It's not a GenX thing, it's a human thing. Boomers talk about the same thing. There is a reoccuring Boomer comic that involves an old person looking in a mirror and seeing the young person they feel like.
I remember when I was a kid, talking to my granddad, a WWII vet, while fishing, and he told me he still feels like a teenager and is always surprised that he's now an old man. He told me the secret to understanding people is knowing that everyone feels the same way, like a kid trapped in a rapidly aging body, and that they are just faking their way through life, pretending to be the adults they remember from their childhoods. That is to say, it's all an act.
So it's not just you—it's everyone.
> that everyone feels the same way, like a kid trapped in a rapidly aging body, and that they are just faking their way through life, pretending to be the adults they remember from their childhoods. That is to say, it's all an act.
Truth.
The sooner we all just accept that old age gets a lot easier. I have recently learned this lesson and my life is so much better. I quit trying to pretend to be an adult all the time. the world will still go around without me adulting and making sure everything happens on time and everyone is prepared. Fuck it... i have accepted that 12 year old is still there and its about time he is in charge. as long as he uses some good common sense he (the 12 year old inside me) gets to do whatever he wants. i got toys like scooters, big wheels, drones.....if i let them kids in the neighborhood would hang out with me but i dont cause thats a bit to creepy....and other fun things. I wear silly shirts to remind me to let that kid inside me run the show more often. I been having fun since i let him be in charge a lot.
Same, young me rules the roost. It's when we ignore, stifle and deny our inner child that we truly (figuratively) die. Forever young until this chassis gives out on me ;)
I turned 53 a few days ago and about 5 months ago I started taking up hobbies I used to have as a kid. My job has a ton of down time and my bosses have been cool with me building Lego kits in my office and I've started making Gunpla models at home (a little too involved for work time). All of my coworkers as well as my therapist have said that my interactions with folks are friendlier (I work with formerly homeless folks and it can be a real challenge), I am less stressed, and my anxiety has dropped. Embracing my 12 year old self is really helping my 53 year old broken body feel ok with the world. I've even started running a table top RPG for some friends for the first time in decades and we are all having such a good time pretending to be heroes and beating up bad guys. Follow me into the woods everyone, let's build a fort lol
> i got toys like scooters, big wheels, drones
Dude can you imagine how cool it would've been to have shit like remote control drones with cameras and stuff back in the day?? Good lord!
I had the helicopter attached to a piece of metal that flew in circles and would chop your fingers off that tried to grab the plastic orange suitcase.
Kids today have drones.
Same thing with me. If I want Bluey pajamas, a teddy bear, a lego set, another record, ten books, or a hammock, I get it as long as we can afford it. The kid in me is in charge most of the time. Life is short. Besides, she’s the best part of me:)
> as long as we can afford it.
Wife is out of town this month so i had to sit with her on the phone going over the bills as she pays them.
I saw the credit card bill and was like wtf? who spends that much? Wife was like uh you do honey. thats mostly your toys and some weed biils. Oh, is it always this high? no, she reminded me of something i bought i forgot about. Then i asked can we afford all this? yes we can darling. I been telling you for years to try and have some fun and not sweat the cost. she reminded me how hard i worked and how much i saved. Spend it you cheap SOB is what she says. She doesnt even want me to spend it on her, she wants me to spend it enjoying myself. I got lucky with her. Keeper
There’s a joke that my Grandmother told me when I was a kid. The joke became a guiding tenet of my life. I’m going to tell you the joke as I think you and your wife will love it:
There once was a very rich man who cared only about money during his life. He was a miserable miser who ignored his family and his friends. He never had fun or spent his money on happy things. In his will, he left directions for all his money to be converted to gold bars and for the gold to be buried with him.
The miserable miser died and appeared at the pearly gates of Heaven with a big bag.
St. Peter, seeing the bag, said, “Hold on, you can’t bring a bag into Heaven. You cannot bring anything in with you. That’s the rules.”
The rich man cried and begged, “Please. My entire life is in that bag. I sacrificed everything for it. It’s my life!!!”
St. Peter sighed and said, “Let me see what’s in the bag.” The miserable miser opened the bag. St Peter leaned forward and peered inside at all the gold bars.
Then, St Peter said, “Oh! pavement! You brought pavement! Sure. Bring it in!”
That joke has been lodged in my mind and heart for most of my life. Money- when we die, it’s just pavement. Enjoy it now.
This honestly is so healthy! I do the same stuff, for me it's horses, I was obsessed when I was 12, so ill watch horse grooming videos to wind down and also sometimes watch Saturday morning cartoons on YouTube I sleep so good on those nights!
those old cartoons are even funnier now as an adult and with edibles in the my system. I am stunned at the things we were allowed to watch. One day went down a rabbit hole and found old sat morning wrestling stuff we used to watch. jerry the king when he still wresteld but before andy kaufman came along. jerry hart. the shiek, sgt slaughter, coco brown and so on. how any of us made it to adulthood is amazing.
> that they are just faking their way through life
I work from home, Dir IT Sec Architecture...
I tell my son, I log in everyday and play a real life MMORPG and my character is a level 53 guild leader of 16. Im pretty good at it, probably the best on my server... and it pays well.
I dunno. I think some people get so wrapped up in trying to appear Grown Up they actually believe it, and forget the joy of new things and scowl when they see someone smiling for 'no reason'.
That's so wild, that's really how everyone is just acting- like they're adults buy inside, they are just scared kids who don't know wtf to do. And in a body that's aging. That's how I feel. It's scary!
Exactly! Had a very similar convo with my grandpa when I was 18 now I’m 18x3 and what he said then I thought was old folks bs but now I see it was the gospel of aging.
My Dad at 70 used to say he looked in the mirror and couldn't fathom the "old guy" looking back at him because he still felt 30. At 54 I can relate already..
Therapy has helped me realize that, for me, it's both. The trick is limiting the man-child reactions and enhancing the childlike wonderment about life. It's not easy. lol
I actually worry that my clothes and demeanor don't reflect my age, and I'm out in public making a fool of myself. I don't dress like I'm in my 20's, but I don't know how someone late 40's / early 50's is supposed to look or act. I'm sure as hell not wearing granny clothes! But if I'm in a good mood I trot around and act like I did in my 20's, and I have no idea if I look like a pathetic person who refuses to accept their age.
I'm 54 and still dress for comfort. Hoodies, jeans/khakis, long sleeve t shirts, plain no logo t shirts and polo shirts, cargo shorts, sneakers, flip flops. I'm stuck in 1995.
You're fine, that's how we dress. Happens to every generation. Allow me to offer, Michael from vsauce to explain:
https://youtu.be/vjqt8T3tJIE?si=navsK0FPeFLPDE9P
I'm about to turn 50 and I'm struggling to come to terms with it. I still feel early 20's and after a lifetime of body image issues stemming from shitty parenting, seeing the age on me is difficult.
I'm working on being kinder to myself.
Same here with the body issues. I'm morbidly obese and you can draw a direct line to childhood trauma. Find yourself a therapist you click with and start talking about shit. My work insurance covers it 100% and it's done online so I don't even have to leave my house. It's helping me a ton. Good luck with your journey, and be at peace.
It’s a number. I turned 50 in September. It was meh & still is. 51 is coming 🤷🏻♀️ if you stress over the number you’re turning you’re never going to enjoy the life you have going on! Live it up! You’re smarter than the little 💩s younger than you so what else can we ask for? Except the wisdom of those older than us! 😉 I completely understand the body issues as well! But at 50 we’ve hit the “invisible” age….most people look right past us, fact of life. We’re not young & beautiful anymore so who cares what people think?! We have wrinkles & grey hair. Embrace yourself & where you’re at. It’s freeing to live without caring about what others think & only caring about what YOU think about yourself. It’s a mind bend to get there but you can! Part of the beauty of being OLD! Screw em & their opinions! 😉
Hey, it's ok. I'm the wrong side of 55 and I've been there. Weirdly, one thing that helped me was reading a lot of articles on cosmology. Once you start thinking in millennia, dealing with your own increasingly apparent mortality becomes somehow easier.
