Miss being young

Love this!

I mean why not?!

It's a strongly held belief of mine that different ages suit different people. My DD hated being a baby/small child but is thriving as a teenager. My DS is the exact opposite - great baby/child, hating being a teenager. I was a fab teenager too, had a shit time in early 20s, loved loved loved my 30s and am now having a rough time in my 40s. I'm hoping 50s will be my decade again!

One thing to consider (despite your young age) is whether you're drifting into perimenopause? I definitely started at 39 and that's a big part of the problem for me. If the hormone change doesn't suit you it gives you a rather grim outlook on life.

god no, I’m 38 and vastly prefer being this age! I have very fond memories of tipsy nights out and adventures as a teen and twentysomething but i’ve got no desire to repeat those thing now. I still chat to strangers in cafes and pubs, learn new things, try new experiences, and try and maintain a generally positive and grateful attitude to the world. I also know my own mind and what I want, and am much quicker these days to sever connections or leave circumstances that don’t add to my life. I’m certainly not a permanently cheery or bouncy person but I’m generally curious, open and optimistic about the world and it’s a transformative formative way to live.

As marcus aurelius put it, ‘when you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.’

ZOMBIE

WHY??

Why did you revive a ZOMBIE thread???

I understand his you feel, I actually found my 39th very hard!

but I implore you to enjoy the youth you have (that you're currently not seeing) and do the things you want to do!!

I am now 55, my life got detailed massively by Covid, then an accident & this year a couple of strokes (together) I have been left disabled and unable to do very much.

yeah it's horrible when you realise you're not really young & carefree anymore, but please don't let it take away from what you DO have.

❤️

I'm in my 50s and lots of things about aging don't actually bother me.
The one thing I struggle with is that nothing is likely to change now. I'll probably never move house again, or get a different job or start a new relationship.

Sure, theoretically I could do any of those things. But if I did, I'd be doing it for the "hit" of excitement and I know there's a 99% chance I'd regret it long term. I am happy with my life but I do miss the possibilities of youth. Especially I think because when I was young in the 80s, the opportunities were less than they are now and/or I didn't know about them. I'd be pursuing a very different life to the one I have, if I was young now.

63 and would definitely like my 25-year-old body back. And I'd take better care of it this time around.

Late 50s here . Yes I get the odd pang and wish I could go back to my 20s but the thing I wish I could do as easily as when I was younger is dancing ! It’s really the only thing I miss !

You are the youngest now than you'll ever be

No. It gets worse!
I can be brought to tears by a song (from my youth) on the radio.

I'm around your age and currently have 90s cheese pop on brig nostaligi!

I miss the days when i was a size 12 and my mum did my laundry. Or the days when it was just me, dh and our non sleeping cluster feeding newborn. Ds1 is off to university in September and youngest is leaving primary school so i have been thinking a lot recently about when ds1 was starting primary school, looking so small in his brand new red jumper.

Don’t waste time dwelling, one day you’ll realise how young you actually are now.

Same. I keep thinking of a poem I had a morbid fascination with when I was like 7

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

I know what you you mean OP I’m same age and I am constantly reminiscing about the younger years it didn’t feel as bleak as it does right now and I’m constantly filled with fear and dread for my DCs with the state of the UK and what else is going on in the world.
perhaps I was just young and naive and all this horror has always been around just never paid too much attention when younger far more concerned with always being out and having fun no responsibilities.

I don't miss being young but I do absolutely agree with 'youth is wasted on the young'. I wish I had the confidence and enjoyment of my body and self esteem that I have now when I was young. I used to be beautiful and thin and likeable and I thought I was fat, ugly and no one liked me! I could have enjoyed my teen years and twenties, I'd love to go back and do it all again with confidence.

I'm 40 but now I'm worried about loosing my ability to stretch!

I'm 61 and what I want is my younger body back... shallow, but I really miss a good stretch. Russian roulette on which bit hurts/breaks/falls to bits if you try nowadays..
Just be aware... YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOUR LAST GOOD STRETCH WILL BE! Relish the ability whilst you can!

I'm mid-60s now and every stage of my life has had its own blessings. I was very insecure when younger but have gained confidence with age which is a bonus.
The thing I find hardest about ageing is the awareness of the fragility of life. When you have lost friends and watched others battle ill health your world shakes. Luckily as @TiredOfSayingItAgain has said there are some wonderful compensations to getting older so, although I miss my youth, all is not lost.

I'd gladly swap you for mid 50s. You'll look back at pictures of yourself at 40 and think how young you looked. 30s are no age at all. Enjoy those fun years with young children while you can. So much more carefree years than teenagers and elderly parents.

I feel the opposite. Responsible for little humans, working, homeowner make my own decisions and have got good mental health far better than my teenage years

Yes to this!

I’m 42 and had a nostalgic dance party with my 7 year old daughter earlier to Grease 1 and 2, Dirty Dancing and the audition scene from Save the Last Dance.

It reawoke memories in me when I was young, free, energetic and the world was so full of possibilities. I felt optimistic and believed in people before I’d really been let down.

I’m also generally happy with my lot but the last few years have kicked my arse, I gave up alcohol and improve my health and life has been very heavy and hard at times from birth traumas and friendship fallouts to losing both my parents.

I think it’s ok to have nostalgia for a time when I we were carefree and naieve and not yet tainted by the huge responsibility and heartache of what being a grown up can be!

Of course I’m sure women my age who have lived through little adversity don’t feel the same. In fact my boss is one of them and I admire her zest for life still, her wire circle of friends and the fact she somehow still parties and boozes and socialises most weekends!

I don't want to be young again, I'm happy with my life now. But I do wish I was less tired.

I had fun but I don’t hanker for that time. I much prefer now. More settled, less concerned about the small things and nice stuff around me