Older Adults Are Warning People In Their 20s Of The Things They May Not Realize Will Affect Them Later In Life, And My 20-Something Self Was Not Prepared To Hear These
As we get older, there are definitely a few kernels of wisdom we pick up along the way, and passing it on to younger folks feels almost necessary. Recently, redditor GlowMistyy asked people in their 40s to share what people in their 20s may not realize will affect them later in life. Here's all the sage advice (and warnings) older adults shared.
1."What's really going to affect you is your parents' health, presuming they're still alive and you have a good relationship with them. If your parents live into old age, they will need more and more help. They won't understand how things work. They'll be more susceptible to scams. If they're like mine, they'll be stubborn and won't acknowledge their weakening faculties. Try getting someone who's driven for 60 years to surrender their license because their eyes aren't so good. And when one dies, the other will likely have fallen into a very co-dependent lifestyle, and the structure is completely destroyed. You know it's going to happen, but you don't realize how it'll manifest itself until it plays out."
2."Diet, posture, and physical activity. Those are much easier to correct in your 20s than in your 40s."
"Don't stop moving. I started working from home in my mid-30s. I went from walking back and forth in the office from the printer to my desk 100 times a day to not moving. I have major issues now, 14 years later. Part of those are caused by not moving!
Get up and take a walk, dance, ride a bike, swim. Keep moving people. If you don't, you eventually won't be able to move without great pain!"
3."Their teeth. You get only two sets of teeth, and the first is lost at a very early age. Invest in an electric toothbrush and use it liberally."
"Please listen to this person. Don't be me: 40, three missing teeth, and some veneers to hide the jank. I need 30k to fix what I've done, all because I let depression get the better of me and would stop self-care for very long periods of time.
Don't be me. If you find you're too depressed to take care of yourself, then you can save most of your teeth by just flossing, which is easy to just keep in the room with you. You still should brush, but had I at least flossed, it wouldn't have been nearly as bad as it is now."
4."Wear ear protection at concerts, dammit!"
"Wear ear protection AT WORK. I'm left-handed and almost completely deaf in my left ear from working on diesel engines most of my life. I'm 37."
5."Wear some freaking sunscreen. Skin cancer sucks!"
"I'm 41 and just got a bunch of sun damage lasered off my face yesterday. I was a lifeguard from 2002 to 2006 and regularly went to tanning beds until 2010, like all millennial girls back in the day. For the love of god, wear your sunscreen, and don't do what I did!"
6."Sticking with a person you are never going to change. Worst mistake ever."
"Your 20s are (or at least used to be) the time when friends start getting married, and the pressure starts building. Take your time; don't ignore warnings or think things will change after marriage. Find the right partner."
7."Time with family and your elders. You'll miss them when they've either passed (parents and grandparents) or are all grown up (children, nieces, and nephews). Even time with older mentors, such as teachers. Enjoy everyone while you have them and while they have you!"
8."The power of compounding interest. For the love of god, start socking some money into your retirement as early as possible. Look at the charts online of the difference between starting to save a little when you're younger versus how much you have to put away when you're older to actually retire one day."
"To invest for your future, you don't need a lot of money; you need a lot of time. A small amount saved every month from your 20s onwards is the way to go. You don't need to be a scrooge; just put whatever you can aside, however little, and let 30-plus years of compound interest do the rest."
9."That physical job is not paying you for the damage it does to your body. I did flooring for 18 years before I got out of it. I was a subcontractor and made great money until I realized it wasn't enough to fix my joints. I have shoulder problems from carrying rolls of carpet and pad up endless flights of stairs. I was lucky, and somehow my knees are okay."
"I have a friend who did carpeting for 15 years. It's so tough on your body. He's had both knees replaced and shoulder surgeries in his late 40s."
10."Sleep, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SLEEP. Nothing will fuck you up long term more than thinking going without sleep isn't going to hurt you."
"The latest research published by Alzheimer's Research UK links lack of sleep as a contributing factor to Alzheimer's and, consequently, dementia.
I've seen firsthand a parent not sleeping properly, regularly staying up working until 3-4 a.m., getting up early regardless to get me ready for school, and thinking that it's just life — the stress will pass, and there will be no long-term harm.
They were diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's before the age of 50."
11."Your health goes downhill after 40. Get active. Enjoy it. Love it. Find out your family's medical history. In some cases, it doesn't matter what you eat or drink; you're going to get nailed with diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Find out if it runs in your family history and prepare/plan for it."
12."Lack of stretching. Stretch, younglings, stretch."
"Yes! My husband and I (44 and 38) are the only two on our work team that actually stretch. We work a physical job, and all the young kids think they're immune while the older ones are crabby. I hurt already, and I'm looking to reduce how bad it gets. Stretch, stretch, stretch!"
13."I've seen way too many people who spent their 20s and 30s grinding. They end up with full bank accounts but no real friends, community, or life experiences. Those are the people who end up with epic mid-life crises. Money comes and goes, but genuine friends and experiences can't be bought."
14."Most 20-somethings think so many things are the end all. Basically, none of it matters. Keep working on being the best person you can be."
"This is huge. I can't even remember what I was obsessing about in my 20s, but I was always very worried. None of that worrying mattered at all. Careful planning is great, but life almost never plays along. The best thing you can do is relax a little and prioritize people in your life and activities that you find fulfilling. The rest doesn't matter much."
15."If you don't have fun in your 20s, you might also be sad in your 40s! Say yes to life. Go out with a friend. Climb a mountain. Go on a trip. Try that new restaurant. Start having fun and learning to enjoy life so that when you are 40, you can look back with happiness and no regrets."
16."Learn that it CAN be you. You are NOT immune, and you will somehow become a statistic. Everyone thinks it won't be them: You won't get in a car accident; you're a safe driver. You won't get diabetes; you've always been good about sweets. You'd never fall for propaganda; you're too smart for that. You'll never get cancer; that's something that happens to older people, smokers, or people exposed to radiation. You'll never fall for a scammer; you know better than that. Become comfortable with the fact that things WILL happen to you. That you'll get sick or injured or develop a chronic illness. Being aware that you aren't likely to be the exception to the rule is a kindness to yourself and others."
17."GET RID OF THE NEGATIVE ENERGY IN YOUR LIFE. That includes bad habits and bad people, even if they're family. I've seen some people keep losers around for far too long, and they got bogged down with their problems. Then, when they needed help, the losers pulled them down even more. The people you choose to have in your life can greatly affect the course of your life. Make sure they're adding and not subtracting."
18."Cynicism. You'll disguise it as 'realism,' but you have to get past that to wisdom. And even then, you get maybe a tiny kernel of wisdom if you're lucky. But it's better than sauntering through life feeling hard done by. I've moved on from friends who thought this way, people who don't lift you up and are only too happy to help you down."
"Your reality is a product of your thought patterns, which you have the power to change! Until you dissolve the cloud of cynicism, it is difficult to enjoy life."
Is there anything you believe younger people need to know before they get older? Tell us in the comments or fill out this anonymous form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