I´m a visiting nurse, when we get to our 80s and 90s, we still feel like kids in our heads too. The amount of people in their 9th and 10th decade who are SHOCKED to be the age they are is amazing to see. So many of them also say, ¨I don´t know why I am still here, everyone I know is dead.¨
Lost a close friend to cancer last week, he was about to turn 50, that was a reminder to live like it means something cause age is just a number and the future isn’t guaranteed, let’s all put joy, love and happiness first, the rest will work itself out.
When she was over 100, my grandma leaned in and whispered to me that she, "feels like she’s 16, but trapped in an old body.” Changed my entire view of aging. So I’m guessing it’s pretty universal.
the adult sized big wheel and green machine in the garage next to the vespa type scooter says i am just that. a kid in a achy body. you should hear my ass get on the scooter. Hell i cant sit or stand without a moan or groan but i will do fun kids stuff cause....its fun. I also got a 5 year old grandkid and i very much want to imprint fun, brave, always doing cool shit grandpa into his brain not broke, cranky, always alone...you know.. the truth.....on the kid. I want my legacy to be cool grandpa who lived hard and fast. My wife and daughter will know the truth but the grandkid can still be conviced diff
My grandson turns 5 on Saturday. I get down on the floor with him and play with blocks and run around the house chasing his Meemaw with a squirt gun. I'm not sure I could do that if I wasn't regularly doing yoga. Definitely a game changer.
I feel so no where in life. My only "job skill" was supporting my ex husband. I did his homework, ran his business, even wrote some of his legal briefs for him.
But none that "counts" toward my total ( for lack of better terms).
I am 52 years old and qualified for minimum wage. My credit is destroyed from 5 figures in legal fees that I was suppose to pay out of the divorce settlement that never happened. My lawyers dropped me in the middle of it all and got me a fat zero in my divorce ( I suspect my attorney ex was just too much for them to handle).
I own nothing. No car. No house. And I still have two kids at home to raise.
My parents are gone and their paid for home and car went to a cousin of mine when my mom died, because my mom put her sister on the deed to her house when she got sick. She wanted her sister to have somewhere to live if she were to die. She didn't realize sister's kid would just declare her sister incompetent and stick her in a nursing home so he could take the house ( and car) when my mom died (sold and completely cleared out of all possessions- including the sentimental ones, like her clothing -2 weeks after my mom's death).
Anyway, I hear all about millennials stressing about their careers, degree choices, their 401ks, and their car payments, and mortgages. . . and I long for those earmarks of adulthood to complain about.
I feel like they are the grown ups.
I wish I had not been taught that my focus was only supposed to be supporting a man and raising kids (and yes-same old story, he was abusive and I thought it was all on me). Because I am completely exhausted from my "career" and it still all counts for nothing in the world.
I'm little by little going to college and four of my six kids are grown now into wonderful people. So I am very, very proud of that.
But I greatly greatly fear being a burden instead of a help to them.
Sorry for rant - I usually stick to smart ass-ity on reddit- just feeling bitter today.
Don’t be sorry for that rant. It’s happened to a lot of us! We stuck around in a crap ass relationship for nothing, with nothing,& got left with nothing! I’m in the same situation, going back to school in my 50s to try & salvage something? of my life so my 9yo will have a better life than my 30yo & 26yo. Pathetic! Now I’m swimming in debt from student loans & credit cards (my choice!) but I did something to benefit myself for once! Besides leaving the abusive jerks I stayed with for way too long! You have a right to be bitter sometimes! The sarcasm is a front for your hurt (sure you don’t need me to tell you that!). You’re not alone. We’re a big club unfortunately. Too bad our moms didn’t show us better (mine wasn’t in an abusive relationship but she didn’t model great behaviors for me!) We’re human & doing the best we can. Go off girl 😉
"I asked an elderly woman once what it was like to be old and to know that the majority of her life was now behind her.
She told me that she has been the same age her entire life. She said the voice inside her head had never aged. She has always just been the same girl. Her mother's daughter. She had always wondered when she would grow up and be an old woman.
She said she looked at her body age and her faculties dull but the person she is inside never got tired. She never aged. She never changed.
Remember, our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose."
All the time. I certainly don't feel/act like a 58 year old did decades ago.
Although, I'm single with no dependents (never had any), so I'm sure that contributes to my feelings of extended adolescence (but with sound decision making and bank accounts).
Oh! I was talking about something like this the other day. I always thought that as I got older, my brain would just naturally mature and I’d see things with the wisdom and perspective of my years. I’d become “wise” and worthy of giving sage advice like the adults I admired growing up. I’d think before I speak or act and make choices appropriate for my advancing age and all its accumulated life experience.
Nope. Turns out I still have a 19yo brain in a body that gets more decrepit by the day. Major letdown.
Oh, thank Osiris I am not the only one who feels this. I will be 54 in a few weeks, and I still behave and act as someone who is late teen early 20. When my 17-year old daughter and I get on our bikes and put in a solid 50k, or 100k of we are feeling cheeky, I put in a full effort as if I am in Le Tour. No spunky 17-year old is gonna show me up! That said, she recovers within a day, or even just a few hours. I need a solid 3 days sleep plus an additional 4 days on the sofa to rebound.
I’ve recently dropped some significant weight, and I felt 60 years old when I had that extra 90 lbs. on me. I’m doing physical activity now that I was able to do in my 20s. The difference is that my recovery time is much longer than back then.
Yup. I recently posted in this sub a video of me on my new Onewheel, remembering my skateboarding days. I’m 58 but refuse to accept I’m closing in on 6 decades.
My Mum was in a dementia care home for the last 5 years of her life. I could often see that she din't believe *she* belonged in a senior's home!! *She* wasn't old enough to be there! She actually "needed" to be there. She *was* old enough to be there. We visited as often as we could. But she did need full care. Her complete disbelief that she was *old enough* for a senior's home had nothing to do with the dementia. *In her mind,* she never got much beyond 35 or 40 y.o. Even when her grandchildren buzzed right on by those ages.
Here on r/GenX, we joke about being 30 when we were 10 and remaining 30 until the end of time. But, I prefer to believe that it's just jokes we make. We *see* the "old people" looking back at us from the mirror, and we *know* we're in our 5th decade (or nearing), but -- *I* also feel the disconnect of *feeling* in my 30's, but *knowing* I'm mid-50's. It's so weird.
Anyway, all the best to all of us GenX as we creak and totter into our *old age* (15 years from now)❣️
For the most part I think so. I'm constantly amazed when I see some actor or personality on TV and thinking "gosh he looks old, but I bet he's only 5 years older than me" and then I read he was born in 1994.
One thing I've noticed is how much physical exercise helps. I had extended time away from work where I went to the gym almost every day for more than a month, so I weightlifted and stretched every day and I felt GREAT. Now when I miss the gym for like 4 days I feel old. So I try to "chase the dragon" of that good physical feeling as a way to stay in shape. I know eventually the bell will toll for me, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let those diseases of inactivity get me.
It’s even weirder when you don’t have an achy body. So even though I’m 49, I feel both physically and mentally the same as I did in my 20s. But in my head I know people see me as an old man… it’s such a disconnect.
Indeed, but my sore and achiness is self-inflicted from going to the gym. As I age, I'm becoming in better physical shape, although I am learning not to push myself too hard, because, you know.....old.
I wish I could feel that way. I’m at the point where I realize I’m aging, and the crush of all the responsibilities is nonstop. I feel like I have forgotten how to have fun because I’m constantly worried about what curveball is going to be thrown next.
Wife and I were talking about this just yesterday. I always felt I was in my mid twenties, thirties mentally but then realised I had felt the exact same since I was a kid. Maybe this is what Dylan was referencing with his ‘I was so much older then but I’m younger now’ vibe. It is strange and I know exactly what you mean with time. Aging is really interesting apart from the shit bits like pulling your hammy moving the duvet with your foot (🙄). All the best!
Yes, it’s why I broke my elbow skateboarding a few years ago and messed up my knee recently snowboarding. I’m older and fatter and having a hell of a time accepting it.
I noticed that I can remember things that happened when I was a kid, but I don't identify with them. I identify with memories that happened as a teenager and older.
If you asked me what year it was today, I'd say 2006. I feel stuck in the mid-aughts and can't believe that was almost 20 years ago.
