To think your 30s are actually better than your 20s?

[CyanOrca]

People act like your 20s are the best years of your life, but honestly, I think your 30s are way better. You (hopefully) have more financial stability, you know yourself more, and there’s way less drama. Sure, you might have more responsibilities but isn’t that better than the chaos and insecurity of your early 20s? AIBU to think your 30s are actually the real glow-up decade?

40s have been way better as 30s I was running around juggling two jobs and small DC. Both a Uni now and I have a life back, can do what I want when I want and work 3 longs days so a lot of time off. Bliss.

Mid-30s here too and I couldn’t disagree more. My 30s have been happier, less stressful and more fun. It’s basically the freedom of your 20s coupled with more money and confidence! I more or less do what I want when I want. It has been utterly fantastic. 🥰

(I don’t have kids, so perhaps I’d feel different if I did…)

I mean you give no context to explain why, but assuming it's because you mean you've gone through very difficult times, I really hope this means that for your life going forward things become easier, more joyful and you find peace with where you are :)

My 30's were fun. I'd spent my 20's trying to get pregnant. Then I was Widowed, with young children. I had health problems in my 40's and a early, horrendous menopause (made worse by no medical support). My 50's have been incredibly busy. I'm looking forward to my 60's, I'm hoping for reasonable health.

Most of my best memories are from my 20s. Before I had to be in bed at a decent time every night etc. But I think most people are too busy living to reflect on it like we do from our 30s onwards.

Every decade gets better. I am in my fifties and feel more settled and content than ever. Waiting for my youngest to leave for uni and looking forward to planing down to retirement from a full career, having built up my finances.

I feel the best years are ahead of me.

My 20s were fabulous
My 30s were settled but riddled with secondary infertility. Getting two children was a struggle.
My 40s were brilliant - I had everything I wanted.
My 50s were great professionally, a little testing at times due to dd's MH issues although she's recovered and well now.
My 60s are great, a bit more tired but working full-time and have a very elderly mother to consider.

Absolutely!

I am approaching 63 and have been retired for more than 3 years. DH is 67, good pension provision

Life is great. Still in good health, reasonably fit and active, enough money to do more or less whatever we want.

Much more fun now than when we were in our 20s.

My mum once said to me “there’s good things to be found about being any age, it’s up to you to find them”, great advice.

i loved my 20’s, I lived abroad, partied by ass off.
I loved my 30’s and 40’s getting married, raising children. Still travelling and enjoying socialising.
My 50’s have been up and down, with divorce and the fear associated with it. But I’m pulling round and realising there’s so much life in me yet. I’m certainly not going to roll over and quit.
I don’t want to age fast but I fully intend on enjoying my 60’s too, when I get there in a few years.

My twenties were a wild blur of partying, travelling, working (but not taking it too seriously) and generally having a blast. BUT, I felt much more confident in my 30’s much more at ease in myself. Now I’m in my 50’s and it’s sooo much better.
I would love my twenties body back that was so healthy and fit but 40’s and now 50’s are the best.

Honestly, come back when you’re in your sixties 🙄. You sound like one of those awful Z list celebrities.

That has been my experience. 30s was my favourite decade so far. All the benefits of youth like body and face in good nick, parents in good health and the optimism of having more life ahead than behind, but with the financial success and freedom to read books, go to the gym, travel at the drop of a hat. I sometimes used to want to scream with joy at the life I lived

40s has been rough. Secondary infertility, marriage breaking down during the young child years, watching my parents become increasingly incapacitated and having to do more for them while being a parent to a primary aged child and trying to keep my own career on track. The covid years probably didn't help. I'd relive it though, on balance. I've a lot to be grateful for and things I don't want to wish away.

To me 40s and maybe early 50s will be the U bend of life and I'm expecting to be back to my usual joyful self after this.

Don’t understand these comments saying your fifties is great? I thought the menopause is meant to be monstrous

Depends what’s occurring.. my 30’s were I hope the worst of what will happen in my life, not being able to enjoy my beautiful kids because of their abusive dad ruining their early childhood. it got better from there.

I was much more care free in my 20s. As in, I didn’t overthink everything. My mind was healthy.

I lived in a little terraced house in not the best of areas at the beginning of my 20s. I remember just feeling so satisfied and happy with the simplicity of my life and my living arrangements. No pressure to have the fancy house decor and expensive furniture, no pressure to have an immaculate garden, no pressure to “have it all”. Loved it.

I am one of the people loving my 50s.

I will admit that I did not experience any adverse effects from menopause (other than my face falling down ). The relief from monthly periods and contraception is bliss.

Appreciate that is not everyone's experience of menopause but it is not a given you will have a shocker of a time. Many are on HRT to ameliorate the worst effects.

I had my 2 children in my early 20s so now I’m my 30s it’s like a new found freedom as they are older, much more independent and we can really do enjoyable stuff as a family.

Totally dependent on individual circumstances, I think.

My 20s were exciting and carefree. Definitely worked hard/played hard and really didn’t have any worries.

My 30s were an absolute slog of bringing up young children and feeling quite lost identity-wise.

I’m 48 now and feel better about myself than I have ever done. My 40s aren’t comparable to my 20s, as that was so long ago now (!) and I was a girl, really, looking back, but they’ve been SO much more enjoyable than my 30s. I just don’t feel as stressed abd frantic, and I have more of a sense of ease and confidence. My thirties were really hard!

No only for a small number of people but like with anything negative that’s what we hear about. Some have a few side effects to cope with and some glide through. Anyway there’s HRT
Younger women have to cope with menstrual issues too
I’ve heard the best things about 50s is confidence, not giving a fuck, knowing who you are, inner peace and happiness etc