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The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

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Re: The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

#11
post #4

Does anyone ever feel older in their head than their body after their 20s?

feeling older than your body's age in calendar years is a symptom of ptsd (not in every case)

(yes I feel older and yes in my case it is a symptom of ptsd)

Re: The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

#12
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. I'm in my 40s and am ready for retirement, or at least a change of pace. My sweet little angelic children probably have a lot to do with it.

Hah so I'm not alone! Until 5 years ago every moment was spent on some sort of hobby or interest. I could not begin to comprehend those people who would finish their day aNd then conk out in front of tv. Now... It's a special night if we have enough energy for tv once kids are in bed :->

I miss having hobbies. Any side project I embark upon has an immediate cost to my marriage. As in my partner gets mad at me because I should be helping deal with the little ones.

Re: The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

#14
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hah so I'm not alone! Until 5 years ago every moment was spent on some sort of hobby or interest. I could not begin to comprehend those people who would finish their day aNd then conk out in front of tv. Now... It's a special night if we have enough energy for tv once kids are in bed :->

I miss having hobbies. Any side project I embark upon has an immediate cost to my marriage. As in my partner gets mad at me because I should be helping deal with the little ones.

Home improvement catch 22 - damned if the drywall goes unpatched, damned if I spend an hour driving to the hardware store and fixing it, away from the kids.

Re: The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

#16
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. I'm in my 40s and am ready for retirement, or at least a change of pace. My sweet little angelic children probably have a lot to do with it.

I wonder if parents view their age differently than those without children. Kids really aged me. I'm in my 40s but I feel like I am so ready to hang it up and retire. Sit on the front porch with a iPad and a pipe.

I have no kids and I feel very weird about my age. I am about to turn 40 and feel 30 and 60 at the same time. I think of myself as 30, but really feel like 60. I have little energy left after a day at work or even on the weekends. I cannot consistently put energy behind any effort. I used to hack on my side projects before and after work. Now it's a great success if I do it 2-3 hours/month. I feel my mental state declining and worry that I won't be able to get another job ever again. When I say "mental state" I mean capability, energy and maybe even sanity. I think too much about unknowable things like sentients, nature of reality, purpose of life and sometimes wonder if reality is real and it demotivates me. Life feels on rails, like a movie playing in front of me, more than anything I can interact with. I feel like a passenger. Maybe it's just a result of depression and not old age.

Re: The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

#17
post #4

Does anyone ever feel older in their head than their body after their 20s?

I feel way older than I actually am, but I spend much of my life being manic. Mania has a way of accelerating life. Once I got diagnosed and treated, everything slowed down.

My mind and body feel like I’m in my fifties and I’m in my mid thirties. It feels like I have more life experience than most of the people my age.

On the other hand, a friend and I were walking along a frozen river throwing snowballs just to hear them splat on the ice. Neither of us will ever grow out of that. We have no shame in taking joy in simple things. We’re responsible, mature adults where we need to be. :)

Re: The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if parents view their age differently than those without children. Kids really aged me. I'm in my 40s but I feel like I am so ready to hang it up and retire. Sit on the front porch with a iPad and a pipe.

I have no kids and I feel very weird about my age. I am about to turn 40 and feel 30 and 60 at the same time. I think of myself as 30, but really feel like 60. I have little energy left after a day at work or even on the weekends. I cannot consistently put energy behind any effort. I used to hack on my side projects before and after work. Now it's a great success if I do it 2-3 hours/month. I feel my mental state dec…

As some who deals with depressive episodes, this sounds familiar. You might want to look into seeing someone. I’d go with therapy before trying medication.

There are so many possible sources for depression, so I can’t possibly give any specific, actionable advice. Just remember, you don’t need to settle for how things are now.

Good luck, hope things turn around. :)

Re: The gap between how old you are and how old you think you are

#20
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. I'm in my 40s and am ready for retirement, or at least a change of pace. My sweet little angelic children probably have a lot to do with it.

I wonder if parents view their age differently than those without children. Kids really aged me. I'm in my 40s but I feel like I am so ready to hang it up and retire. Sit on the front porch with a iPad and a pipe.

There's also the reverse effect, with aging childless observing their parenting age-peers go through a "third person youth experience" they don't have themselves.
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