Getting older comes with a whole host of challenges and changes that almost matches puberty in a way. But the truth is that many of us don’t really accept that we are aging until it’s staring us right in the face.
A netizen asked “What was the biggest change to getting older that was the hardest to accept?” and older folks shared their best stories. We also got in touch with the person who started the viral thread. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own thoughts below.
#1
Decrease in stamina; why is everything so tiring now?
Image credits: EXXPat
#2
I have noticed a change in my short-term memory over the past several months and it's concerning me.
Image credits: WTFuckery2020
#3
Weight gain that I can’t lose no matter what I do.
Image credits: Zestyclose_Big_9090
#4
No matter how I work at it - eating right, exercising, etc. - my body can't keep up with my brain anymore. One damn thing or another is always on the fritz. Back feels great, finallllllyyyyy???? F**k you, says my right knee, try this on for size! (collapses)
Good times!
Image credits: PurpleBeads504
#5
I'm not in vain, but I think it's incredibly difficult to lose your looks. Going from young vibrant looking to old and haggard. visually, you can see you're getting old, even though you don't feel old inside.
Image credits: mannuts4u
#6
Having to let go of a dream or goal that will never be achieved. ?.
Image credits: linda70455
#7
I used to have so much discipline. I could keep my weight down, exercise 7 times a week, keep my home organized, etc. Now I just want to eat gummies, Doritos and hang out here.
Image credits: Glittering_Sky8421
#8
Crepe skins and loss of muscle.
Image credits: Annual-Hovercraft158
#9
That events/cultural references that you remember vividly are a lot older than you think, and in many cases, younger folks will have no idea what you are talking about.
Image credits: Mooseagery
#10
A few things come to mind. Lack of stamina. Good grief. I have been active for all my life, but now, even the simple gym routine wears me out. It bothers me each day that physical tasks take longer, I often ache afterwards, and the thought of breaking down bit by bit scares the stuffing out of me.
My never having been beautiful physically, you would think that not being noticed wouldn't bother me. It does. Getting the aid of a store clerk has become task. I find myself having to force myself on people. That's annoying.
The forgetting of names, proper nouns when I know those are words are somewhere in my brain just aggravates the stew out of me. Where did those words go? Hours later I will be loading the dishwaher and, damn, the name or book title will pop in head as though the brain kept searching for it long after I forgot I needed the name earlier. What's up with that?
Getting shorter. Freaking gravity. I was never tall and now I know that centimeter by centimeter I get closer to the ground. Argh.
Arthritis. All the activity, wear and tear on my joints as a young adult has come to haunt me. I have spent the last seven years doing resistance weight training to strengthen the muscles around the achy joints. Thank goodness I did, but nothing has helped stop the stiffening of joints.
Not being needed on some level. I spent so much time taking care of growing children, making professional decisions in my work life, coming up with solutions to make systems better and now I often feel hollow, useless. I want to know that I can help not just be a token.
Another sad thing concerns my decreasing lack of patience. I can no longer suffer the insufferable and wanton ignorance around me. I must walk away. Civil discourse disappears when grown a*s adults believe and repeat lies and conspiracies. That's not a debate, it's chaos. There's no deference to the expertise in our world. Retired insurance salespeople are not experts on geopolitics or macroeconomics. They just aren't. Ugh. For goodness sake, just shut up.
I must be cranky this morning. So I will shut up now.
Image credits: Photon_Femme
#11
Realizing that the end is no longer over the horizon; it is the horizon.
Image credits: S_L_Raymond
#12
Vision. Letters are too small on so many things. Glasses on. Glasses off. Where are my glasses? Bifocals.
Image credits: someguy14629
#13
The people I love won’t be around forever.
Image credits: Daisy_W
#14
Going on Reddit and reading all the hate for Boomers. Apparently we are one giant evil monolithic hive-mind because we were born between 1946-1964. That’s all it took, just being born at a specific time. We’re like the Borg.
On the other hand, all the other generations consist of millions of individuals with different personalities and political viewpoints and different and individual hopes, dreams, hobbies, and interests.
#15
Becoming invisible. No one tells you and then it’s too late.
Image credits: Izdabye
#16
When you are younger it feels like you have all the time in the world to do things. I am now coming to terms with the fact that “someday” is a lot smaller of a window.
Image credits: Alternative_Sock_608
#17
Menopause... and all the s**t no one warned me about. Like losing your sex drive. ( which I've fortunately gotten back, somewhat).... or aging 10 yrs in 6 months. Waking up one morning to find I have NO eyebrows.... you know, s**t like that!
