Older Adults Are Sharing The Things About Aging That They Weren’t Prepared For, And I Never Thought About Some Of These

Aging is inevitable and a privilege, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is entirely prepared for it. Recently, Redditor u/common_grounder asked older adults of the Reddit community to share the things that happened a lot quicker in old age than expected, and the responses were eye-opening:

1.“How much I don’t care about so many things that used to be important to me. I like to think I’m learning how to ‘let go,’ and that I’m on a path to enlightenment, but I’m just tired and lazy now.”

—PicoRascar

2.“How quickly you lose strength, flexibility, and energy after menopause.”

—cheekmo_52

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3.“The physical effects of aging. One day, nothing ached. The next day, everything did.”

—Nuhulti

4.“My vision deteriorating.”

—SiriusGD

5.“My wrinkly, rice paper-thin skin.”

—discussatron

6.“Getting senior discounts without asking for it.”

—trripleplay

7.“So many friends and family are getting hit with serious health issues. I don’t like it one bit!”

—Hello_Dahling

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8.“Time going by. Years literally fly by, and if you aren’t paying attention, suddenly, another year pops up, and you wonder where the past year went.”

—SemiOldCRPGs

9.“Having to pee at 3 a.m. Every night.”

—Buffalo_River_Lover

10.“Running out of energy.”

—MissO56

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11.“The fact that no one under 50 cares about what you have to say. About anything.”

—Open-Channel-D

12.“Being the oldest person at work, bar none. Seeing all my peers peter out and disappear — just gone one day — and finding out that the research applications I’d developed were becoming obsolete and getting replaced. Now, it’s like I’m a grandpa yelling at clouds.”

—vstarkweather57

13.“Getting ugly. At 50, I thought I was still attractive. That downhill slope gets steep fast.”

—PositiveAtmosphere13

14.“Going from being one of the best in my field to unemployable because the odometer of my life turned over.”

—CartographerKey7322

15.“My kids got older. Like, really older. They’re 42, 40, 37, and 33. The boys are losing hair, and the oldest girl is perimenopausal.”

—Adorable_Dust3799

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16.“How much more the heat and humidity affect my energy. In my 20s and 30s, I never really noticed it. I could go for a two-hour walk or a five-hour bike ride with no issues and little sweat. By my 50s, it was very noticeable. I got tired much more easily, couldn’t go as long, and I sweat a whole lot more. Now, at 65 and five years post-cancer treatment, the combo of the heat, humidity, and lowered stamina means I get tired just vacuuming my car.”

—reesesbigcup

17.“How I look in photos. I was never a fan of being in photos, but I suddenly stopped recognizing the person in them altogether.”

—Adventurous_Bit1325

18.Lastly: “Forgetting things. Lots of things.”

—debiski

If you’re an older adult, what are some aspects about getting older that happened way quicker than you thought? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using the form below!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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