To ask for your best advice for someone about to turn 32?

[MellowSwan]

I’m about to turn 32 and it’s got me reflecting on life, choices, and what really matters. It feels like an in between age - not quite “young and figuring things out” but not fully settled either.

If you’ve been through your 30s (or are in them now), what’s the best advice you’d give to someone entering this stage of life? What do you wish you’d known earlier? Any lessons, regrets, or things you’re glad you did?

Would love to hear different perspectives!

Advice I would give a 30 year old: if your family didn't instil healthy habits when you were growing up, now is the last chance for you to learn these habits and make them become second nature to you.
Why last chance? Because life is so busy from now on, you simply won't find or make the time and in 30 years time it will be harder or impossible to recover certain health benefits.
In no particular order: always look after your teeth and gums, your skin, your eyes, your fitness levels, strength and energy levels and general overall health through healthy eating, proper rest and staying active. Be mindful of calcium levels. Ideally, every woman should have had this sorted by now but it depends on how they were raised.
Advice I would give all women at any age: put yourself first!

Try and reframe aging in your mind as a privilege not a negative. I was so stressed about turning 30 and getting 'old' and my friend told me 'your either 30 or your dead' and it's so true. You only get one life, as long as it doesn't harm others care less what people think and do what makes you happy.

Other things for me would be sort your pension out eg get it properly invested. I've always paid into mine but wasn't growing much and it's absolutely flying since I got a financial advisor to invest it properly.

Try and slowly modify your eating habits. In my 20s I could eat pasta for lunch every day and now at 36 its a salad! But I make tasty salads so it's fine. If you don't already, exercise! Ignore the evangelical you must do crossfit, you must do weights. Just find exercise you enjoy and keep doing it regularly. For example I find weights in the gym soul destroying, but I love indoor bouldering. Both are strength work. You can also try and build in micro habits like doing squats while the kettle boils if you WFH.

Yes SUNSCREEN. On your neck and hands. Especially hands. Rest of me still looks young but I can't believe how crepey they went. I always did the face and didn't think about hands.

😂 after 40+ years of the same patterned Denby I just wish the whole lot would self combust so I can replace it. But the tight-arse in me feels bad wanting to get rid of perfectly good china.

I did decrease it a few years ago and gave the cups and saucers, mugs, sugar bowl and milk jug to a local charity shop. They put it in their window and it was gone within the day.

It's not "best" it gets used day-in, day-out, but it's like the energiser bunny, it just keeps going 🤣

@Createausername1970

My friend sold her 20 year old Denby dinner set in individual pieces as ‘spares’ on eBay and made enough money to buy a brand new dinner set. Lots of people are looking for spares when a design is discontinued and they’ve broken a plate etc.

I think this covers so much!

Especially changing career now.

Sooo much harder to do after kids, when you're higher up the ladder and pigeonholed, or when you've been in the same industry for 25 years. Also ageism is real and it can be harder to get hired once in your late 40s onwards.

Jeez. At 32 I was having my first child. I think you need to stop thinking of 32 as an in between age. Yes it's young but you are a grown adult and more than mature enough to do anything you set your mind to. I think there's a problem now with nearly middle aged people thinking that they are still young.

I will investigate that, thank you.

Really strengthen your sense of inner confidence 🙌

If you want to have children start looking now for a partner. After 35, pregnancies become high risk so you need to keep that in mind.

The bread thing is so true @takealettermsjones I eat nowhere near as much bread as I used to or bread based products.

Regarding men, if you’re having to second guess how he feels then he isn’t the man for you. Not talking about abusive men just reluctant men. If men really want to be with you then you will know.

Men are not worth it. Focus on your nourishing family relationships and your female friends - when the oestrogen dies down in a decade or so you will realise it was enabling you to put up with a lot of shit from men, the vast majority of whom are just out for themselves.

Children are wonderful and if you think you might want them prioritise getting in a financial position to be able to do that yourself rather than finding a man to have them with.

Invest in your career - but don't be a slave to it or wrap your sense of self in it too tight. Sunscreen for sure, don't put up with any rubbish from men - as a previous poster said, give it 15 years and you'll just want to leave, if you don't have children yet, have a big think about your values and what really makes you happy before you do. They give more than you could imagine but also take more than you could imagine.

1. Work hard in your career.
2. Have a financial strategy ie put money in ISA's, pensions.
3. Live abroad.
4. Travel as much as much as the financial strategy allows.

Don’t feel pressured into having children, unless you really want them! And if you do have children, make sure their father is decent and will share the responsibility of their upbringing.

I enjoyed my 30’s but 40’s has been my best decade by far.

30s seems so long ago, I’d make sure I had my pension plans really sorted to be able to retire in comfort well before the current age, make sure mortgage is also finished, basically be financially secure, but also travel while you can , you might not do it later, follow your dreams , don’t end up thirty years later regretting all the things you really wanted to do but didnt

Pay into a private pension so you’re not working until you drop.

Take your make up off every night! Doesn’t matter how tired or drunk you are, clean your face. Look after your skin and your skin will look after you.

Don’t freak out about the fine lines on your face and start pumping it with fillers and Botox. You’re in your 30s! Don’t ruin your face!

If you want children make sure you can afford to bring them up on your own. Just in case you have to.

Don’t panic about having children. For every 30-something who has problems, there’s a 40-something who doesn’t.

Always have a runaway fund.

Believe in yourself. Don’t let anyone knock your confidence.

Travel, explore and try lots of things.

Say no if you want to. Say yes if you want to. But don’t say either if it’s not what you want.

Get a job you enjoy and that pays well.

Don’t float through life waiting for a man to provide the lifestyle you want.

Read and find out about stuff. Being ignorant will get you nowhere and is not a good look.

Tell your family and friends that you love them (if you do). And don’t waste time with people who don’t bring out the best in you or make you feel good.