#18
I’ve always had a cat (or two). After my previous boy passed, I went and adopted a bonded pair, because I’m getting *two* out of the shelter, right? But after a couple of years I came to realize that- if they stay healthy, they could easily outlive me and my husband (we are both 70). And then what happens? Everybody says, “Oh, provide for them in your will! Get a commitment from a friend or family member who can take them!”. What if you don’t have anyone who can take them?
Maybe we’ll be lucky and outlive them. Maybe my daughter halfway across the country (who currently has a cranky cat and two very energetic dogs) will have an opening. Maybe a cat-loving neighbor will still be living nearby. Maybe. ??? I worry about it.
#19
Singing well. I can’t hit high notes anymore and sometimes my voice is shaky and off key. I don’t sing in public, just in the car or at home, but it saddens me that no one will ever say “Wow! I didn’t know you could sing like that” ever again. ?.
Image credits: NoIndividual5987
#20
Dealing with heat & humidity; untrustworthy knees.
#21
Not knowing who some “famous” people are. I look at the cover of People magazine when checking out at the supermarket and half the time don’t know who the people they are crowing about are, lol.
#22
Loss of ambition and drive. Part of me kind of likes it because deep down I'm just a bum but overall it's been tough to accept. Hard to describe but you reach a point of just feeling finished with it all and energy doesn't come easy anymore.
Unless I'm super stoked about something, I basically don't care about it and can't even force myself to pretend to care.
Image credits: PicoRascar
#23
Damned QR Codes for literally everything.
#24
Being patronized by doctors.
Image credits: HawkReasonable7169
#25
Realizing me and hubby can't just lift heavy objects like we did 20 years ago when we moved in. We're buying and putting together new furniture and deep calculations go into how we're going to get it up the stairs or room to room. Literally stuck with a very, very old bedroom set (hubby's grandma) we no longer can get downstairs to get rid of it. Will have to hire movers so we can get a new set.
Yeah, we're old asf. Hubby just turned 70 yesterday.
Insult to injury: I take him to a winery for his birthday/ We're sitting outside on a beautiful day sipping white wine and eating some cracker, hummus, and stuffed olives, and chatting (we use sign language) before going to dinner. A women is walking around and back and forth (I swear I caught her filming us while a video call she was on). At one point she passed by again and says, "You two are so cute. Sitting there just enjoying yourselves in the sun." I say thank you, but...
I'm thinking, so we've become that cute little old couple now??? WTF?! ?.
#26
Empty Nesting:
I know my kids have grown and have their own lives now but miss so much them living with me as a family unit on a daily basis. Also all my old friends are dying one by one.
Image credits: Parasitesforgold
#27
Getting frustrated with everyday technology. Some days I just want to throw my hands up in the air because nothing works right.
Some things seem so overly complicated or just don't make sense and it infuriates me.
And yeah, I'm in IT which doesn't help and also makes me feel like I'm just old and outdated; a forgotten repository of useless data.
Image credits: DingGratz
#28
My life getting smaller. I used to travel but that is pretty much gone because my husband hates to travel and I have health issues that makes it hard for me to go by myself. I used to be a Global IT Project Manager flew off around the world now the grocery store is an adventure. My kids are grown and gone. Just not much life anymore. I do enjoy our community that keeps me going.
#29
The random unfairness of life. The careful, health-conscious person you thought would always be healthy and outlive you suddenly develops an old-person illness or physical problem in their late 50s or early 60s that changes their remaining life forever. Could be a stroke or some internal ailment that prevents them from doing things they easily did only a few years earlier. Could be something like cancer that causes them to deteriorate and die. Even something minor, like arthritis or blood pressure or heart issues that just slow them down, can be life changing and eliminate retirement plans to travel etc. Happens to too many folks and is especially sad when it happens to people who ate right, exercised, and watched their health carefully. The silver lining is that it reminds you in no uncertain terms that life is short and you best get busy making it meaningful while YOU can still do it.
Image credits: Phineas67
#30
Not being seen as someone I once was and still am - now I’m just seen as an old lady but still feel young, cool and beautiful.
Image credits: Fancy_Can_8976
#31
I’ve been a personal trainer, marathoner, martial arts instructor, yoga teacher, …… since I was about 22. I’m 57. In my youthful, delusional mind, I truly thought I would be 80 before I started slowing down. Aging is humbling. We can exercise, eat right, and avoid most of the bad stuff. But, accidents happen. Genetics happen. Illness happens. I’m still very grateful that I have stayed fit and healthy through the years. But I was so sure I would be a marathon running grandma. Aging has checked my ego in a big way.