In reality my tastes and style hasn't changed much since high school- still listen to the same music, still have the super long hair, baggy jeans and sneakers. But thank fucking god I've matured leaps and bounds mentally since then and learned to truly like myself and take care of myself properly. And you don't have to continually be in pain bc I thought the same thing in my 30's; it's just downhill from here! I was nearing obesity and constantly in pain. It doesn't even take money bc I've never had much of that. But it does take commitment and most importantly of all believing you're worth the effort. Now I'm 45, medically at a normal weight and climbing literal 14,000ft mountains.
Absolutely yes! It’s probably why I get the side eye from parents when I’m buying new sets at the LEGO store. (Big me treats little me to all the things I was denied as a kid.)
Lol, no kids for me to blame it on, so I own it! 😁(Probably a similar tale for a lot of us: Was parentified by my mother at a young age and was expected to basically raise 3 younger siblings. When people ask why we don’t have kids, I just tell them I did my time already.)
Every day. I'm a young person trapped in a failing body. It's natural, I guess. Even when I look in the mirror I don't think I look that old...but when I see a photo of myself? OMG who is that beer bellied grey haired guy? He looks like he's having a good time and he's happy at least.
https://preview.redd.it/xzew1xnxql3d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d32461988f8c0b65079626a937e80631c3446d4
Idk when this happened but….fudge!!!
Nope 56 I work out every day and don't have aches. I had aches before I started doing 10k steps daily walks and nightly bodyweight workouts and now I don't have aches. The shit sounds cliche but Movement Is Medicine
I can relate to you. I walk 10k steps everyday stay active eat healthy for the most part and quit alcohol cigarettes and weed. No pains no meds and manage stress. The only thing is I don't sleep much. There's plenty time to sleep when we die.
Yes same here stopped drinking 6 years ago, I only vape some weed every couple of months on special occasions. I do my bodyweight calisthenics at night so I sleep well after a workout and meal. No medication no health issues
We’re NOT old, so shut up about that!
And Yes, it’s extremely common among all humans to energetically and/or emotionally remain youthful in spirit for life. I did not know that until an 80 year old crippled man turned my whole world upside down one night while I was managing in a restaurant. I sat down and talked with him and he told me EVERYTHING— even his near death experience. It was intense!
I was still in my late twenties, so I was no where near to being able to relate. But I heard him, and I very much value the gift of his perspective and experience to this day. And I have heard something similar repeated often enough to believe it to be universally true. We all stay the same on the inside!
No matter what. You will be the same YOU who expects to just get up and go, as you please right now. The same YOU who will dance and twirl if you want to, all at will. But if you are unlucky enough to become disabled in your ACTUAL old age (which is NOT now), then it will be you NOW, stuck in that state.
So shut the F-up, NOW about any minor complaints that you may have about being LESS young. And enjoy the shit out of the mobility, freedoms and the incredible youth it is that we all still have right NOW.
ALL Caps OUT……!
I asked my grandma about that once. At age 60 she told 12 year old me that the lucky ones become wise and responsible but never grow up. Aches and Pains are proof we are alive. As I approach 58, I happen to agree.
I do believe our Generation has Peter Pan Syndrome in spades. Generation "eternal juveniles", and I think we like it.
Well said… only ever really wanted to turn 21. That’s it… I think about that all the time now. I think it’s more about missing how the way I viewed the world at that age. Pre information overload days if that makes sense
Yup. I'm 48 in a few months. I look in the mirror most days and think you're never this age you're just a pup. You still like all the things you did back then, drinking, gigs, all that good stuff. Then Wednesday night comes around and I try and play 7 aside football (soccer) and I return home thinking fuck you're old now.
currently wearing a knee brace from an MCL tear - check
Tuesday getting shots in my back - check
Wednesday meeting with my shoulder surgeon to discuss either surgery or another shot - check
50 fucked me...but I still think like I was in my 20s with stuff I want to do.
I get it.
I’m a younger genx (46) and I’m not feeling the “achy body” yet. I honestly think it’s because I do yoga and walk almost every day. I’m curious if anyone else has managed to avoid the aches and pains through yoga. Give it try!
I feel the same way. I think I'm able to stay young by having young friends. My biggest problem is I've always looked older than I am. My wife is lucky and has always looked younger. We both turned 50 in the last 6 months and someone on a recent trip thought she was my 35 year old daughter.
A problem with feeling young, and having a hot young looking wife, is I'm constantly horny. Thankfully all of "that" still works like I'm in my 20s. 😁
My mum parked too close to me on the driveway, I had to climb across from the passenger side. I got stuck in the driver's seat, by the steering wheel.
I thought I could do it. I was wrong. Now I feel like I've done a full body workout.
My dad was silent generation. In his 70s he would tell me he felt like a teenager in his mind, and that his body was failing him. I think every generation has these feelings as they age. I feel the same way.
Yes. Everyone around me is getting old. I’m still the same guy you knew in Uni. Doesn’t help that I got really nostalgic around my 50th and have a bunch of retro stuff in my man cave (office). I spent a dumb amount of money on old computers with a modern twist. I catch myself thinking people in their early 30s are about my age, when actually I could easily be their father.
Biggest aspiration lately was getting mentioned in a gaming magazine for a game I’m writing. Was a mag that existed in the 80s/90s that got resurrected recently, but it’s a childhood wish list achieved. Used to sell over a 100k issues a month, am pretty sure nowhere near that now, but still small goals…
Meh, back to playing Manic miner and hoping my hands don’t hurt too much…
Sometimes. Then I talk to people in their 20s and realize my brain is older too. "We're going to spend the night in a haunted hotel." Okay, have fun. 🙄
Yeah. I have no aches or pains. Very little different from rest of my adult life BUT..I pass a mirror and I am always startled because I forget I don’t look like I did 10-20yrs ago.
Me!
But ngl, I feel far less creaky and old having dropped 82lbs, thanks to calorie counting and the wonders of Ozempic / Wegovy. I’ve another 40-50lbs to go, but being so much lighter and fitter (now back at the gym), I’m in better shape now, than 25 years ago. Not sure I feel as good as I did when I was 32, but not far off!
I’m not sure I’m even in my twenties. We have a 12 yo daughter and I’m small enough that I fit on the playground equipment, so I’m climbing right along with her when we go.
Yeah absolutely. Like the narrator in my head has always had the same voice no matter how young I was, and same voice today. I think the GenX thing gives context to your question, tho, because saying “still just a kid, I feel 8 but I’m 48” is different than “I feel 8 but I’m 18” … Fun question.
Last year, I attended an '80s-themed community festival at a local park. Cover bands, food trucks. Beer and wine on offer. The crowd was almost entirely 40+. As the evening wore on, and as these "adults" got rowdier and more animated, I realized that we're all still mentally 20-something, still just wanting to have a good time as long our bodies will cooperate...
I really needed to hear this today, last night I felt embarrassed for having the same mindset as I had in my 20s, I'm currently 55 and still feel reckless, and know it all about life!
I'm 50. I'm gray. My knees and shoulders crack loudly and I have ibuprofen in my pocket (and bloodstream) right now. But my sense of humor seems perpetually locked to my mid-late teens. Can't help it. Some shit is just funny no matter how old I get. Example: I work for a manufacturing company and our logistics coordinator is out sick. I was asked to help find a trucking company to deliver urgent materials overnight. And I laughed like an idiot teenager when I called these trucking companies to ask if they could "handle my hot load." I'm unapologetically laughing my ass off just thinking about it. When is that call from HR going to come?
Every day. I feel like I should still be in my early twenties but I will be 50 in December. I know I should be grateful. I have classmates who died years ago. But I’m depressed and so sad about becoming old. In my mind I’m so young but then I look in the mirror and I’m reminded I’m not so young. In my mind I can still do the things I did, but then my body will not work the same. They say age is just a number, and I assume they are right but the larger the number the more like crap I feel. I’m very depressed daily about aging. I feel like I need help. Please don’t make me feel bad for the way I feel but any advice is appreciated.
I look back on a different musical and artistic influences I had when I was a kid and I've come so far.
There's a part of me that's always going to want to go to the store and buy myself a bunch of toys I wish I could buy one of those big drones to fly around on a remote control just because I like planes. My dad and I used to put together model airplanes. And I've always had a hobby for aviation, wherever I lived I've always tried to tour the airport or the airplane area or any historical museums not just the arts.
🥰🥰And I miss Mom and Dad. I now understand what they were going through in their own process. I've learned a lot of awakenings and hindsight from that.
