Grow old?

Do you guys feel anxious, worry about growing old?

I just feel scared shitless. I don't know how to to cope with it

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I’m a bonafide old person with a back injury. I’m terrified of losing even more mobility. Being more frail.

I do, sito.


I'm already faced with the loss of contemporaries and it is very sad, but I know it's a part of living. It is tough all the same. And will increase as time goes by.


Also the loss of ability to do and to act as I would as a young person with so much hope and gusto (albeit with a certain naivete). I find that sad.

I'm trying to look for graceful examples of aging, such a Jamie Lee Curtis, to give me some guidance.

This matter has lately been in my thoughts more than ever, idk why... Ancient Greek philosophers seemed to be able to reach (very) old age with some dignity and still much energy and awe at the world but somehow my illness, doctors and all these "imperfect" medicines are deforming what I feel and what I want to become in my life. I don't enjoy my present situation much, hence I'm not distracted into something meaningful and every new bday scares the **** out of me too. I need to change this. Sorry if I sounded too gloomy, I explained my view as best as I could. Hugs. D.

No worries about getting old because I need to face my fears to grow wiser. Knowledge has the power to help me age gracefully.
I thank my Lucky Star for what I have.

I can't imagine myself being old. Ever since I was a teenager I had this feeling I wouldn't make it through my 30's. And I turned 30 in Feburary and already my health has gone downhill.

I guess I'm already there now. I dreaded old age when I was much younger and felt like I wanted to die off by 50 or so. I'm well over 50 now. I'm in good shape and in good health but not perfect. I'm fully functional and exercise. I'm not as much of a "jock" as I used to be.

Before 50 I was in perfect health and had good looks (that's what others have told me). I'm not as much that way now. I will say that being old is not as bad as I thought it would be. I survived major cancer but I'm still having to take care of it a little bit. And minor health issues have a way of creeping up on me and, when being diagnosed with something, it's a surprise. I had a urinary infection recently and I didn't feel anything wrong. I've been given antibiotics.

I've never been married and no kids. Being at my age now and in that particular status, I feel like my social life has dropped a whole lot. I had more going for me when I younger in my social life than I do now. I guess back then I took what I had for granted. And it's hard to make new friends now. So that part I don't like.

I hit 70 this year & I feel better than when I moved 16 years ago, alone (with my dog) to my little farm across the country from where I lived all my life to a town whete I knew no one. I take care of most everything on my farm. Bought a chain saw for myself last Christmas & have spent this year clearing brush to add to the clearing I hired done last summer that required a small bull dozer. I mow the acres of fields myself. Takes longer being one person but it is an awesone way to stay young. I don't take any meds because I have bad side effects to even antibiotics. I figure I am like the ever ready bunny.....I go & go till my battery runs out. I am ok with that & too busy enjoying my life to worry. Being surrounded by nature gives one a whole different perspective on live. Came here from Los Angeles & I would NEVER live in a city ever again

I am 76 and still feel 20.....attitude is everything!

Not afraid of growing old. That's in the future. Probably won't even make it to be old enough to be old old. Maybe I'll live to be 150. Who knows. I'll just try to make the present as best as it can be because that's all I have. The future doesn't exist. The past doesn't exist. All that exist is now, and it changes every moment so make the most of it.

I’m definitely looking a bit more my age since I turned 50, no denying it. I like some things about my stage of life, don’t get Street harassment that’s good, I feel like I get a bit more respect (maybe just my perception idk). I feel like I have a more balanced view of life these days too and I have self acceptance. My health is so far okay but I do watch my diet and exercise more than I did when I was younger. I think health is the main thing, I could imagine if I got problems then I’d be less happy.

However my biggest fear is losing people and those I love suffering with age, this is already happening a little.

I do. A bit. Not excessively but it’s on my mind.

No I look forward to it. Being young was ok but middle age sucks. I want to be at least 55. That's when the nice Apartments open up. I don't care about getting older now, I cared most when I turned 30. Now I'm so looking forward to 50.

Having sex and not getting pregnant will be a big thing for me. Metapause bring it! I'm pre right now which is great almost no periods! I always had long messy periods.

It's not that simple. Many people in their 70s have serious physical or mental health issues. My dad is hanging in there pretty well, but my mother has dementia. It's not pretty.

Could have written this, most of it anyway but was never a jock since I'm female. I didn't dread getting older when younger because it seemed so far away. Well I'm there. Like you I'm functional and in decent health, but since the US has such poor safety nets for people, especially seniors, I worry about what happens when I'm even older. No family to care for me, but family doesn't guarantee anything either.

True it is harder to make friends as one gets older, and I know I've posted in your threads about "substandard" friends. I also took what I had for granted when much younger, and had way more going for me. I also bought into the mindset if someone works hard and plays by the rules, you'll be successful. What BS. I see that now. It's not that simple. Nothing is.


Yeah, I do too. And it scares me too. It's not just about trying to stay healthy, it's about much more. Ageism is rampant though people will say that's just a myth.

Older people aren't accommodated much, unless one has an obvious disability and even then, it is hard to get the assistance.

Me too, and I don't get harassed by men as much like I did when younger. But it still happens now & then. Seems I'm old enough to be called "Ma'am" and not "miss" anymore. Most people much younger than me are very polite to me.

