Aging is a natural part of life—but we don’t necessarily have to look or feel our age. If you’re taking care of your body and mind, and have an active social life, then you probably feel on top of the world. However, even small reminders can shock you that you’re actually living in the year 20XX. Like someone pointing out that we’re closer to the year 2050 than 1995…
Redditor u/Halloween-365 served up a big dose of reality when they asked the internet to share all the things that make them feel old as heck. We’ve collected their answers to share with you, Pandas. Read on to check them out. Warning: Apparently, there are some inconsiderate youngsters who think that Harry Potter is an ‘old people thing,’ so just keep that in mind so you don’t faint, Pandas!
Bored Panda got in touch with Alan Castel, Ph.D., a UCLA psychology professor and the author of 'Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging.' He shed some light on the shock that people feel when they realize that they're getting older, and shared his thoughts on why some people have a different sense of the passing of time.
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Having to scroll and scroll and fecking scroll to find my birth year when completing an online form
I recently stopped smoking… one of the lasses I work with asked how long I’d smoked for. She’s 21 and I’d smoked longer than she’d been alive :/
Positive news 3 weeks without a cigarette
The 90s wasn't actually ten years ago.
Bored Panda wanted to get to grips with the fact that some people are shocked when they slow down and suddenly realize how old they actually are. Dr. Castel, from UCLA, shared his thoughts on this.
"It can sometimes come as a surprise when we notice some effects of aging, and often this coincides with life events such as having children, grey hairs, or the need to go to bed earlier," he told us via email.
"However, we can also interpret these changes as important milestones and stages in life that we adapt to (and enjoy) by focusing on what is most important, such as family, friends, staying active, and being involved in what interests us the most, especially when we become more aware that time is limited," the psychology professor said.
I make a noise when I sit down/get up
In the meantime, we wanted to get the professor's thoughts on why some people may have a slightly warped perception of time, e.g. believing that the year 2000 was merely 10 years ago or being unable to fathom how it's already 2023 (hi!).
"It can often feel that time passes quickly, and that many older adults might remember dated events as feeling more recent," Dr. Castel, the author of 'Better with Age,' told us.
"This shows that our sense of time isn't always linear, and this might be because our memory provides a biased representation of the past," he explained.
"Sometimes more memorable life events become better consolidated and frequently retrieved, making them feel like they were not that long ago."
I tried to pull something remotely similar to an all nighter recently and got about 3 hours of sleep.
I want to die.
When people say, "30 years ago", and they mean the 1990s, not the 1960s.
30 years ago doesn’t seem so long ago now too. The 60’s felt like an ancient, mythical time to me in 1990’s 🤦🏽♀️
No matter what anyone tells you, age really is just a number. What matters isn’t how many years you’ve lived but how you’ve lived them. With courage and curiosity? Passion and purpose? Energy and drive? It doesn’t matter that the younger generations think Nirvana and Harry Potter are ‘old as dirt’ when you’re having the time of your life.
But if you’re filled with regret, well, we genuinely believe that it’s never too late to learn something new, chase your dreams, and live to the fullest.
But in order to do all of that, it only makes sense to take good care of yourself. You’ve got to get the basic healthy habits right. Including getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water throughout the day, eating healthy and nutritious food, and moving a lot throughout the week. On top of that, it’s best to avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. And if you want your skin to look young, you’d best become fast friends with sunscreen.
I showed my nephew the matrix. We are a few minutes in and he is frowning.
I’m like, “what’s wrong?”
And he asks, “why are the phones ringing?”
M**********r was born after dial-up.
Listening to Nirvana today is the same as listening to The Beatles in the 90's
However, the physical side of your body is only a part of living a healthy, happy, and long life. You’ve also got to take good care of your mental health. That means spending time in nature and meditating to unwind, getting in touch with a therapist to help you work through your issues, and generally creating a good work/life balance.
Not only that, but you’ve got to strive for a fulfilling career. Work is an important factor in our lives, so it only makes sense to do what we find purposeful and meaningful. If we’re constantly exhausted and feeling like we’re not making the world a better place or what we’re doing doesn’t matter, it will only have negative effects on our well-being. Career aside, don’t forget your hobbies, whether they’re physically active, entirely social, or meant to keep your mind sharp.