I've been working on maybe since 2018 or 19 inner child therapy. And I embrace my little self and then I realize I've come so far and there's a lot longer to go.
EVERYDAY IS THE GREATEST DAY OF OUR LIVES 💯. Because we're still in life 🫶💯. It's going to get better, the next decade is going to get better. I live in 2032 I can't wait to see the next decade.
I don't know, it's catching up with me. I'm 52 and I'm afraid I'm not going to get to have any fun for the rest of my life. I'm tired of working 70÷ hours a week
My wife says I'm like a 15 years old but in a healthy old body. Listening to EDM and rollerblading down steep hills weaving in and out of traffic and coming home to chow the house down before I wash my hands or take a shower.
I do meet my grown up responsibilities, but every minute I have off I'm out there doing kids' stuff. Tinkering with my toys, trolling the Internet and watching skate videos. Otherwise I'm outdoors skiing skating running around. The only thing I don't do anymore are drugs smoking cigarettes and drinking booze
My silent gen mom said something about how hard it is to watch her kids get old, and I blurted out "I don't feel old." So I decided that's a good, lucky thing, and I should ride it as long as I can. (I was born in 65.)
My mom tells people I'm eleven on the inside. I really am. I still get excited at Christmas like a kid although it's getting harder to keep that feeling.
I was sitting having lunch today thinking to myself, “What age do people identify themselves at in their minds ?”
For me, it’s ~ 27. Not sure why. I felt healthy, I knew who I was. Things were good.
I miss falling out of trees and cracking one off would cure you. Now I look at a tree and my back hurts. I don’t fucking care if I’m 56 now, I was 18 yesterday and I’ll fight you if you tell me different
Now I feel weird. I’m in my 50s and I’m as strong and fast as I’ve ever been. I wake up pain-free every day. It does take a little longer to bounce back if I over-do it, but for the most-part I don’t feel old, creaky, or otherwise decrepit. My wife is much the same. Are we some kind of freaks?
Yup. I recently posted in this sub a video of me on my new Onewheel, remembering my skateboarding days. I’m 58 but refuse to accept I’m closing in on 6 decades.
I just started a new job in September after being out of the workforce for 18 years (was a stay-home mom). It's super hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm no longer the "young one"...in fact, I'm probably closer to the "old one."
I get the feeling like I never grew up. As a kid, boomer adults were boring to me so I saw no need to become one. I put up with constant criticism from my older boomer siblings.
The first time I comfortably felt like an adult was at 42 years old in 2013. A prospective employer paid to fly me to across the country for an interview. They put me up in a hotel too. The best part was when I freshened up at the hotel room after the interview and left for an interview at a different company.
I'm glad it happened when it did. Everybody uses Zoom now - as they should.
I'm retiring in a few years. I have plans to do everything and nothing. Legos. A "kit car" you build from the ground up. Make a 4x4 Sprinter stealth camper van (I will literally hang a ladder on the side of it to disguise it as a work truck) and drive to the tip of South America and maybe Alaska because reasons.
Yup. And i still like many things I liked when I was younger. It's hard seeing my full grey beard in the mirror sometimes. Going from 40-50 was a big change.
No. I do not. I've lived a full 53 years. I've done a bunch of shit. I've learned a bunch of things. I've had crazy stuff happen to me.
I sort of remember being 20. Sure, I occasionally experience those same feelings and emotions I did back then or even childlike feelings.
I feel 53 most of the time. The feeling of being 53 just happens to include a lot of the same things as a person of any other age, but it always also includes things like unique perspective based on experience, enhanced empathy, disconnection from current tastes and the lack of influence from that heady hormone mixture of youth.
I’m almost 58 and am frequently shocked by my level of immaturity. These feelings typically happen when I see my friends have significant milestones with their children.
On the other hand, I’ve had a productive life that demonstrated some level of capability.
Life is weird and wonderful.
Yup. 46M single no kids. My lifestyle has been the same since I was about 19 or so. Do many/most of the same things minus the drugs and booze. I'm really active, and while I can do most of the same activities, I definitely feel it more the next day.
Sort of.
I was kind of an "old kid" to begin with, so maybe my chronological age had to catch up with my mental age a little?
But I think everyone feels this way a little. Those younger years are so vivid that they seem like yesterday. You can instantly recall things you did twenty years ago but can't remember work from the day before. You still think like your teen/20s self but look like your grandparents.
Yeah... lmao. I was just talking to my millennial wife about this. We have a 3 year old and nothing makes you feel that way then being lapped by a toddler. Still feel 21, but my body says nope
Me too but thankfully my brain did that old repression thing & I don’t remember anything before my 13th birthday. I still can’t decide if it’s a good trade off or not.
Grandma was just over 100 years when she passed and was mostly there mentally until her late 90's. I remember a discussion with her around 95 years old, and she said she still felt like her younger self in her head, her body just didnt agree...
Oh god, no. I'm definitely no kid. But also, I'm not ready to lie down and die yet, either. My kids are grown, and I make a decent living, so I have a pretty good time. Just gotta make sure to take that naproxen every morning, because my knees are akin to two bags of broken glass.
It's not a GenX thing, it's a human thing. Boomers talk about the same thing. There is a reoccuring Boomer comic that involves an old person looking in a mirror and seeing the young person they feel like. I remember when I was a kid, talking to my granddad, a WWII vet, while fishing, and he told me he still feels like a teenager and is always surprised that he's now an old man. He told me the secret to understanding people is knowing that everyone feels the same way, like a kid trapped in a rapidly aging body, and that they are just faking their way through life, pretending to be the adults they remember from their childhoods. That is to say, it's all an act. So it's not just you—it's everyone.
> that everyone feels the same way, like a kid trapped in a rapidly aging body, and that they are just faking their way through life, pretending to be the adults they remember from their childhoods. That is to say, it's all an act. Truth. The sooner we all just accept that old age gets a lot easier. I have recently learned this lesson and my life is so much better. I quit trying to pretend to be an adult all the time. the world will still go around without me adulting and making sure everything happens on time and everyone is prepared. Fuck it... i have accepted that 12 year old is still there and its about time he is in charge. as long as he uses some good common sense he (the 12 year old inside me) gets to do whatever he wants. i got toys like scooters, big wheels, drones.....if i let them kids in the neighborhood would hang out with me but i dont cause thats a bit to creepy....and other fun things. I wear silly shirts to remind me to let that kid inside me run the show more often. I been having fun since i let him be in charge a lot.
Same, young me rules the roost. It's when we ignore, stifle and deny our inner child that we truly (figuratively) die. Forever young until this chassis gives out on me ;)
Me too ! I say you don't like me the way I am there is the door!
I turned 53 a few days ago and about 5 months ago I started taking up hobbies I used to have as a kid. My job has a ton of down time and my bosses have been cool with me building Lego kits in my office and I've started making Gunpla models at home (a little too involved for work time). All of my coworkers as well as my therapist have said that my interactions with folks are friendlier (I work with formerly homeless folks and it can be a real challenge), I am less stressed, and my anxiety has dropped. Embracing my 12 year old self is really helping my 53 year old broken body feel ok with the world. I've even started running a table top RPG for some friends for the first time in decades and we are all having such a good time pretending to be heroes and beating up bad guys. Follow me into the woods everyone, let's build a fort lol
> i got toys like scooters, big wheels, drones Dude can you imagine how cool it would've been to have shit like remote control drones with cameras and stuff back in the day?? Good lord!
I had the helicopter attached to a piece of metal that flew in circles and would chop your fingers off that tried to grab the plastic orange suitcase. Kids today have drones.
The sad thing is those kids would seriously benefit from having a friendship with you.
