Older Adults Are Revealing Things Gen-Zers May Not Realize Will Severely Impact Them As They Reach Their 40s, And This Is Some Of The Best Advice I've Heard In A While
When you're young, it's natural to not worry about a few certain things because, well, you're young. However, when Reddit user u/Additional-You3342 asked: "What is something people in their 20s might not realize will significantly impact them as they reach their 40s?" so many people provided such great advice that I thought it would be helpful to share. Here's what they said below.
1."Your hearing. Loud noise over time is bad and is not fixable."
"This! I'm approaching 30, and it's scary how many of my friends already show signs of tinnitus. Wear earplugs to loud events. They even make special ones for concerts so you can hear the music but not the crowd, like Eargasms or Loop Experience!"
2."The character of the person they choose to have a long-term relationship with, or even marry. It's the single most important decision someone will ever make."
"Similarly, when you marry the person, you marry into their family. If they have a terrible person in their family, and they do not set boundaries with the asshole, that’s a red flag. Family is complicated, but there are lots of stories about horrible in-laws causing divorces."
3."You are not trapped in your job, career path, hobbies/interests, or friendships. You are young, able to explore and try new things relatively consequence free. A lot of people in their 20s don’t think about this concept; they just go to school, go to work, then wake up in their 30s or 40s and think, 'Fuck… why am I in this position?' Take the time to be cognizant of the path you’re on and of what is fulfilling, interesting, and important to you. Of course, being physically and mentally healthy are patterns that are good to ingrain when you're young as well, as others have mentioned. Take responsibility for finding your calling and not settling or being complacent in the first hand you’re dealt."
"This was 100% me. For all of high school and most of college, I thought I had my whole career path mapped out: Get a degree in political science, go to law school, be a constitutional lawyer, then the sky’s the limit. I’d wanted that since I was 12. It wasn’t until junior year that I started feeling true malaise at that idea, but I thought I was in too deep already and had to 'tough it out.' I took a semester off and stumbled upon a part-time job at an animal ER, and I realized where my true passions lie. Yes, I still got the same Bachelor’s when I graduated in spring, but I’m taking extra classes, now working as a vet tech at a different hospital, and I’m applying for vet school next year. I don’t regret a single choice I made.
For the first time in my adult life, I’m actually excited about my future and happy with my present. There are so many different directions I can go, and I intend to embrace that."
4."How long it takes to get good at things. For example, if you want to become a good writer, you will have to spend hundreds of hours writing bad, mediocre, and decent text first. And the same applies to painting, musical instruments, and any skill, really. As you age and gather responsibilities, your available energy and time for such activities will generally only decrease. It is very easy to keep delaying this strenuous and sometimes painful process of getting good and end up without hobbies and non-career related skills in your 40s. Also, you might be enough for some, but it might not be for you."
5."Skipping the work needed to sustain relationships. Friends in your 20s come easily. Friends in your 40s and up take the effort of a part-time job."
"This is a great one. Growing up, I always thought it was weird that my dad had no friends. He's a good dude with a sense of humor and an easy laugh. But no friends. I'm 32 now, and I can totally see how easy it is to fall into living life without friends. It's hard to keep in touch when everyone starts moving away, more demanding jobs, long-term partners, kids, etc...
On the other hand, my mom is a social butterfly. Both she and my dad moved across the country in their 20s, but my mom always had friends. She was always able to meet and maintain friendships through kid stuff, church, or work. But she values the time she spends with her peers, and it takes the effort of making phone calls/texting and showing up."
6."Mind if a guy in his 50s gets in on this?"
1. If you’re going to buy someone a gift, an experience is far more memorable than an item.
2. If you have the opportunity to do something out of your comfort zone that doesn’t put you in danger, do it.
3. Don’t be mad at the younger generations. They are your kids.
4. If you’re going to buy a home, buy it as soon as you can. The value will increase immensely in most cases.
5. Prepare for being broke more than once in your life.
6. Take care of your body the best you can. Everything begins to break down.
7. There’s a huge difference between love and lust.
8. It costs nothing to be nice to people. It’s not always easy to be nice, but man, can it be rewarding to know I did the right thing."
7."Sleep debt."
8."Benefits of fitness. My father started exercising regularly in his 40s. Nothing extreme, just consistent. He is now 87 years old and still in great shape. All of his doctors agree that the reason he is in such good health is because he started exercising regularly. On the flip side, he has had to deal with a lot of losses, including my mother."
"My mom (77) walks every day (unless it is raining/snowing) with her sister, and she could probably walk circles around me. She came to France with my husband and me this year, and she never complained about being tired once, and we walked a lot in Paris.
I took up biking in 2021, and I’ll be out ~90 minutes every morning (from April to November, unless it's raining/too cold), and it made a ton of difference."
9."Emotional trauma you don’t deal with literally turns into physical trauma. Stop clenching your jaw. Get that trauma out of your body. Talk to someone. Your bones will thank you for it. My father doesn’t have discs between his back bones because he thought he could tough it out."
"I’m a massage therapist. I’ve had people remember certain traumas while releasing tension-filled areas in their bodies. It’s crazy how they correlate."
10."I think a lot of people in their 20s underestimate how important their health choices are. It’s easy to think you’re invincible, but those late nights, bad eating habits, and lack of exercise can really catch up to you. Taking care of your body now can make a huge difference in your 40s."
11."Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists. Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now:"
• "Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded, but trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked."
• Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing Bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind. The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
• Do one thing every day that scares you.
• Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, and sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with you.
• Keep your old love letters, and throw away your old bank statements.
• Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the ‘Funky Chicken’ on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either; your choices are half-chance, and so are everybody else’s.
• Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living room.
• Read the directions even if you don’t follow them.
• Get to know your parents; you never know when they’ll be gone for good."
12."Sitting up straight."
"I immediately sat up straight after reading this."
13."Taking care of your teeth and gums! So many things affect your teeth, from drinking and drug use to the kinds of food and drinks you eat. You only get one set of adult teeth; you need to look after them, or you will be spending literal thousands to tens of thousands trying to fix them."
14."Don’t spend more than you make. Contribute up to at least a matched amount in 401(k). That’s FREE money. This means retirement when you’re young/healthy enough to enjoy life."
"Investing in an index fund or Roth IRA as young as possible, even if it’s only $20 a month or $100, whatever you can afford, and be strict about it. The earlier you start, the more it’ll grow/can retire."
15."Not knowing how to say no. I’m 36, and I feel sick when I think about all the things that I did or that happened to me because I just went along with things. Looking back, I realize that if something were happening that I didn’t want to happen, I would panic and freeze or fawn. I was raised by my parents to basically just do as I was told, and that transferred over to adult situations. If there’s any advice I can give, it would be just to learn to stop and breathe and think and express boundaries. If you weren’t taught how to look out for yourself or that you were worthy of looking out for, no one else will."
Is there something people in their 20s might not realize will significantly impact them as they reach their 40s? Tell us what it is and why in the comments below.