Image credits: YogaBeth
#32
The hardest thing to understand as it's happening is that your circle of friends gradually grows smaller and smaller. They're still your friends and when you see them it's like old times. But the times you see them gradually decrease to almost never. And these people who were/are the most important people in your life for such a pivotal time in your life slowly begin to have other normal priorities - partners, families, work commitments, general adulting.
You grow up watching TV shows, seeing people in their 20s and 30s hanging out all the time, seeing each other daily, and you expect that to be your life. And it sort of is for a short time in real life. But the people pair up (normal), no longer need roommates (normal), get jobs in another city (normal), buy a house (normal), get married (normal), have kids (normal) and so on and so on.
This has been the hardest thing to accept.
Image credits: FewWave4322
#33
Looking in the mirror and seeing my grandmother looking back!
#34
Not only hair growing out of new places that never had hair before but growing an inch over night.
Image credits: johngknightuk
#35
Pain. Things start hurting and they never stop hurting. Every time another part of my body starts to hurt, for whatever reason, I wonder: is this now forever? The worst part is that I have many friends my age, who live similar lifestyles and engage is similar types of activities, who do not experience these pains. They just got better genes and I got sucky genes, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
Image credits: catdoctor
#36
The people I loved weren't who I thought they were.
#37
Loss of mobility due to disease. Retirement sucks if you can't get around.
Image credits: Distinct-Car-9124
#38
Can’t wear high heels.
Image credits: Pure-Guard-3633
#39
How debilitating arthritis can be. I see people my age playing tennis, etc when I can barely walk from one room to the next.
#40
Loss of dexterity on every day activities. Can’t just grab two eggs with one hand unless i don’t mind one or both smashed on the floor.
#41
Getting injured more often and recovering far slower and sometimes not recovering fully at all.
#42
Muscle strength. Getting off the floor for me is hilarious, especially since I have a kissy little Chiweenie who thinks mommy's down here to see him. He's scuttled in as I write, mwah! Kisses!
Image credits: cherrycokelemon
#43
Not walking straight. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I saw myself on my home camera walking hunched over.
#44
As a woman in my 50’s I decided to go quit coloring my hair. I feel invisible now. Like I have aged out.
#45
I am at a place where I know how to dress well, have developed confidence and have been around long enough to be more interesting than when I was younger. I get positive feedback from strangers all the time and am approached by women in a way that is new to me. However I am only a year and a half away from retirement but feel long past being interested in “romance”. If I was like I am today but 20 years younger my life would feel very different.
Pleasant conversation is all I have left to offer an attractive woman now.
Image credits: Independent-Effect64
#46
The way I can hurt myself doing regular stuff or nothing at all.
Needing to wear glasses. I had amazing vision until I didn't and remembering where I left the damn things is aggravating af. And they are expensive and my health insurance apparently doesn't cover eyes.
My intolerance to heat. I used to love heat. I loved the sun. I loved being out swimming or playing and summer was my favorite season. Now if it's over 75 I am not interested. Fall and winter are my seasons now.
#47
Being the oldest guy at the bar is weird. I try and avoid it now and go to age appropriate places.
#48
Feeling more isolated. I got married very late (45), and prior to meeting my wife, I spent almost all of my time alone because all of my friends had partners or families. It’s totally normal for people to prioritize their partners and families, it just sucks when you’re the one left behind because you don’t have anyone. I’m sure there were other single people out there in my city, but for whatever reason, I wasn’t meeting them. It was a pretty miserable time.
#49
That time goes by so fast at a time when you need it to go slower, like when you were younger!
#50
Strangers start getting mean. Used to be I got hit on by people every day (I'm a man) which I enjoyed. Now I seem to get yelled at every day, which I don't enjoy.
#51
I'm finding that it's much harder to stay focused on work that is difficult or uninteresting just because I *want* to -- a commitment I've invariably found to be rewarding in the end.
Pascal pointed out that the greatest cause of man's unhappiness is his inability to sit quietly in his room. I found that some type of not-uncommon hormonal change between 40 and 50 made it possible to do just that, for however long it took to get something done. And gave me many happy years.
But now at 70 I find that my mind wants to wander. It's not the FOMO of my youth, but the end result is the same: less time on task, and less accomplished at the end of each day. And, I fear, gradual loss of the ability to look back after five or 10 years and know what I've amounted to; where the time went.
I can easily accept that I now walk two miles where I used to run 20. I can put in the same effort, and have the same feeling at the end. And it's not about mental functioning. I may forget some words or details, but I also see that I have insight gained over the decades that lets me do other things faster and more correctly.
But it's the sense of being a boy of 39 again, and not fully in charge of the way I'm going to spend my day that's awfully hard to accept. LOL -- I thought I was past all that!
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