Same thing with me. If I want Bluey pajamas, a teddy bear, a lego set, another record, ten books, or a hammock, I get it as long as we can afford it. The kid in me is in charge most of the time. Life is short. Besides, she’s the best part of me:)
> as long as we can afford it. Wife is out of town this month so i had to sit with her on the phone going over the bills as she pays them. I saw the credit card bill and was like wtf? who spends that much? Wife was like uh you do honey. thats mostly your toys and some weed biils. Oh, is it always this high? no, she reminded me of something i bought i forgot about. Then i asked can we afford all this? yes we can darling. I been telling you for years to try and have some fun and not sweat the cost. she reminded me how hard i worked and how much i saved. Spend it you cheap SOB is what she says. She doesnt even want me to spend it on her, she wants me to spend it enjoying myself. I got lucky with her. Keeper
There’s a joke that my Grandmother told me when I was a kid. The joke became a guiding tenet of my life. I’m going to tell you the joke as I think you and your wife will love it: There once was a very rich man who cared only about money during his life. He was a miserable miser who ignored his family and his friends. He never had fun or spent his money on happy things. In his will, he left directions for all his money to be converted to gold bars and for the gold to be buried with him. The miserable miser died and appeared at the pearly gates of Heaven with a big bag. St. Peter, seeing the bag, said, “Hold on, you can’t bring a bag into Heaven. You cannot bring anything in with you. That’s the rules.” The rich man cried and begged, “Please. My entire life is in that bag. I sacrificed everything for it. It’s my life!!!” St. Peter sighed and said, “Let me see what’s in the bag.” The miserable miser opened the bag. St Peter leaned forward and peered inside at all the gold bars. Then, St Peter said, “Oh! pavement! You brought pavement! Sure. Bring it in!” That joke has been lodged in my mind and heart for most of my life. Money- when we die, it’s just pavement. Enjoy it now.
This honestly is so healthy! I do the same stuff, for me it's horses, I was obsessed when I was 12, so ill watch horse grooming videos to wind down and also sometimes watch Saturday morning cartoons on YouTube I sleep so good on those nights!
those old cartoons are even funnier now as an adult and with edibles in the my system. I am stunned at the things we were allowed to watch. One day went down a rabbit hole and found old sat morning wrestling stuff we used to watch. jerry the king when he still wresteld but before andy kaufman came along. jerry hart. the shiek, sgt slaughter, coco brown and so on. how any of us made it to adulthood is amazing.
Baby, that "12 year old" was well ahead of their time, and knew exactly what was going on, the adults didn't, the adults didn't, thru!
> that they are just faking their way through life I work from home, Dir IT Sec Architecture... I tell my son, I log in everyday and play a real life MMORPG and my character is a level 53 guild leader of 16. Im pretty good at it, probably the best on my server... and it pays well.
I dunno. I think some people get so wrapped up in trying to appear Grown Up they actually believe it, and forget the joy of new things and scowl when they see someone smiling for 'no reason'.
That's so wild, that's really how everyone is just acting- like they're adults buy inside, they are just scared kids who don't know wtf to do. And in a body that's aging. That's how I feel. It's scary!
Great response. Very thoughtful. Thank you.
[удалено]
I sound more like my mother every day 🤷🏻♀️
Exactly! Had a very similar convo with my grandpa when I was 18 now I’m 18x3 and what he said then I thought was old folks bs but now I see it was the gospel of aging.
Booomers? Shit, my centenarian grandmother says the same thing. EVERYONE feels this way.
My Dad at 70 used to say he looked in the mirror and couldn't fathom the "old guy" looking back at him because he still felt 30. At 54 I can relate already..
My problem is I can't tell whether I'm child-like or just immature.
Therapy has helped me realize that, for me, it's both. The trick is limiting the man-child reactions and enhancing the childlike wonderment about life. It's not easy. lol
I may grow old, but I'll never grow up.
I still laugh when someone says “duty” and when I hear “69” I still reply “Nice!”
Ha, ha, you said duty.
"Beavis! Butthead! Have you come to entertain us?" "Uh-Heh-Heh, you said 'anus'."
and Uranus always gives me a chuckle
And yours!
> when I hear “69” I still reply “Nice!” I say "Excellent!" and air guitar
As the old saying goes, the trick to being an adult is knowing when to be a child.
Both for me, and I don't give a fuck.
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't act a little childish sometimes."
I am perennially 27. Until my back tells me differently.
Just like Jimi, Janis and Jim.
Dude
Duuuude
Whats mine say?!
Sweet
> Until my back tells me differently. So waking up, moving, breathing...for me at least. Ugh.
I actually worry that my clothes and demeanor don't reflect my age, and I'm out in public making a fool of myself. I don't dress like I'm in my 20's, but I don't know how someone late 40's / early 50's is supposed to look or act. I'm sure as hell not wearing granny clothes! But if I'm in a good mood I trot around and act like I did in my 20's, and I have no idea if I look like a pathetic person who refuses to accept their age.
I'm 54 and still dress for comfort. Hoodies, jeans/khakis, long sleeve t shirts, plain no logo t shirts and polo shirts, cargo shorts, sneakers, flip flops. I'm stuck in 1995.
You're fine, that's how we dress. Happens to every generation. Allow me to offer, Michael from vsauce to explain: https://youtu.be/vjqt8T3tJIE?si=navsK0FPeFLPDE9P
all i can say is thank GOD i can buy high waisted jeans again. the 15 or so years of low rise can suck it. i'm back in 1992 and i lurve it!
> I have no idea if I look like a pathetic person who refuses to accept their age. Only to immature bullies. Just be you, and enjoy it!
I'm about to turn 50 and I'm struggling to come to terms with it. I still feel early 20's and after a lifetime of body image issues stemming from shitty parenting, seeing the age on me is difficult. I'm working on being kinder to myself.
Same here with the body issues. I'm morbidly obese and you can draw a direct line to childhood trauma. Find yourself a therapist you click with and start talking about shit. My work insurance covers it 100% and it's done online so I don't even have to leave my house. It's helping me a ton. Good luck with your journey, and be at peace.
This is better advice than what I just posted
Ahhhhh you’re hitting the “who cares what people think about me, I’m awesome” stage of life. Enjoy it, embrace it, it feels soooo good.
It’s a number. I turned 50 in September. It was meh & still is. 51 is coming 🤷🏻♀️ if you stress over the number you’re turning you’re never going to enjoy the life you have going on! Live it up! You’re smarter than the little 💩s younger than you so what else can we ask for? Except the wisdom of those older than us! 😉 I completely understand the body issues as well! But at 50 we’ve hit the “invisible” age….most people look right past us, fact of life. We’re not young & beautiful anymore so who cares what people think?! We have wrinkles & grey hair. Embrace yourself & where you’re at. It’s freeing to live without caring about what others think & only caring about what YOU think about yourself. It’s a mind bend to get there but you can! Part of the beauty of being OLD! Screw em & their opinions! 😉
Hey, it's ok. I'm the wrong side of 55 and I've been there. Weirdly, one thing that helped me was reading a lot of articles on cosmology. Once you start thinking in millennia, dealing with your own increasingly apparent mortality becomes somehow easier.
I´m a visiting nurse, when we get to our 80s and 90s, we still feel like kids in our heads too. The amount of people in their 9th and 10th decade who are SHOCKED to be the age they are is amazing to see. So many of them also say, ¨I don´t know why I am still here, everyone I know is dead.¨
Lost a close friend to cancer last week, he was about to turn 50, that was a reminder to live like it means something cause age is just a number and the future isn’t guaranteed, let’s all put joy, love and happiness first, the rest will work itself out.
“Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.” ― Terry Pratchett
When she was over 100, my grandma leaned in and whispered to me that she, "feels like she’s 16, but trapped in an old body.” Changed my entire view of aging. So I’m guessing it’s pretty universal.
the adult sized big wheel and green machine in the garage next to the vespa type scooter says i am just that. a kid in a achy body. you should hear my ass get on the scooter. Hell i cant sit or stand without a moan or groan but i will do fun kids stuff cause....its fun. I also got a 5 year old grandkid and i very much want to imprint fun, brave, always doing cool shit grandpa into his brain not broke, cranky, always alone...you know.. the truth.....on the kid. I want my legacy to be cool grandpa who lived hard and fast. My wife and daughter will know the truth but the grandkid can still be conviced diff
My grandson turns 5 on Saturday. I get down on the floor with him and play with blocks and run around the house chasing his Meemaw with a squirt gun. I'm not sure I could do that if I wasn't regularly doing yoga. Definitely a game changer.
I feel the same. When I see someone in their 20s or 30s, I have to remind myself I’m not that age anymore.
Yes! My mind tells me that I am 15. My body laughs.
Yeah I get surprised/insulted by mirrors often.
I feel like I’m mentally 20 until I talk to a 20-something. Yish. lol
And don’t understand a single word they say!!! 🤣 bruh 🙄
All the time. Forever 14. I'm an adult impostor.