Hearing songs that were popular when you were in middle school and high school playing in the supermarket
Being the guy that owns the Gmail and Hotmail email address with just my first and last name together. All the other same named people have to add a number or something at the end to have their name.
i was talking with the daughter of a friend, she's 15, she told me "Harry Potter is an old people thing, I wasn't even born yet"
I listen to Mozart, pretty sure I wasnt born either when he was around
The key thing to remember is that nobody is an island. We’re all social animals, and we need relationships to thrive and survive. Loneliness is as bad for our health as smoking nearly a pack a day.
A massive 85-year Harvard study found that it’s not our careers, exercise, diets, or massive amounts of money that truly make us happy in life. Instead, it’s positive relationships that help us live longer and make us not just happier, but healthier, too.
When I see a photo of myself that looks my actual age, even though I feel 20 years younger.
I always wonder who that older lady is when I walk past a mirror.
I dont like anything new coming out anymore. Feels like that south park episode when Stan turns ten and it’s all s**t.
People driving by me when I'm riding my bike, beeping at me and giving me the thumbs-up like "you go, old man!"
Apparently someone of my advanced years riding a bicycle is *inspirational.*
I'm an older first-time parent. Ran into someone I knew from high school when I went to pick my son up from daycare. She was there to pick up her grandson...
My eldest is 26, my youngest is 13, along with 2 in the middle at 22 and 19 and I also have a grandchild, Im 54
I was watching a make-up tutorial on YouTube and the girl was using some butterfly clips to keep her hair away from her face and she said “Girls used to wear these in the olden days.” Also, a few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of wine and the cashier asked for my ID but literally only glanced at it for a split second before giving it back. I said ‘that was quick’ and she said ‘I just have to see the 19– at the start of your birth year and not 20–‘
My hips, my swelling randomly for no reason but the onset of menopause, my silver hair being more than 75% now, and the fact that I can’t eat most foods like I used to without some horrible side effects ( swelling, constipation ) AND my perfect natural teeth are starting to go bad. Oh and anytime I start a movie, I fall right to sleep. Damn, also waking up to pee like every 2 hours during the night. Like wtf is that about!!?😫
- Kids don't know what a house phone is.
- Kids do not know the world before internet.
- Kids trying to figure out a cassette tape.
- Kids think anything not touch screen is a touch screen.
- Knowing Millennials are the adults of the world now and boomers are the grandparents.
- Time appears to be going faster, but that's relative to how long you've lived.
I can go on...
My art teacher is 6 years older than me and has a non-touch screen computer and since I don't really use electronics other than my phone I always think it's touch screen and he makes fun of me but seriously it's like engrained in me to tap on screens
I went to go see Janet Jackson and Ludacris in concert about a week ago and my 25 year old son said, “what retirement home did they break out of?” 😒
Watching movies from 2002 that once looked real and clear, and now they look fuzzy as old dog s**t
And how movies from the 70s and 80s.look so fake, but they were back then they were the bees knees!
People who were born when I started college are starting college.
I still can't really believe that people who were born after 2000 are not little kids anymore.
Went to a public library.
Told me that they no longer use USBs.
/Thumb drives.
Hearing bands that I grew up with (Foo Fighters, STP, Soundgarden) on classic rock radio stations.
All the s**t kids are into these days. All these mobile games and YouTubers and influencers and TikTok videos with the screaming. Seriously what's with all the f*****g screaming? I swear there's no way my childhood would have seemed this nonsensical and alien to my parents when I was that age
Thinking about how my kids will probably never use a dark room in school. They have no idea what a cassette, floppy disk, or zip disk is.
Basically, as a millennial, the fact that I got to experience and grow up during the tale end of the analog age, as well as the digital age.
They will only get the digital age, & all of the societal ramifications that come with it.
