Anxiety in fifty and sixty year olds

[callingeveryone]

I am in my fifties and I am just noticing more and more friends getting anxious about doing a range of things. This is anything from driving on a motorway, to travelling abroad to a non tourist resort area. Not all my friends, some are still very adventurous. But is this the beginning of the anxiety many older people seem to feel?
And nearly all older people seem to develop more anxiety as they are in their seventies and eighties. I saw it in my mother who was not afraid of anything when younger, but by her seventies would get anxious about going anywhere new?
Maybe it is inevitable? But I really want to avoid it for myself if possible.

The training is aimed at managers but I think it's open to anyone to attend. It's linked to the policy, which makes reasonable adjustments eg if someone's sleep is disrupted they may want some flex on working hours/start time. It's so people are aware of the impacts menopause can have, and to be open to conversation that might arise with line reports.

Historically, if working at all, this age group were the most likely to be managed out of work for poor performance - so it's about addressing that in a supportive way so women don't get, in essence, sacked for sudden drops in performance - or equally likely, choose to leave due to anxiety or other meno related issues.

Exactly what I was going to say.

"YOU" are not travelling roung Spain, you are with someone.

Not everyone feels this way when they get much older, but it is very common. If you know lots of seventies and eighty year olds but none of them say they get anxious about things they didn't when younger, then I honestly think you just don't have those kind of conversations with people.
The people I know in their fifties and sixties getting anxious superficially appear fine. They work, socialise and go on holiday, it's only getting to know people better you find out for example they are now terrified of driving on motorways and avoid them.

I am 58. 6 weeks ago I broke my leg falling off a horse.

I had a fairly major operation, lost enough blood to need a transfusion and now have permanent metal work in my leg and hip. Having been pretty much unchanged in terms of what I would do cf my 20s I can now feel distinct anxiety creeping in.

I have really worked hard on my recovery, started physio one day post op and carried on privately. I can walk ok now, with no crutches but am limping.

I think physical limitations have a lot to do with it, and it takes determination and courage to persist with physio, weight bear, and build muscle mass. I'm medical so I know what will happen if I don't work hard now, but I understand fear that pain means you are doing too much, or just not bothering because it hurts.

I am on HRT, but my concentration is not what it was, and I tire more easily than I did even at 50... I have no partner , my kids are young adults, suddenly I am more conscious of being alone .. feel more anxious in general

I have a much older friend (older than fifty though, I think this is way too young for it to start) and I've seen this in her as she gets older, but it does seem to relate a lot to driving, I think driving may be the key to a lot of the effect. The reactions may get slower, the eyesight may get a bit worse and the confidence goes. Then if you don't feel confident driving, you're suddenly losing you're independence and it has a huge knock-on effect on all kinds of things. That is why accessible, affordable public transportation is really key to living a full life when you're older.

*your independence 🙄

I suffered from anxiety in my 50s and stopped certain things but now I’m mid 60s that’s all gone. Hello menopause. I had no idea how much it was affecting me so thank goodness for all the attention now.

I have stopped driving on the motorway now - we were involved in an accident about ten years ago and that destroyed my confidence. But if I can go on a slower route, I’ll still drive.

Generally I don’t care any more about what people think. I won’t take any nonsense at work and because I have a wealth of knowledge, I can get away with it.

So it’s mixed but I am hoping to have at least another 10 years of adventures!

I find a little of my anxiety is linked to my ADHD, which menopause has occasionally caused to activate in unpredictable ways. Because I'm single, every element of travelling anywhere has to be up to me and I've always been prone to - say - putting tickets 'safely' in weird places. Now I'm perfectly capable of throwing them away with the rubbish, so I now have to be EXTRA organised and aware, which I can't always do. So I get more anxious, when I know I'm going to have to be organised, stick to a timetable and have documents ready and to hand. And I can believe that, even in those without ADHD, the meno-fog might cause the same problems.

With me - heading rapidly towards 70 - it's not anxiety as such that's holding me back it's the sheer, bone-aching exhaustion.
I still do lots, but it's much more of a struggle the last 3 or 4 years. Everything seems to be more of an effort. I push through but often I just want to give in and slump on the sofa with a mug of tea and MAFS.