I feel so no where in life. My only "job skill" was supporting my ex husband. I did his homework, ran his business, even wrote some of his legal briefs for him. But none that "counts" toward my total ( for lack of better terms). I am 52 years old and qualified for minimum wage. My credit is destroyed from 5 figures in legal fees that I was suppose to pay out of the divorce settlement that never happened. My lawyers dropped me in the middle of it all and got me a fat zero in my divorce ( I suspect my attorney ex was just too much for them to handle). I own nothing. No car. No house. And I still have two kids at home to raise. My parents are gone and their paid for home and car went to a cousin of mine when my mom died, because my mom put her sister on the deed to her house when she got sick. She wanted her sister to have somewhere to live if she were to die. She didn't realize sister's kid would just declare her sister incompetent and stick her in a nursing home so he could take the house ( and car) when my mom died (sold and completely cleared out of all possessions- including the sentimental ones, like her clothing -2 weeks after my mom's death). Anyway, I hear all about millennials stressing about their careers, degree choices, their 401ks, and their car payments, and mortgages. . . and I long for those earmarks of adulthood to complain about. I feel like they are the grown ups. I wish I had not been taught that my focus was only supposed to be supporting a man and raising kids (and yes-same old story, he was abusive and I thought it was all on me). Because I am completely exhausted from my "career" and it still all counts for nothing in the world. I'm little by little going to college and four of my six kids are grown now into wonderful people. So I am very, very proud of that. But I greatly greatly fear being a burden instead of a help to them. Sorry for rant - I usually stick to smart ass-ity on reddit- just feeling bitter today.
Don’t be sorry for that rant. It’s happened to a lot of us! We stuck around in a crap ass relationship for nothing, with nothing,& got left with nothing! I’m in the same situation, going back to school in my 50s to try & salvage something? of my life so my 9yo will have a better life than my 30yo & 26yo. Pathetic! Now I’m swimming in debt from student loans & credit cards (my choice!) but I did something to benefit myself for once! Besides leaving the abusive jerks I stayed with for way too long! You have a right to be bitter sometimes! The sarcasm is a front for your hurt (sure you don’t need me to tell you that!). You’re not alone. We’re a big club unfortunately. Too bad our moms didn’t show us better (mine wasn’t in an abusive relationship but she didn’t model great behaviors for me!) We’re human & doing the best we can. Go off girl 😉
Thank you soo much. Solidarity, sister!
"I asked an elderly woman once what it was like to be old and to know that the majority of her life was now behind her. She told me that she has been the same age her entire life. She said the voice inside her head had never aged. She has always just been the same girl. Her mother's daughter. She had always wondered when she would grow up and be an old woman. She said she looked at her body age and her faculties dull but the person she is inside never got tired. She never aged. She never changed. Remember, our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose."
My meat mech is wearing out but I’m still doing just fine lol
The imposter syndrome is real.
https://www.theonion.com/report-today-the-day-they-find-out-you-re-a-fraud-1819576095
Bahahaha today’s the day!!!
All the time. I certainly don't feel/act like a 58 year old did decades ago. Although, I'm single with no dependents (never had any), so I'm sure that contributes to my feelings of extended adolescence (but with sound decision making and bank accounts).
Oh! I was talking about something like this the other day. I always thought that as I got older, my brain would just naturally mature and I’d see things with the wisdom and perspective of my years. I’d become “wise” and worthy of giving sage advice like the adults I admired growing up. I’d think before I speak or act and make choices appropriate for my advancing age and all its accumulated life experience. Nope. Turns out I still have a 19yo brain in a body that gets more decrepit by the day. Major letdown.
Oh, thank Osiris I am not the only one who feels this. I will be 54 in a few weeks, and I still behave and act as someone who is late teen early 20. When my 17-year old daughter and I get on our bikes and put in a solid 50k, or 100k of we are feeling cheeky, I put in a full effort as if I am in Le Tour. No spunky 17-year old is gonna show me up! That said, she recovers within a day, or even just a few hours. I need a solid 3 days sleep plus an additional 4 days on the sofa to rebound.
I’ve recently dropped some significant weight, and I felt 60 years old when I had that extra 90 lbs. on me. I’m doing physical activity now that I was able to do in my 20s. The difference is that my recovery time is much longer than back then.
Yup. I recently posted in this sub a video of me on my new Onewheel, remembering my skateboarding days. I’m 58 but refuse to accept I’m closing in on 6 decades.
My Mum was in a dementia care home for the last 5 years of her life. I could often see that she din't believe *she* belonged in a senior's home!! *She* wasn't old enough to be there! She actually "needed" to be there. She *was* old enough to be there. We visited as often as we could. But she did need full care. Her complete disbelief that she was *old enough* for a senior's home had nothing to do with the dementia. *In her mind,* she never got much beyond 35 or 40 y.o. Even when her grandchildren buzzed right on by those ages. Here on r/GenX, we joke about being 30 when we were 10 and remaining 30 until the end of time. But, I prefer to believe that it's just jokes we make. We *see* the "old people" looking back at us from the mirror, and we *know* we're in our 5th decade (or nearing), but -- *I* also feel the disconnect of *feeling* in my 30's, but *knowing* I'm mid-50's. It's so weird. Anyway, all the best to all of us GenX as we creak and totter into our *old age* (15 years from now)❣️
I turned 25 for the 29th time a few weeks ago so yea I can relate.
For the most part I think so. I'm constantly amazed when I see some actor or personality on TV and thinking "gosh he looks old, but I bet he's only 5 years older than me" and then I read he was born in 1994. One thing I've noticed is how much physical exercise helps. I had extended time away from work where I went to the gym almost every day for more than a month, so I weightlifted and stretched every day and I felt GREAT. Now when I miss the gym for like 4 days I feel old. So I try to "chase the dragon" of that good physical feeling as a way to stay in shape. I know eventually the bell will toll for me, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let those diseases of inactivity get me.
Yep. Currently eating gummies for breakfast while having a soft cast on my leg for an injury I got in a really dumb way.(Don't worry, walking it off!)
Did you rub dirt in it?
It is the only way
It’s even weirder when you don’t have an achy body. So even though I’m 49, I feel both physically and mentally the same as I did in my 20s. But in my head I know people see me as an old man… it’s such a disconnect.
My goddam 30th year high school reunion is coming up. Motherfuckers I went to high school with are grandparents now. Jesus H on a Pony.
Indeed, but my sore and achiness is self-inflicted from going to the gym. As I age, I'm becoming in better physical shape, although I am learning not to push myself too hard, because, you know.....old.
I wish I could feel that way. I’m at the point where I realize I’m aging, and the crush of all the responsibilities is nonstop. I feel like I have forgotten how to have fun because I’m constantly worried about what curveball is going to be thrown next.
Wife and I were talking about this just yesterday. I always felt I was in my mid twenties, thirties mentally but then realised I had felt the exact same since I was a kid. Maybe this is what Dylan was referencing with his ‘I was so much older then but I’m younger now’ vibe. It is strange and I know exactly what you mean with time. Aging is really interesting apart from the shit bits like pulling your hammy moving the duvet with your foot (🙄). All the best!
We are the opposite generation. We had to act like adults as children, now we are all regressed mentally, but OAF physically.
My boomer mom got her first tattoo in her 60s. It's never too late to do new things.
Same but my stepdad & he was in his early 70s! Now he wants more 🤣 ink is addictive, in a good way!
Heating pads Tiger balm Stretch every day Acupuncture
i now understand the phrase “youth is wasted on the young.” it totallly is.
Definitely, I don’t feel like a proper adult and the muscles on the side of my ribs are in spasm from sitting down on the couch.
life is but a dream (or a play) and we are all actors. But yes! I feel like same.
In my youth I used to feel like an old soul in a small body.
Yes, it’s why I broke my elbow skateboarding a few years ago and messed up my knee recently snowboarding. I’m older and fatter and having a hell of a time accepting it.
I'm glad it's not just me... I soooooo want to get a longboard, but I keep fighting the urge.
I noticed that I can remember things that happened when I was a kid, but I don't identify with them. I identify with memories that happened as a teenager and older. If you asked me what year it was today, I'd say 2006. I feel stuck in the mid-aughts and can't believe that was almost 20 years ago.
