What is middle aged?

[Kanfuzed123]

What age do we define as middle age?

i always thought it was around the 45 mark?

but today at work, someone described 35 as middle aged. I wanted to cry into my decaf tea (decaf because it was 3pm and if I have caffeine after 2 I can’t sleep, because I’m ’middle Aged’ (read 35))

*note for context, the crying into my tea, whilst I was drinking tea, the crying bit is lighthearted, I wasn’t actually triggered to the point of tears

I'm 48 and consider myself middle-aged. However, I don't see it as a negative. I've embraced it. I'm at an age where I'm allowed (even expected in some circles) to say what I think without apology (always politely and never without kindness) and act with authority in a way I couldn't in my 20s without being labelled bossy or something. My energy levels are fine and my kids are grown up meaning I'm not running myself ragged anymore. I feel better now than I did 10 years ago!

My face is probably an accurate reflection of my age but despite 2 kids and slightly drier skin, my body isn't that different to when I was 20 as I do a lot of exercise (essential for my mental health) and I am very fit. I don't really get aches and pains although I have noticed my stamina isn't why it used to be (still better than most people's though).

Admittedly, a lot of this is luck - genetics, good fortune to be in the role I have, etc.

However, I choose not to see middle aged as a pejorative and often call myself it. Reclaim it I say!

18-30 young adult
30-50 adult
50-65 middle aged
65-80 older adult
80+ elderly

If I was describing someone that’s the description I’d use

I used to think 40, but as I’m not too far off that now I have changed my mind and I now think it’s 45 😁

I don't feel elderly at 64!

I think 40-65. Just about to turn 40 myself.

For me 35-50 as most people will die between 70-100.

I agree 45 to 65.
When I turned 30 a colleague gave me a card and wrote " Welcome to middle age which is 30-60". I absolutely wasn't middle aged at 30!! However, I'm definitely middle aged now at 49.

I wasn't saying that almost 80 isn't elderly. It is. Most of my grandparents didn't even reach that age. I personally think 70 onwards is but my dad being so young spirited has changed my opinion on what I think old is and I don't think 60 is elderly. I was trying to post something positive about how young at heart my dad and his friends are for their age and how my own personal opinion of what I myself classed as old has changed because of them. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Well the governments keep on extending middle age by raising the pension age so 67/68 is when you become elderly?

I’m 47 and I’m middle aged . I can tell, somehow. I plan on staying middle aged until I retire, then I will be old. At 80 I will be elderly.

My grandad told me at the age of 80 and suffering from Parkinson's that he still felt 18 inside though the body let him down. I'm trying to keep that attitude.

Your Dad sounds ace!

Heysummerwhereareyou

So I think up to 70 is middle aged as often their working age right up til then

I think it's meant to describe 3 'states' not just the midpoint.

I think people are trying to avoid being middle aged, because it has negative connotations of being crotchety and slowing down, probably based on stereotypes of previous generations.

I would say middle aged now tends to be characterised by people re-living their teens- girls' holidays; bands; hobbies; dancing.

But then, some people are mentally, stereotypically, middle aged at 15.

Piss off

It's not an attitude. It is just reality!

I also don't think 'feeling' an age counts. How can you 'feel' an age? I say I feel 18, but at 18 I primarily felt like I knew everything, combined with a chronic fear of failure and desperation to leave home. I also wanted to shag pretty much anything with a penis and didn't take any responsibility for anything, because I didn't need to.

I think people say 'I feel x age' because they want to be seen as different- a bit 'I'm not like the other girls'. None of us probably feel the age we are (apart from when my knees don't work properly), because we've an idea of what they age looks like. And it's not great.

Well, it must be 62, because thats the number of healthy years we have, as an average, before we go into ill health, it was almost 63 but 14 years of the Tories have seen that decline too.

Which makes a mockery of Govt's telling us all we all have to work longer because we are living longer..

I think all old people say this. Certainly my grandma, my dad (who's 84) and my 95 year old friend have all said they feel about 18 mentally but ancient physically.

@SallyWD sadly not all older people feel this way. My MIL wouldn't do a lot of (fun) things or wear a wide range of styles from the age of 50 because she said she was "too old ". I felt sad for her that she restricted herself like that. It didn't make her happy.