“I’m only 35, but mostly, it’s little things that hit me hard, like hearing songs from my teenage years being played on classic rock stations. I don’t ever take that well, LOL. And when I see all those lists of ‘Things That Happened a Decade Ago,’ I realize they’re not talking about 1994. Seeing fashion that I remember as a kid or teen coming back around is wild. Now I know why my mother said it was strange for her when bell-bottoms came back in style in the early 2000s.”
“I’m in my 40s, and I’m surprised by how little I care about pop culture, the latest fashions, and the hottest music. I used to really care about all of these things and kept up with all the trends. It made me realize that I’m no longer the audience for these things, and that’s fine. I am 100% comfortable and happy with my skinny jeans, side part, and ’90s grunge music.”
“I’m in my mid-30s, and I still love myself and my body much more than I ever did in my 20s. I eat pretty consciously, and I stretch and exercise four or five times per week. Even with these lifestyle choices, though, my body still acts up in ways it didn’t in my teens and 20s. I get sciatic nerve pain that lasts a few weeks, and I wake up with random aches if I sleep in a weird position. Despite all this, I am happier in my body than I was when I was younger.”
“I was surprised at how quickly I turned on the younger generations. I suddenly found everyone in their 20s to be very annoying. It really did happen overnight, and I was shocked when I referred to someone who was 22 or 23 as a kid.”
“I am an incredibly harsh critic of my body as I age. I remember what I looked like, felt like, and could do when I was a size 2, and now that I am in my 50s and my body has changed so much (the toll of having children and the aging process), I barely recognize myself in the mirror. But that is not the reaction others have: Most people just see a spunky, strong woman who doesn’t look her age. Still, I constantly judge myself compared with what I physically was.”
“I remember a funny quote from Samantha on Sex and the City, which was, ‘One day you will find a gray hair, and it won’t be on your head.’ I believe her character was at least in her mid-40s at the time. I figured this would happen to everyone eventually, but not so SOON. I was in my mid-30s when the first one popped up, and it’s a good thing I wax!”
“As cliché as this will sound, I’ve realized ‘it’s never too late’ to start something new. I didn’t start any kind of skincare or workout routine until I was well into my 30s. I feel a million times better for it too. I quit smoking, I quit drinking every single night, etc.
We are so conditioned to believe that we just start falling apart once we hit 30, so there’s no use in trying to better ourselves. That cannot be further from the truth. You still have a perfectly strong body that you can move, so do it! Stop letting age define you and your decisions to keep going, keep moving, and keep taking care of yourself. “
“The idea of ‘forever.’ I thought ‘forever’ was a goal. For example, when I was younger, I thought I’d find my dream job and happily be there forever. I’d find the perfect partner, and we would be together forever. I had no idea about the amount of change and transition that would happen, making ‘forever’ an unrealistic and unhealthy expectation. Some people, some jobs, and some experiences are just meant to be a steppingstone, not a permanent road.”
“How differently you’re treated in the workplace. I was once overlooked for full-time jobs, but now I am a member of management making great overtime pay just because I’m older.”
“I’ve realized just how much lonelier it is when all of your friends start getting married and having kids, but you feel you have nothing in life.”
“That adults don’t actually know what they’re doing. Fifty percent of my job is winging it, and the other 50% is me saying, ‘Oh sh#t, oh sh#t, oh sh#t.’ Adults don’t know everything. Turns out, they’re just better at winging it and hiding the fact that they still don’t have the answers.”
“My energy level. I’m 41, and I am blown away at how different I feel from even 10 years ago. And by ‘different,’ I mean exhausted. All. The. Time.”
“My ability (and desire) to drink alcohol. Back in college, I could drink until 3 a.m. and wake up early the next morning to write a paper. Now, in my early 30s, alcohol really affects my sleep. Plus, I’ll be nursing a headache after a mere two glasses of wine. I also don’t have any interest in drinking the way I used to. I’ll enjoy one cocktail with dinner, and then I’m done for the evening. The idea of a terrible hangover, previously unknown to me, is one of the most unpleasant feelings I can imagine.”
“Hair. It’s thinning out on my head, but it seems to be growing out of control everywhere I don’t want it to be. Ear hair? Chin hair? Nose hair? Seriously!? I found a 3-inch-long hair in my eyebrow, yet I’m going bald on my head.”
“I’m 37, and I still don’t feel like an adult. I do all the ‘adult things,’ like paying bills, cooking, buying groceries, etc. But I still don’t feel like a real adult. As a child, I always imagined becoming an adult meant you eventually started to feel mature and different, but I still haven’t experienced this feeling.”
“The startling realization that when your hair starts to turn gray, it ALL goes gray…not just on top of your head.”
“I’m always shocked at how young the models look when I see makeup ads. I used to think they looked so old when I was a kid. I remember being in my 20s and realizing they looked young to me, which meant I was officially ‘old.'”
“How the process of aging can differ so greatly for different people. I got my first gray hairs at 25. Meanwhile, my sister is almost 40 and has yet to go gray, despite having a teenage son, which is arguably one of the most stressful things a person can experience!”
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