I'm 32 years old. What advise do you wish you were given at this age?

[ThirtyTwo1988]

I am married, with one child. I have a decent job, but still renting. Diagnosed anxiety disorder, but generally happy and confident. Lots of acquaintances, but little close friends (if any).

Any life advice?

Pelvic floor exercises.
Practise good posture.
Don't lose touch with friends.

Think very carefully about where you want to be by 40 and start making it happen tomorrow because it'll be here before you know it

Don't stay in a relationship that's not good enough. Although that was for me with no children; there might be more reason to compromise to keep a family together.

Ooh this is an interesting thread, shamefully place marking for ideas

If you are not fit get fit and look after your body. If you are fit already, stay that way and remember to work on your flexibility.

Look after your teeth

Find something you enjoy that is not based on your child. Children grow up and leave if you do your job right.

Don’t worry about the little things if you can possibly help it - mostly everything will turn out ok.

Buy Bitcoin

I’ll be telling my daughter:

• Don’t get involved with anyone who has kids
• Don’t try to please everyone, it’s their responsibility
• Only have people in your home who are kind to you and want the best for you, it’s your one space where you can control this
• Have therapy (just to keep on top of emotional house keeping)
• Disengage from diet culture

Echo quit the biscuits. As Shakira once said, the hips don't lie!!!

Weight-bearing exercise! Why does no one tell women in their 20s and 30s that you build most bone density at those ages? After 40 it's much harder and then, post menopause, you lose bone density.

Go on the most exciting holidays you can afford. This is what children remember.
Never pass on an opportunity to do something because your house needs cleaned.
Build up a good circle of friends.

Have fun.
Be as independent as possible. Do not rely solely on anyone else.

This is such a wonderful thread. I'm 33, and I have read it with great interest.

In 2020 I invested a lot of time in educating myself about making the right lifestyle choices. Treating food as medicine, and looking after my body.

Sitting here with a bad back, I realize I need to put more effort in. This thread has taught me that NOW is the time. Right now.

You’re still really young.

Take all the sensible advice here you want to, but honestly - try to have some fun along the way and don’t take everything too seriously.

You will never be this young again!

Start researching mental health - the more you learn about the causes of anxiety (and other conditions), the better able you will be to overcome them without resorting to medication.

Same with financials - the more you know about budgeting and investing, the better.

I'll add to the "live where you want to retire" with - if your child is preschool, move now to where you want to live for the next 15+ years. (Not necessarily the house, but the area). Once your dcs are in school and have friends, its harder to move them.

Agree with have a range of social activities and friends from different groups - remember it can take years to turn an acquaintance into a friend. Put in the effort when you don't need people.

Can someone elaborate on what do do with-

Pension?
How much to save?
How to invent in mental health?

Clueless but think this is a great thread!

Aim to buy a property as soon as you can
Sort out your pension

If you can’t buy for the foreseeable, capitalise on the flexibility of renting. Life isn’t all about planning, it’s as much about dealing with the hand you’re dealt, so it makes sense to use your situation to your advantage. Maybe try living and working in a different area, see it as an experience rather than something set in stone. Once you buy a home and your child is older then your life will inevitably become more fixed

I completely disagree with the idea of moving now to the place you want to retire! At different life stages, different things work best, eg while the children are growing up they’ll enjoy having facilities and transport links on the doorstep. If you end up retiring to the sort of community where people need to have been there 30 years to be accepted, then frankly, you’ve moved to the wrong place!

Have kids younger - you'll enjoy being a Mum a lot more than you think!

Appreciate not having wrinkles...

Oh and as you have 1 dc - if you think you will want a 2nd, have them as soon as possible. The smaller the gap, the easier it is later when they are at similar life stages/have similar interests.

Don’t have the third child - everyone I know who did thinks that life would have been easier if they’d stopped at two.

Don’t have the third child - everyone I know who did thinks that life would have been easier if they’d stopped at two

That’s so sad. Conversely everyone I know who had more than two adores the final child. Obviously I adore all my children, but the way the youngest completed our family is so utterly perfect.

Eat healthily now! Look after your skin, your hands and your teeth. This will keep you looking young.
Get proper treatment for your anxiety if you haven't already.
Is buying a property an option? Look at finances and try to plan for this. Prioritise location and schools over actual house.
Make friends with neighbours - mums in the area, school.
Do what you enjoy? Do it!

Save, save, save. Life is very unpredictable.
Travel with your kids as much as is viable - each experience will incrementally add to who they are. They learn resilience, mixing with different people, and learn to fear the world less.
Learn to say no. I learned this in my 40s.
If you are married, think about communication styles and develop a vocab for communicating how you are feeling and what you need. A lack of this caused the downfall of my marriage.

This is interesting - I am 32, married, SAHM to two (1.5 and 3.5), own our own home in the area we love and would want to retire. Drink about 2 litres of water a day, look after my teeth (floss every day, am getting a brace on the bottom as teeth are overcrowded and want to make it easier to keep them clean going forward). We have savings (which are in my name and I have sole control of), spend time with our families. Basically I do a lot of what people are suggesting already however I find it interesting that:
You have to spend as much time as possible with your kids when they are young as they grow so fast BUT don’t dare be financially reliant upon someone else.
And, don’t ever give up your job BUT it’s never too late to change career and start doing something new that you love.
Anyway - good thread and lots of lovely advice but sad to see there’s always such an anti-SAHM vibe on mumsnet