Severe problem with aging

I know a lot of you are older than I am so you might not have a lot of sympathy.
I'm turning 30 in August and I'm having a very hard time dealing with it.
It just seems un-natural, I don't feel older than 25 , as for the way I look most people say I look around 23!
Most of the last decade is a blur, after graduating at 18, I was so exhausted from going to a High School for "Gifted Students" (that included a lot of college level courses) I wasted so much time doing nothing afterwords, for years!
Only for the past few years have I been living my life to the fullest, now I go on vacations, see plays, Operas, ballets, explore all the city (I live in New York City) has to offer.
I've recently begun college at 29! And because I want a job in the medical field it's going to take me at least 6 years. I have so much in common with my classmates who are in their early 20's.
I get along with people my age, but they have so many more accomplishments than me.
I don't know what to do?
I don't: feel 30, look 30 and I certaintly don't want to be 30.
I feel pathetic.
What do you think?

Hi, I have a similar problem, except i'm even older than you. When I was approaching 30 I had severe anxiety about my health and I wondered if it was because of the looming milestone. At the moment i'm 33 and I wonder if it will be even worse when I approach 40.

I'm also considering becoming a mature age student as you have just become, and again the consideration is that i will be 37/38 when/if I finish the course.

But six years ago I was saying the same thing, except then I would've finished at 31/32 . . . and that means I would've been graduated for 2 years.

My 20s were similar to how I read yours: a complete blur of wasted days. Most of it for me was due to depression, and it's common for people with depression to rue their 'depressed years', even though I am still very much a depressed person.

I certainly feel like living my life to the fullest now, but I guess it has to start with today or tomorrow, etc.

You said you don't know what to do, but you're probably doing the right thing at the moment. Medical school, and living it up in one of the greatest cities in the world.

You don't ever stop feeling like 26 (I'm 62 this year). It is a bit of a problem because physically the body wears out and the aches and pains and lack of energy and weird stuff happening that didn't use to happen and that doesn't "fix" can get to you but mostly it is about balancing all that, so it is not "you" who changes but just the job of balancing that does.

I started work on a second college degree in 2001 and got that degree in 2007 and went on to grad school. I think you will see as you get older and have had many more experiences that a lot of things become a lot easier as other stuff becomes harder (that's what I mean about balance).

Stuff that puzzles, repulses, whatever, you about older people will literally make more sense when you get there and be all right. I wish I could get back to my 29 year old self (who had to get braces on her teeth and use her 401K to pay for them :-) and tell her everything will be okay.

The hardest thing for me is running out of "room" :-) I've done most of what I have ever wanted to do and/or don't want what I did before. Too, the things that use to be fun or that I use to enjoy I often don't literally have the energy or the interest without being depressed about it. I "understand" what I am going through because I can remember my parents and grandparents and now many things make sense to me that did not before but what to "do" about these negative-seeming types of situations is not so easy for me to figure out with my 26 year old brain

When I was approaching 30 I seriously didn't want to be 30, Wasn't that long ago either (not giving my age away

I am told over and over again that I don't look my age either, My daughter gets taken for my sister which is nice

When I did turn 30 I realized it is just a number I am still me and nothing changed

I can relate. I'm rapidly approaching 40 at this point, but like you said, my 20's seem like one big blur, and I still feel like I'm 25. I often wonder where the years went, where my life went. I guess you could say I'm somewhat accomplished, I have a husband, two kids, a house, a car, and a job that I love.
But, my hair is starting to turn grey. You can tell by my skin that I'm getting older. And it scares me.

I must say, I wasn't so scared of turning 30, it's 40 now that freaks me out.

It sounds like you're living life to the fullest now, and that's awesome! You have goals and dreams and you're going after them. That's what counts.

(((Person66)))

Take a slow deep breath. You're okay. What you're experiencing isn't weird or unusual.

I waited a little while to go back to college myself. My childhood dreams and expectations didn't take barriers that life throws at you into account. I was was supposed to be married at 23, have my first kid at 26, my second kid around 28/29 and have a career somewhere in there. LOL!

Somewhere along the line, we all reach it at different times, we realize that life lasts a LONG time. It doesn't matter if we're 25 or 45 when we get our degrees and go onto graduate schools. Life still has a pretty long ways to go. We can even change our goals and expectations of ourselves along these lines. (I've had to do that too.) That is life. We deal with what life throws at us, get up and keep going.

I'm 41 years old now. While I wasn't able to achieve my youthful goals, I have learned that I do still have some purpose in this life. Add some happiness to the elderly people's lives and appreciate the beauty of simple life. Simple life = flowers, birds, litter-free highways, that kind of thing.

I have no idea of what age I now consider to be old. It just might be a crumbly, grouchy attitude that some people become at X age. I've helped elderly at all ages, they can be just like little kids themselves!

Thank you everyone so much. I really do feel better. I don't feel so alone. Thanks for the sympathetic messages and the hugs. I really didn't think I'd get sympathetic responses. I just want you all to know that your feedback is SO appreciated! Thanks again!