1984 baby here, I can completely relate to OP. But having an infant right now, I'm planning to teach him all about the 80s & 90s so he'll appreciate the 'evolution' of technology.
Going back to my uni and making Shrek jokes with students, then realising that they were all born after the first Shrek movie came out. Their introduction to Shrek was as a meme, not as a character.
Realizing that kids born far after 2000 are like, functioning members of society now.
I recently went to the Museum of American History in Washington D.C. and there were numerous items from my childhood in there. Numerous items.
Also, there is a plaque at our local lake from when it was built in 1986. My kids were all, "Wow, dad. You're older than this lake."
Not saying this post is necessarily American. But, I reference a quote regularly, and it seems like no one else has heard it. Has anyone else heard the quote: “America, where a hundred miles is short and a hundred years is long”?
2 things:
- Getting old enough to remember my parents at my current age.
- Spent an evening shift with coworkers once, all around 20-21 (im 42). They were talking about 90s music the same way we were talking about 70s music. Playing Radiohead like it was the hottest discovery of the year.
Saw a FB post from a guy I went to high school with. He was holding a newborn baby. Thought, “Good for him, having a kid at 45.” Then read the caption. The kid is his SECOND GRANDSON.
From what I’ve heard apparently using Facebook automatically makes you old, because apparently Facebook is just for old people
None of my baby and childhood pictures are in color…
My anger at current teenage angst on here. Like I really need to be mad at these kids being kids? And people walking on grass, like why am I getting angry at this except for the prospect I am becoming a fuddy duddy.
Finding 30 year old women look like kids.
When I was a teen I always used to wonder if old people were attracted to old people or if they really felt yuck about their similarly aged partners. Now I'm amazed that I consider my age "normal", I see pictures of my husband from when we met and think he looks like a fetus. I also can pick out people who are "our age" easily. It's like your concept of "us" changes as we age.
Breaking Bad finale was 10 years ago.
Remembering how it was to see without glasses
I wore glasses from 1954 to 2019. Cataract surgery. Glasses-free (I think I do need to get some reading glasses, though. But distance is sharp and clear (at least, after the first half-hour after waking up - still have presbyopia).
I'm in my 30s doing an apprenticeship for a new career and there's a kid in my class who was born the year before I graduated high school.
I regularly register new patients and am astounded that they're in their 40s and born after the year I graduated high school (1981). I'm literally old enough to be their mother - doctors too are young enough to be my kids. That really causes me to pause.
When 20 something year Olds call me sir
I hate being called maam .. always have. But now i am too old to protest the word.
Went to a museum in Seattle, and they had a video game section. A group of young teens are standing in front of a GameCube. One kid says to the other, 'I think this is the first Nintendo.' The other kid responds back, 'Isn’t it the first game system ever?' The first kid responds back, 'I don’t know. maybe?'
Note: this post originally had 90 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is more than a decade older than The Original Series was when TNG premiered. As a Trekkie, that REALLY makes me feel old.
Really want to feel old? Wil Wheaton is older than Patrick Stewart was when ST:TNG premiered. Yer welcome.
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A sudden abiding interest in birds and birding appears out of nowhere in middle age. Also, I still like to use periods at the end of my sentences.
When I became content to spend my mornings gardening, with my cats nearby. Grunge loving, tattoo and piercing covered Gen X, wearing my gardening duds, gloves, and a sun hat. I can talk people's ears off about soil, roses, companion plants, etc. If 20 year old me saw me now, they'd never believe it.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is more than a decade older than The Original Series was when TNG premiered. As a Trekkie, that REALLY makes me feel old.
Really want to feel old? Wil Wheaton is older than Patrick Stewart was when ST:TNG premiered. Yer welcome.
Load More Replies... A sudden abiding interest in birds and birding appears out of nowhere in middle age. Also, I still like to use periods at the end of my sentences.
When I became content to spend my mornings gardening, with my cats nearby. Grunge loving, tattoo and piercing covered Gen X, wearing my gardening duds, gloves, and a sun hat. I can talk people's ears off about soil, roses, companion plants, etc. If 20 year old me saw me now, they'd never believe it.