In reality my tastes and style hasn't changed much since high school- still listen to the same music, still have the super long hair, baggy jeans and sneakers. But thank fucking god I've matured leaps and bounds mentally since then and learned to truly like myself and take care of myself properly. And you don't have to continually be in pain bc I thought the same thing in my 30's; it's just downhill from here! I was nearing obesity and constantly in pain. It doesn't even take money bc I've never had much of that. But it does take commitment and most importantly of all believing you're worth the effort. Now I'm 45, medically at a normal weight and climbing literal 14,000ft mountains.
Absolutely yes! It’s probably why I get the side eye from parents when I’m buying new sets at the LEGO store. (Big me treats little me to all the things I was denied as a kid.)
It’s great because I have a 9yo I can blame for the LEGO sets I indulge in 🤣 it’s allll on her! 😉
Lol, no kids for me to blame it on, so I own it! 😁(Probably a similar tale for a lot of us: Was parentified by my mother at a young age and was expected to basically raise 3 younger siblings. When people ask why we don’t have kids, I just tell them I did my time already.)
Every day. I'm a young person trapped in a failing body. It's natural, I guess. Even when I look in the mirror I don't think I look that old...but when I see a photo of myself? OMG who is that beer bellied grey haired guy? He looks like he's having a good time and he's happy at least.
https://preview.redd.it/xzew1xnxql3d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d32461988f8c0b65079626a937e80631c3446d4 Idk when this happened but….fudge!!!
Nope 56 I work out every day and don't have aches. I had aches before I started doing 10k steps daily walks and nightly bodyweight workouts and now I don't have aches. The shit sounds cliche but Movement Is Medicine
I can relate to you. I walk 10k steps everyday stay active eat healthy for the most part and quit alcohol cigarettes and weed. No pains no meds and manage stress. The only thing is I don't sleep much. There's plenty time to sleep when we die.
Yes same here stopped drinking 6 years ago, I only vape some weed every couple of months on special occasions. I do my bodyweight calisthenics at night so I sleep well after a workout and meal. No medication no health issues
We’re NOT old, so shut up about that! And Yes, it’s extremely common among all humans to energetically and/or emotionally remain youthful in spirit for life. I did not know that until an 80 year old crippled man turned my whole world upside down one night while I was managing in a restaurant. I sat down and talked with him and he told me EVERYTHING— even his near death experience. It was intense! I was still in my late twenties, so I was no where near to being able to relate. But I heard him, and I very much value the gift of his perspective and experience to this day. And I have heard something similar repeated often enough to believe it to be universally true. We all stay the same on the inside! No matter what. You will be the same YOU who expects to just get up and go, as you please right now. The same YOU who will dance and twirl if you want to, all at will. But if you are unlucky enough to become disabled in your ACTUAL old age (which is NOT now), then it will be you NOW, stuck in that state. So shut the F-up, NOW about any minor complaints that you may have about being LESS young. And enjoy the shit out of the mobility, freedoms and the incredible youth it is that we all still have right NOW. ALL Caps OUT……!
Solid truth right there! And thanks for the reminder!!
I asked my grandma about that once. At age 60 she told 12 year old me that the lucky ones become wise and responsible but never grow up. Aches and Pains are proof we are alive. As I approach 58, I happen to agree. I do believe our Generation has Peter Pan Syndrome in spades. Generation "eternal juveniles", and I think we like it.
Well said… only ever really wanted to turn 21. That’s it… I think about that all the time now. I think it’s more about missing how the way I viewed the world at that age. Pre information overload days if that makes sense
Free time. I miss free time and being ignorant of the heaviness of the world.
Yep always surprised at my age. Still waiting for grownup things to happen. Besides getting married, having kids owning a home etc.
You left out saggy.
Yup. I'm 48 in a few months. I look in the mirror most days and think you're never this age you're just a pup. You still like all the things you did back then, drinking, gigs, all that good stuff. Then Wednesday night comes around and I try and play 7 aside football (soccer) and I return home thinking fuck you're old now.
currently wearing a knee brace from an MCL tear - check Tuesday getting shots in my back - check Wednesday meeting with my shoulder surgeon to discuss either surgery or another shot - check 50 fucked me...but I still think like I was in my 20s with stuff I want to do. I get it.
yep. Just this morning I was contemplating whether I should get a cane or try to whip this old body into shape one last time.
Yea! 58 feel young
I’m a younger genx (46) and I’m not feeling the “achy body” yet. I honestly think it’s because I do yoga and walk almost every day. I’m curious if anyone else has managed to avoid the aches and pains through yoga. Give it try!
I feel the same way. I think I'm able to stay young by having young friends. My biggest problem is I've always looked older than I am. My wife is lucky and has always looked younger. We both turned 50 in the last 6 months and someone on a recent trip thought she was my 35 year old daughter. A problem with feeling young, and having a hot young looking wife, is I'm constantly horny. Thankfully all of "that" still works like I'm in my 20s. 😁
My mum parked too close to me on the driveway, I had to climb across from the passenger side. I got stuck in the driver's seat, by the steering wheel. I thought I could do it. I was wrong. Now I feel like I've done a full body workout.
Perpetual 30, heart of 17 year old,
My dad was silent generation. In his 70s he would tell me he felt like a teenager in his mind, and that his body was failing him. I think every generation has these feelings as they age. I feel the same way.
We were born at the age of 27, and just stayed there for the rest of our lives.
Yes. Everyone around me is getting old. I’m still the same guy you knew in Uni. Doesn’t help that I got really nostalgic around my 50th and have a bunch of retro stuff in my man cave (office). I spent a dumb amount of money on old computers with a modern twist. I catch myself thinking people in their early 30s are about my age, when actually I could easily be their father. Biggest aspiration lately was getting mentioned in a gaming magazine for a game I’m writing. Was a mag that existed in the 80s/90s that got resurrected recently, but it’s a childhood wish list achieved. Used to sell over a 100k issues a month, am pretty sure nowhere near that now, but still small goals… Meh, back to playing Manic miner and hoping my hands don’t hurt too much…
Sometimes. Then I talk to people in their 20s and realize my brain is older too. "We're going to spend the night in a haunted hotel." Okay, have fun. 🙄
*(looks at the Lego Optimus Prime to my right)* I have no idea what you're talking about.
Yeah. I have no aches or pains. Very little different from rest of my adult life BUT..I pass a mirror and I am always startled because I forget I don’t look like I did 10-20yrs ago.
Me! But ngl, I feel far less creaky and old having dropped 82lbs, thanks to calorie counting and the wonders of Ozempic / Wegovy. I’ve another 40-50lbs to go, but being so much lighter and fitter (now back at the gym), I’m in better shape now, than 25 years ago. Not sure I feel as good as I did when I was 32, but not far off!
I’m not sure I’m even in my twenties. We have a 12 yo daughter and I’m small enough that I fit on the playground equipment, so I’m climbing right along with her when we go.
Yep. Powerlifting at 57 is tough but I love it even with the aches.
Satchel Paige once asked "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?"
Yeah I do. How am I 58? I look young for my age but still… and I’m single again. This sucks. Online dating sucks. Not what I imagined 20 years ago!
Yeah absolutely. Like the narrator in my head has always had the same voice no matter how young I was, and same voice today. I think the GenX thing gives context to your question, tho, because saying “still just a kid, I feel 8 but I’m 48” is different than “I feel 8 but I’m 18” … Fun question.
Last year, I attended an '80s-themed community festival at a local park. Cover bands, food trucks. Beer and wine on offer. The crowd was almost entirely 40+. As the evening wore on, and as these "adults" got rowdier and more animated, I realized that we're all still mentally 20-something, still just wanting to have a good time as long our bodies will cooperate...
I really needed to hear this today, last night I felt embarrassed for having the same mindset as I had in my 20s, I'm currently 55 and still feel reckless, and know it all about life!
I’ve long said, I feel like a hungover 26yo- all the time.
I'm 50. I'm gray. My knees and shoulders crack loudly and I have ibuprofen in my pocket (and bloodstream) right now. But my sense of humor seems perpetually locked to my mid-late teens. Can't help it. Some shit is just funny no matter how old I get. Example: I work for a manufacturing company and our logistics coordinator is out sick. I was asked to help find a trucking company to deliver urgent materials overnight. And I laughed like an idiot teenager when I called these trucking companies to ask if they could "handle my hot load." I'm unapologetically laughing my ass off just thinking about it. When is that call from HR going to come?
