" Do n’t consider [ this ] s * * * wo n’t catch up with you until you ’re 40 . "
Sometimes, I feel like it’s the rare 20-somethings who actually seek out and listen to older people’s advice. But as it turns out, alotof young people are looking for good old-fashioned generational guidance. Recently, Reddit useru/SuckMySalamitook to the popularAskRedditpage toask, “People in their 40s, what’s something people in their 20s don’t realize is going to affect them when they age?” So, here are some of the best answers (which I honestly think could be good advice for people of any age group).
1.“The benefits of working out. My father started regularly working out in his 40s. Nothing extreme, just consistent. He is now 87 and is still in great health. All of his doctors have credited the fact that he started regularly taking care of himself as the reason why he is doing so well.”
2.“Not wearing ear protection at concerts. Having tinnitus sucks.”
— atomic number 92 / hungaria
" For anybody unaware like I was until my later XX , they make earplug that are designed to take down the volume without tone down the strait like the froth earplug do . Do a search for musician ’s earplugs . "
— uracil / mikron2
3.“Finding hobbies and other interests is more important than you think.”
4.“Neglecting your dental health. Deciding to stop going to the dentist because you are no longer forced to by your family won’t end well, trust me. That was not a smart choice I made way back when and it affected me for years afterward. Honestly, it could have been much worse for me.”
5.“Some people are made of titanium. Some people aren’t. There’s no way to know which is which.”
" My ally ’s pa was a coke addict [ and is ] very healthy at 74 . [ I ] had a respectable base runner friend have a warmness fire at 35 . Just because one somebody can binge drink and be healthy at 80 does n’t mean that you could . You wo n’t know until it ’s too late . "
— atomic number 92 / iguessimdepressed1
6.“Bad habits become harder to recover from and can lead to health problems [for] the rest of your life. Not just in catastrophic ways, but in little ways like bad joints or aches and pains. Stay mobile, stay healthy.”
— u / juicybananas
7.“That knee injury you think you recovered from is going to come back to haunt you.”
8.“Not putting in the work to maintain relationships. Having friends in your 20s is accidental. Having friends in your 40s [onward] is a part-time job.”
— u / MarcusQuintus
9.“Saving for retirement. Wish I started sooner.”
10.“That life goes by fast, especially after 25.”
— atomic number 92 / FOTW - Anton
11.“Stretch, you fools. Stretch every day… and strengthen your joints.”
12.“If you [have] perfect eyesight up until your 40s, be prepared for the possibility that you will have to begin wearing glasses.”
13.“Even if your significant other is amazing, if their family culture is toxic it is going to have a massive negative effect on your life. I know it sounds harsh or sad, but it should be a big portion of the decision to commit to someone.”
— u / who519
14.“If you’re a woman, [be aware of] perimenopause. We collectively think of menopause as being the big deal, not realizing it’s a process and not realizing it’s an issue that (often) starts in our 40s.”
15.“Drinking. Even drinking moderately (seven to 14 drinks per week, or one to two per night) literally degenerates your brain.”
In regards to drinking: “Also, don’t think that shit won’t catch up with you until you’re 40 (or older,) because I did. It caught up to me fully before I was 30. Liver problems, kidney failure, pancreatitis, heart problems, the whole nine. It was nothing short of a miracle that I made it out alive. If you’re young and you think you might have a problem, get that shit in check, talk to people that have been through it. It isn’trealuntil it’s real.”
— u / Leather - Delicious
16.“My mom is always asking me what skin creams I use and lowkey implies I’m lying about having no skincare routine beyond sunscreen. She was big on suntanning, so much so that she deliberately allowed me to burn as a child because I was ‘too pale.’ She won’t accept [that] the sun is what aged her skin. It’s crazy too because she does still look very good for her age, if she had used sunscreen she’d have looked even better.”
17.“Your online life is leaving a traceable trail. You should be much more protective of what information you publicly share.”
— u / paravaric
18.“People in their 20s aren’t prepared for the experience of having people younger than them claim that some experience was a foundational core of their generation whenyouhad the same experience long before that.”
19.“If you’re a woman, bone density! Start a good weight lifting routine to protect them.”
20.“Excessive ear hair.”
— u / balance38
21.“I don’t know how much this applies, but there comes a point in life, for many it’s in their 40s, where you realize that stuff like being famous, building a legacy, [or] being highly respected in your career doesn’t matter AT ALL. And when you get there… life becomes wonderful.”
22.“Take your mental health seriously. Men, let your significant other feel their feelings; don’t try to problem-solve for them. To quote my therapist: ‘Be a lighthouse. Give a light, but let the storm run its course.'”
" Also , learn to recognize your [ own ] notion . Be open about them . You ’ll be stunned how much smoother your human relationship will be . "
— u / shottylaw
23.“Credit. 401K. Start saving NOW. Don’t buy new phones or cars every two years.”
— u / Motor - Housing2704
24.“Your parents aren’t going to be here forever so the little things that get under your skin need to be brushed off. When they pass, you’ll remember those moments when you lost patience and regret it horribly.”
25.“Ageism. Enjoy your youth because when you get older, companies won’t hire you anymore. They can get someone younger and more desperate to do your job for half as much.”
— u / xerox157
26."[Right now,] you have the freedom to go on adventures. You’ll love the life you have in your 40s, but you’ll also live on the memories of random road trips and other adventures. Even if you’re poor as shit, pool your money together with like 10 of your friends, rent a cheap ass hotel room, and go do the thing. I’d hate that now but I loved it then!"
27.“Not starting saving in your 20s. Seriously, put away as much of your paycheck as you can as early as you can and you’ll have a nice cushion in your 40s.”
28.“The slow drip of alcoholism. You might not be a binge drinker in your 20s, which while good, doesn’t mean you are in the clear.”
29.“Bad credit performance: the worst, most destructive thing you can do to your financial future! Getonecredit card that you pay off every month, and finance a car.”
— u / Adorabbw
30.“In your 40s you’ll realize that it’s not old, and you don’t feel much different than you did in your 20s and 30s.”
31.“I regret having a bad lifestyle like being sedentary and not working out. I wish I could go back in time and start working out and being healthy. I have diseases that I should have prevented in my 20s; now I’m suffering from it.”
— u / miesciky
" Do yoga every day . I wish I had begin decades ago . Mobility is everything . "
— u / d6punk
32.“Bad eyes from screens and arthritis in hands from holding iPads and phones so often.”
33.“You’re going to start to miss your friends that slip away. It’s harder and harder to make really good friends as you get older. Keep the ones you got; if you get into a fight or something pisses you off, try to get over it. Talk things out, patch it up. Don’t lose your good friends.”
— u / progdaddy
34.And finally: “To be honest, my 40s are a lot more like my 20s than I thought they would be. I’m not feeling much older and my body hasn’t [deteriorated] much. My interests and hobbies are mostly the same. The last 15 years just went by incredibly fast.”
Note : Some submissions have been delete for duration and/or clarity .
