop stars (not going to name they really weren’t famous) but my dad took me and mum didn’t want to come. I couldn’t believe she wouldn’t want to meet a pop star. As an adult my husbands niece was obsessed with One Direction and I can honestly say at that time that not only would I not have recognised a single one of them if I’d bumped into them somewhere but also I really would not have cared! That realisation made me feel as old as time!

 

[waffledog]

Somehow I blinked and I'm now actually 49, a mum and step-mum to 4 kids and a Nanna of 2 and menopausal to boot (it's not old Lauren1994 trust me) but I still spent last Saturday in bed with a raging hangover like I did 30 years ago

 

[SqualorVictoria]

Definitely this. Loosing pop stars I loved in my teens. I’m 40 so grew up in the 90’s but I consider George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson and Whitney all legends of “my time” even though they weren’t exactly but just loosing them all really brought it home.



The 90’s were fab! I agree! I look back with fond memories and so glad we just lived and played out rather than have social media like youth nowadays.

Totally agree! Kids nowadays will also never know the pleasure of listening to the radio for hours just to hear that one song, recording it on tape and so on! I'm also glad I got to experience dating before online dating took over. Or having no mobile and the guy I was dating having to ring my parents landline to speak to me. I could go on and on

 

[Dexy]

Totally agree! Kids nowadays will also never know the pleasure of listening to the radio for hours just to hear that one song, recording it on tape and so on! I'm also glad I got to experience dating before online dating took over. Or having no mobile and the guy I was dating having to ring my parents landline to speak to me. I could go on and on

Yes, definitely! When I start thinking about it I am really nostalgic and happy I grew up around then.

 

[Doyoureally?]

I sometimes feel old and sometimes I’m shocked I’m an adult at all!

But I realised I’m getting older when my tastes changed (food). Things I hated when I was younger I now really enjoy and vice versa.

 

[bella578]

This year when I got my first grey hair at age 32, but luckily I bleach my hair, so can hide it.

 

[totallytaz]

When page three girls or adult actresses started to be a good 10 years younger than me.

 

[Kim Mild]

I sometimes feel old and sometimes I’m shocked I’m an adult at all!

But I realised I’m getting older when my tastes changed (food). Things I hated when I was younger I now really enjoy and vice versa.

Sometimes I feel like an impostor adult.

However ,I felt like I was a proper grown up when I was in my late teens and my mam stopped telling me off for putting ketchup on my Sunday dinner..

 

[ChloChlo]

In my 30s, when I notice younger people feeling nostalgic over things like High School Musical, Hannah Montana and Bratz Dolls.

When I keep catching myself telling my teenage son "Back in my day"...

And when my lads call me a Karen! I'm 36 ffs!

 

[ChloChlo]

Also being arrested a couple of years ago I became a bit irate the coppers were children compared to me.