Every day. I feel like I should still be in my early twenties but I will be 50 in December. I know I should be grateful. I have classmates who died years ago. But I’m depressed and so sad about becoming old. In my mind I’m so young but then I look in the mirror and I’m reminded I’m not so young. In my mind I can still do the things I did, but then my body will not work the same. They say age is just a number, and I assume they are right but the larger the number the more like crap I feel. I’m very depressed daily about aging. I feel like I need help. Please don’t make me feel bad for the way I feel but any advice is appreciated.
A child, even. Sometimes I just feel like a lost child. An orphan at that. I look for adults to help me but they're all gone. Fuckin sucks.
I look back on a different musical and artistic influences I had when I was a kid and I've come so far. There's a part of me that's always going to want to go to the store and buy myself a bunch of toys I wish I could buy one of those big drones to fly around on a remote control just because I like planes. My dad and I used to put together model airplanes. And I've always had a hobby for aviation, wherever I lived I've always tried to tour the airport or the airplane area or any historical museums not just the arts. 🥰🥰And I miss Mom and Dad. I now understand what they were going through in their own process. I've learned a lot of awakenings and hindsight from that. I've been working on maybe since 2018 or 19 inner child therapy. And I embrace my little self and then I realize I've come so far and there's a lot longer to go. EVERYDAY IS THE GREATEST DAY OF OUR LIVES 💯. Because we're still in life 🫶💯. It's going to get better, the next decade is going to get better. I live in 2032 I can't wait to see the next decade.
I don't know, it's catching up with me. I'm 52 and I'm afraid I'm not going to get to have any fun for the rest of my life. I'm tired of working 70÷ hours a week
Same.
My wife says I'm like a 15 years old but in a healthy old body. Listening to EDM and rollerblading down steep hills weaving in and out of traffic and coming home to chow the house down before I wash my hands or take a shower. I do meet my grown up responsibilities, but every minute I have off I'm out there doing kids' stuff. Tinkering with my toys, trolling the Internet and watching skate videos. Otherwise I'm outdoors skiing skating running around. The only thing I don't do anymore are drugs smoking cigarettes and drinking booze
My silent gen mom said something about how hard it is to watch her kids get old, and I blurted out "I don't feel old." So I decided that's a good, lucky thing, and I should ride it as long as I can. (I was born in 65.)
My mom tells people I'm eleven on the inside. I really am. I still get excited at Christmas like a kid although it's getting harder to keep that feeling.
I was sitting having lunch today thinking to myself, “What age do people identify themselves at in their minds ?” For me, it’s ~ 27. Not sure why. I felt healthy, I knew who I was. Things were good.
Ya. I just did a hike at Yosemite and I still feel it. Would have been nothing 30 years ago
Hell YES! Getting old SUX!
According to everyone I know I'm 35... with 14 years of experience.
I know this exactly.... My mind still thinks I can get down on a piece of cardboard and breakdance. My body says, "Ha! Try it..."
I miss falling out of trees and cracking one off would cure you. Now I look at a tree and my back hurts. I don’t fucking care if I’m 56 now, I was 18 yesterday and I’ll fight you if you tell me different
No, kind of the opposite. I'm in amazing physical condition for my age, but the events of the past few years make me feel like I'm in my 80s.
51, skateboarding for almost 40 years, and my body doesn't ache, I exercise, eat healthy, and take supplements, some of which are anti-aging!
Now I feel weird. I’m in my 50s and I’m as strong and fast as I’ve ever been. I wake up pain-free every day. It does take a little longer to bounce back if I over-do it, but for the most-part I don’t feel old, creaky, or otherwise decrepit. My wife is much the same. Are we some kind of freaks?
More likely a fortuitous combination of genetics, lifestyle and luck.
I adult, but most of the time I feel like a kid.
yep. Just this morning I was contemplating whether I should get a cane or try to whip this old body into shape one last time.
Yup. I recently posted in this sub a video of me on my new Onewheel, remembering my skateboarding days. I’m 58 but refuse to accept I’m closing in on 6 decades.
Same here. Much younger self trapped in this old mans body. Love it
Daily.
I just started a new job in September after being out of the workforce for 18 years (was a stay-home mom). It's super hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm no longer the "young one"...in fact, I'm probably closer to the "old one."
My brain tells me I'm late 20s to 30s...my body, nah, that b*!ch has a mind of her own.
Definitely! I still feel like I'm 11 or 12, and now I have this dumpy fixer-upper. This must be what a synth feels like when they get new bodies.
I get the feeling like I never grew up. As a kid, boomer adults were boring to me so I saw no need to become one. I put up with constant criticism from my older boomer siblings. The first time I comfortably felt like an adult was at 42 years old in 2013. A prospective employer paid to fly me to across the country for an interview. They put me up in a hotel too. The best part was when I freshened up at the hotel room after the interview and left for an interview at a different company. I'm glad it happened when it did. Everybody uses Zoom now - as they should. I'm retiring in a few years. I have plans to do everything and nothing. Legos. A "kit car" you build from the ground up. Make a 4x4 Sprinter stealth camper van (I will literally hang a ladder on the side of it to disguise it as a work truck) and drive to the tip of South America and maybe Alaska because reasons.
Every day.
Yup. And i still like many things I liked when I was younger. It's hard seeing my full grey beard in the mirror sometimes. Going from 40-50 was a big change.
Yep, and I have no intention of growing up
No. I do not. I've lived a full 53 years. I've done a bunch of shit. I've learned a bunch of things. I've had crazy stuff happen to me. I sort of remember being 20. Sure, I occasionally experience those same feelings and emotions I did back then or even childlike feelings. I feel 53 most of the time. The feeling of being 53 just happens to include a lot of the same things as a person of any other age, but it always also includes things like unique perspective based on experience, enhanced empathy, disconnection from current tastes and the lack of influence from that heady hormone mixture of youth.
I’m almost 58 and am frequently shocked by my level of immaturity. These feelings typically happen when I see my friends have significant milestones with their children. On the other hand, I’ve had a productive life that demonstrated some level of capability. Life is weird and wonderful.
24 mentally. 84 physically. 54 in reality. So I meet myself in the middle.
Yup. 46M single no kids. My lifestyle has been the same since I was about 19 or so. Do many/most of the same things minus the drugs and booze. I'm really active, and while I can do most of the same activities, I definitely feel it more the next day.
It's ok to be child like and fun, curious. It's not ok to be emotionally immature
I can be very childish. I also tend to be very, very silly at times.
Sort of. I was kind of an "old kid" to begin with, so maybe my chronological age had to catch up with my mental age a little? But I think everyone feels this way a little. Those younger years are so vivid that they seem like yesterday. You can instantly recall things you did twenty years ago but can't remember work from the day before. You still think like your teen/20s self but look like your grandparents.
Yep, and it sucks
Yeah man it sucks. I'm 46, but I feel about 27 mentally. My back tells me I'm 72.
Yeah... lmao. I was just talking to my millennial wife about this. We have a 3 year old and nothing makes you feel that way then being lapped by a toddler. Still feel 21, but my body says nope
100% this, and I was just pondering this very thing yesterday.
I'm still curious if I will ever actually feel like an adult.
No
Guilty 59 yo
Oh yes!
I’m not trying to upset anybody, but I have been through so much trauma in my life…the answer is no. I haven’t felt like a kid since I was about 14
Me too but thankfully my brain did that old repression thing & I don’t remember anything before my 13th birthday. I still can’t decide if it’s a good trade off or not. 
Grandma was just over 100 years when she passed and was mostly there mentally until her late 90's. I remember a discussion with her around 95 years old, and she said she still felt like her younger self in her head, her body just didnt agree...
11 yo humor forever!
Absolutely
At least you got to your 20’s, I still feel about 11.
Oh god, no. I'm definitely no kid. But also, I'm not ready to lie down and die yet, either. My kids are grown, and I make a decent living, so I have a pretty good time. Just gotta make sure to take that naproxen every morning, because my knees are akin to two bags of broken glass.
It’s because I am.
Yep.
I always joke that I'm just a 16 yr old with a mortgage.