Recent life experiences have really humbled me. I think it's true what they say about wisdom and age. There's nothing like experiences to teach you what life really is about or how to best avoid those curve balls. Way more accepting of myself and others, and care less what people think too.

I've had to watch my diet more because of my age. When I was younger I could eat anything, anytime. No more.

And at this age, I've experienced a lot of losses---both people around my age or older.

I can still hear my mother say , " too bad youth is wasted on the young".

I wasn't worried about getting older until I turned 50. I got a call that they found something on my labs and I had an appointment with an oncologist the next day. The good news... it was not cancer but just a condition that needs to be watched. The bad news... it shook my confidence and my body has been falling apart since that time. I am now afraid of my body. Almost everytime I get it checked out something isn't what I want it to be.

I look at Harrison Ford and think I can make it to 80 in good shape. And truth be told I work with people over 80 years old and it is as if they are 22. They don't need help walking, moving etc.

I am starting to wonder if we might make it longer than previous generations. It is a fact that people have noticed on social media that people of this generation look younger. They have guessed it could be due to a reduction in smoking, drinking, and war. Plus we have far more medical advances... so it could be possible that my generation could live 10 years longer then previous ones.

As the saying goes, getting old is better than its alternative. I'm in my late 60's and have a number of health problems, but I'm enjoying life!

True, there's more medical advances so people live longer. But what about the quality of life, living that long? It's not only about the climate but about the cost of living, mobility issues, etc. $hit happens, and they are always talking about how there's not enough quality care for older people. Or for kids either.

I'm sure many others wish they could echo that sentiment, myself included. Getting older in the US isn't fun. There's a kind of denial about it here. "Anti-aging" this and that.

Not sure it is about growing old any more. I have heard of more healthy young athletes dying from heart attacks & know of people in their 50's having strokes that was unheard of in my younger days.....& so many are having blood clot issues really young that was also unheard of....& this is just in the small town I live in vs the 54 years I lived in Los Angeles. Something is sure different even with the medical advances. Seems there are medical emergencies hitting out of the blue that medical advances can't help because it is many times too late by the time they get to them.

I have seen people sicker after taking meds that are supposed to help them than for those of us who choose a natural way to deal with the issues.

Based on the people I work with I do think if you take care of yourself you can largely avoid growing "infirm" for most of your life. There are a ton of sickly people out there but often if you dig into them you can tell they were not taking care of themselves if they knew it or not. I just see more and more very healthy and sharp people who shock me with their age. In real life and in the media. My old boss, a jerk, is 82 morbidly obese, and still is working. I watch every day waiting for him to pass.

And now that Canada allows for Euthanasia... I wonder if we might be on a better track for when you know the end is coming you can go peacefully.

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Part of my plan is to avoid drugs as long as I can. My mom I think died of a drug and as part of my HA I did look into it and a lot of drugs have serious side effects that are not discussed or taken seriously. I would not at ll be surprised to find out that drugs really cause more problems than they solve.

Even though this thread, like many others, will fall probably into obscurity after a few replies, I still feel compelled to write this.

There are people who do the right things, with diet and exercise yet come down with some serious illness or have an accident. Then there's people who gobble burgers and fries, smoke like a chimney and live to be in their 90's. I think it's random in some ways.

And I had nightmares about this. Part of it was about a woman I saw on a TV show, who did the right things but caught a serious (but not fatal) illness. One of her cows had this disease, so that's how she got it. She got it in spite of her healthy diet not eating meat. She and her family ate that one because it was ill.



Glad I got that out of my system. My point is again that $hit happens, even when one eats right, exercises, etc. And with the climate the way it is, I don't want to live to be a 100. I don't want a serious illness but this world isn't one that's going to be easy to live in----no matter what your age.

There’s definitely a random element imo, I’ve volunteered for years with people who have dementia, it’s such a huge variation of different lifestyles who’ve developed that condition. I’ve seen former athletes, dancers, sometimes even professionals.

It seems like a mix of genetic and lifestyle issues that impact upon how we age.

When I was younger and even sometimes now, I feared the "crud happens"... and of course that is true. But the longer I live, the more I know people, the more of a rarity it does seem to be. I have health anxiety so I often really look into it. And often times, when I had one of those "stuff happens" story, I would find out there was something I didn't know. Like they drank a lot or they had failed to go to the doctor ever or took a drug that has a nasty side effect or had uncontrolled diabetes / insulin resistance. They just don't tell you and sometimes - they just don't know. I do think if you want to live longer you just can't take standard medical advice. You have to look further and do more. And really investigate. I think it is a shame that there is no explanation on why people died in obituaries. I think we need to know and it might go a long way toward raising awareness.

At the same time some of the people I know who have cancer are surviving longer than ever. My friend's mom had a relapse of ovarian cancer and we all thought she would be dead in a year. 7 years later.... she is still around (and she is 80). Even in my own family, people who did have diabetes or serious health issues... lasted longer than you would ever imagine. Some of my relatives lasted into their 90s in good shape when they had smoked, had heart attacks in their past. I have a blood issue that could lead to a blood cancer and the survival rates have dramatically increased in the last 5 years with the discovery of immunotherapy.

In fact, heart disease has dropped dramatically in the last 20 years and cancer is going down as well (not by a lot) but it has peaked.

I want to live as long as I can in the best shape I can.