People Are Sharing The Telltale Signs That They're Getting Older, And As An Almost-30-Year-Old, These Hit Close To Home
I don't know about you, but I've started to notice things change as I age. These days, staying in with a pizza and nonstop reruns of Gilmore Girls sounds way better than going out to a loud bar. Recently, redditor SuspiciousRope6751 asked others to share the signs they've noticed that prove they're getting older. Here are the common (and maybe not-so-common) indicators they shared.
1."Doctors are younger than me."
"On the flip side, as a 31-year-old MD, I'm starting to treat more patients that are younger than me, and it feels weird."
2."I’m the one saying, 'I remember when you were a baby.'"
"I found myself saying to my friend's kid, 'I haven't seen you since 2019.' I remember HATING when people said that to me when I was a kid, and I had to catch myself!"
3."I get excited at the thought of staying in on a Friday night and sleeping in until 9:00 a.m."
4."Rewatching certain movies regularly throughout your life, and the actors go from looking old to looking not so old to looking young."
"I remember Christmases when my old relatives would watch old films and ask which actors were still alive. The constant refrain was, 'Is he dead?' 'What about her?' 'I'm sure she died this year.' And now I do the same."
5."When you have to scroll an insultingly large amount of time to find your birth year on an online form."
6."10 p.m. is not a 'let's go out' time anymore."
"If I'm not out by 8 p.m., I'm staying home."
7."My parents are starting to look like seniors."
"There will come a day when you are an adult dealing with your parents. This will also be the day you'll truly understand the meaning of the saying, 'You can't raise parents.' You'll want them to change their ways to make life easier for everyone, and they'll simply refuse or ignore your suggestions. It sucks."
8."When people under 25 look like children now rather than adults."
9."I'm 40 in a couple of days, and I just said out loud to another human being, 'I don't like driving at night anymore; my vision feels fuzzy even though it's not actually fuzzy.'"
"Driving at night is a nightmare. I'm pretty sure I have astigmatism, but the headlights are still ridiculous. I can't see shit at night."
10."I don't care as much what other people think of me, and I'm not as much of a people-pleaser."
"That's honestly the best part of getting older. Fuck everyone else."
11."Your friend group starts changing. First, it's weddings. Then it's housewarming parties. Then it's realizing you haven't hung out in six months because they moved across town. People move away, following careers, family, or otherwise. For me, it started a couple of years after college, around 25 years old. Take a serious look at your friendships. Treat them like the relationships they are. Put in the effort for the ones you want to keep."
"There is another difficulty when you're in a different phase of life than your friends. For example, did you start having kids three to five years earlier than everyone else? You'll rarely, if never, get invited to events with kids. They'll think your kids are too old to get along with theirs."—accountability_bot
12."Everything pisses me off."
"Even the sound of a leaf blowing by feels like a personal attack."
13."I threw out my shoulder brushing my teeth a few weeks ago."
"I popped a disc out of place while trying on a pair of shorts at the Goodwill. I got stuck bent over in my underwear for about 45 minutes in the dressing room before I managed to wiggle my own shorts back on and get my mother-in-law to take me to the ER. It took forever because I couldn't walk, just sort of shuffle half an inch at a time."
14."When I started hearing 'snap, crackle, and pop' in the morning before I had breakfast."
"I woke up this morning at about 5 a.m. and turned to get out of bed to go to the toilet. My neck made a crunching sound, and now I can't move without debilitating pain. My fault for moving, I guess."
15."I don't know what the fuck the new music is."
"When I see the lengthy lineup for a major music festival, I recognize one, maybe two band names."
16."I used to have a flask, weed pipe, pack of smokes, and a can of chew in my center console. Now, I have antacids, aspirin, ibuprofen, and baby wipes."
17."Drinking is no longer fun."
"I loved drinking when I first started. As the years went by, it became more and more unpleasant to the point I realized there was nothing I enjoyed about it anymore and stopped altogether at 29."
18."I realized I've started making more mature, less impulsive decisions and spending less time worrying about inconsequential things over the last four to five years. I don't feel old, though. I'm 38 and feel healthier physically, mentally, and financially than I ever did in my 20s and early 30s."
"Yes, the decision-making I do now is so much more carefully thought through and considers OTHER people (kids, boomer parents, neighbors, etc). I now know how selfish I was in my 20s."
19."Choosing which shoe to wear by which is easiest to put on."
"I go by which shoes will give me the best arch support for the required activity. I'm 39, by the way."
20."Realizing that my clothing is likely slightly dated style-wise, but not caring enough to update my wardrobe (because I like it)."
21."I take a 3 a.m. piss."
"3 a.m. piss! What’s up with that, and why didn’t anyone warn us of this?"
22."I started preferring quiet nights at home over loud outings."
"Right?! I used to be such a social butterfly, and I would be sad if I didn't have plans. Now, someone asks me, 'Any plans for the night/weekend?' and I'm absolutely delighted to say, 'Not a damn thing!'"
What are some signs you've noticed that prove you're getting older? Tell us in the comments or fill out this anonymous form!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
