Does life really begin at 40?

[Vintagehearts]

Or so the saying goes..

I'm a few short years off of approaching 40 so just for fun, I'm intrigued about this saying?

If life begins at 40, how so and did it begin for you?

I hope so! When I'm 40 my youngest will be 18. I can see why they say it if youve had kids young I suppose it depends.

I think it's a different stage of life. I'm 40 , nearly 41 and there are huge positives (not exactly sure it happened due to the number on my birthday , it's not like it ticked over at midnight on my 40th birthday) I am far more confident than I ever have been , i lost eight stone , I'm fitter , i genuinely do not care what others think , my career is in the best work life balance it's been,my DC are older so I'm out of nappies and sleep deprivation hell and I'm happy in my relationship.

However my thirties were just a different type of life, having children , establishing my career , getting married (and separating).

Life is much more on my terms now and I'm happier , less stressed , more fulfilled so yeah I guess I came through all the stress and worry and 40 coincided with everything coming together I suppose.

I sort of think you become more aware of aging and your own mortality so you stop buffering about with other peoples crap and get on with your life and what makes you happy. Well I did anyway.

Nope. My husband died two years ago and I was 40 a few months back. I had in my head that 40 would be a good time to get my life back on track and reinvent myself somewhat. Then coronavirus happened 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I made a few decisions when I turned 40 - lost some weight, starting running, took up a hobby...realised that I'd spent my 30s raising children and needed to look at myself a bit more.

I had a psychotic breakdown at 35-36 & feel that my mid-late 30s were a time when I was quite poorly & looked it. I was obese, my hair had partly fallen out so I couldn't dye it or grow it, I looked ill generally. I also lost a good career but managed to get a job part time as an HCA at the hospital which I'm good at.

I was dreading turning 40 but actually I'd lost weight & looked a lot better.
Now I'm 43 & still get poorly but my hair has grown back & ive got nice highlights, I feel I look more attractive than in my 30s which is good because I feel ready to start dating when covid is over.

I had planned to get married & have a child in my 30s obviously that didn't work out, my early 40s have been about trying to reconcile with probably NOT having a baby.
It wouldn't be good for my health & I would need so much support to care for a child.

So now it's about building on my friendships, trying hard to stay at work (difficult as I keep getting paranoid), finding hobbies, & improving my home.
I would also like to travel more.

So in a way my new life has begun at 40.

Watching with interest.
DMs 40s were rubbish, plagued by I'll health, peri menopause symptoms and the death of both her parents. Life for her got better after the menopause at 45!

DC will be 12 & 13 when I hit 40, not sure that will be so easy, and DH will be late 50s! Maybe 50s will be the new Life begins at age.

I'm looking forward to my 40s for some reason. I'm enjoying looking a bit older now which I know sounds strange but I've always been one of those baby faced people and for years hated it when you want to be seen and treated like an adult but people assume you're a teenager, especially as I had kids too.

I think 40 ish is the age when you start to realise this is it. Not a rehearsal and it does end, so maybe think a bit about where it's going.

One of the best things about your 40s, I found, is that you start giving less of a fuck about how people see you & enjoy being yourself more. I find the increasing invisibility rather useful too. A small middle-aged woman with greying hair can get away with almost anything and nobody notices

@EmpressLangClegInChair I have the opposite problem because I have schizoaffective disorder I'm very prone to paranoia about what others think of me now in my 40s, to the extent that I'm signed off sick because of it!
Paranoia is an exhausting & distressing problem to have but I was no different in my 20s for example except I wasn't on medication for it as I had no diagnosis.

I don't feel invisible to men because I'm in my 40s either since my appearance has actually improved. I'm slimmer & blonder & look healthier than in my 30s.
But sometimes my illness can mean I think men think I'm ugly, or that they're saying certain negative things when they aren't.... or that I actually am invisible/ untouchable.

That must be really difficult, Terralee.

Yes it is.

I was 40 right at the very beginning of lockdown, so I've no idea!

Things look like they might be good when we come out though!