People Break Down Which Things Instantly Age Someone
"Reddit user sabletoothtiger_ asked: 'People Break Down Which Things Instantly Age Someone'"
Aging is a reminder that the end is near.
But life is constantly finding ways to expedite the aging process.
So many variables contribute to our looks... it's almost shocking.
Redditor sabletoothtiger_ wanted to hear about the things that can cause us to age rapidly, so they asked:
"What instantly ages someone?"
Weight.
My flipping and flopping with my weight has aged me.
It never gets easier to lose too.
Lack of Sleep
Wide Awake Insomnia GIF by MOODMAN Giphy"Lack of sleep."
Yasmin947
"Can confirm. I have an aunt who looks older than my grandmother because she regularly gets 3 hours of sleep a night while my grandmother will fall asleep anywhere."
SCG414
Farewells
"Grief, nothing ages you like Grief."
TheGreatGrappaApe
"My brother died 2 years ago, I aged so much since and now look older than some friends of mine who are 15 years older than me. On top of not sleeping well due to autoimmune issues, I notice new grey hairs every day. Grief, lack of sleep, stress. I have the trio and it's just awful. Losing a sibling is a nightmare, especially at a young age. My deepest sympathies."
ScissorsOfJealousy
Flare-Ups
"Back pain. You can't move like a young person if your back hurts."
AdWonderful5920
"I went from being active and spry to barely able to move and in constant pain. It changed so much about my personality as being active and sporty was a huge part of who I was. I also gained some weight."
"I’m way better now and not in constant pain, but there is always a risk of flare-ups now so while I can exercise and be active, it’s always in the back of my mind and I can’t do it with the carefree attitude I once did."
"I also believe it makes me susceptible to other aches and pains as the nerves all connect so sometimes a flare-up sends pains to other extremities such as my hips or shoulders. If there was one thing I could go back and change in my life, it would be to prevent the back injury."
nononanana
Seemingly Healthy...
"F**king cancer. Have watched my brother-in-law age 30 years in a month."
imapassenger1
"I have been a witness to this many times. '30 years in a month' is an accurate measurement."
WimpyZombie
"This hits close to home. My (seemingly healthy) uncle was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two weeks ago. Within the last two weeks, his body has completely broken down. So sorry for everyone here who has had to see loved ones go through this."
JosjeAB
"My mom had breast cancer (in her 50’s) like 7 years ago. All her hair turned gray and she looked frail and old for a couple of years through treatment. After the cancer was gone, her hair all grew back brown again and she looked like she did before. It was really weird."
a-ohhh
From the Top
American Horror Story Fx GIF by AHS Giphy"Hair loss. Not me personally but I used to work with a guy who I swore was like 35, and he was 19. Poor kid."
Kaiserhawk
"When I have an interview, I let my baldness show a little bit. I look older, and I'm taken more seriously by recruiters that way."
lord_machin
Keep It
Nft Child GIF by Pudgy Penguins Giphy"Buccal fat removal."
arieljoc
"Surprised this wasn't higher up. People with baby cheeks don't realize how well they will serve them thirty years down the line when their buddies who teased them for it look like Skeletor."
Burly_Bara_Bottoms
Deep Breaths
"Stress."
gablamegla
"When I was younger and first entered the real world I remember working with a white-haired woman that had an always tired look about her. She had a picture of her daughter on her desk, young, blonde, that looked so incredibly much like her I mentioned it once. Turned out that wasn’t her daughter, but was her prior to her going through the FBI academy."
F_is_for_Ducking
Work of the Devil
"Troubleshooting printer problems. I swear these devilish machines only exist to trigger me to smithereens."
Philitt
"A couple years ago I decided to officially give up on having a personal printer and only use the one at the library because when it f**ks up, it's someone else's problem. I still have my old printer and I've considered dropping it off my roof for fun."
Painting_GatoI
"Had the opportunity to throw one out of a third-story window. The absolute joy I felt watching that a**hole machine soar through the air and smash to smithereens was the best kind of natural high. It's been 15 years, and I still get goosebumps thinking about it."
Natural_Garbage7674
Bad Relations
My Big Fat Fabulous Life Kiss GIF by TLC Giphy"Having a spouse that contributes nothing to your relationship and allows your family to slip further and further into debt without caring that you're all only a couple of bills away from bankruptcy."
Xmenenslaver
Life is just an endless well of aging.
No cream is coming to save us.
CW: Death, assault, and accidentals.
Katy B. She was my classmate.
She died tragically in a car accident.
Her car hit an oil slick and flew into the air, passing mid-sky over a median and landed on another car.
Katy was beautiful.
Katy was cool.
Katy was popular.
And best of all, she was kind to the unpopular.
She died shortly after graduation.
I hate that.
Life... at its worst.
Redditor leilavanora wanted to hear about the people who left this world too soon, so they asked:
"How did the kid from your school die?"
So many people gone before their time!
Gruesome
Episode One Armchair GIF by PBSGiphy"Fell off a jet ski and then got hit by it when the driver turned around. Drowned."
lindseys10
"Jet skis are insanely dangerous. If you read up on jet ski deaths they are awful much more gruesome too."
anightclubfordogs
Family Issues
"There was a boy from a family of alcoholics, whose parents divorced, he lived with a mom who was a very heavy drinker and a stepdad. Stepdad had a son who spent quite some time in mental facilities and rehab because he f**ked up his brain with drug use. The son eventually came home to live with his father and my classmate. One time the classmate accidentally saw his stepbrother sniffing glue from a bag."
"Stepbrother got mad, poured kerosene on him, and lit him up. When his mother saw her child was burning she jumped out the window and ran away while his younger siblings were trying to put out the fire. Unfortunately, once they managed to he was already dead."
Healthy-Gain-6586
April
"End-stage renal disease. She was doing good for a couple of years and waiting for a transplant while getting regular dialysis but ended up passing away in 11th grade."
whiteoff44
"That's sad. Plug for Organ donation awareness: April is National Donate Life month. Every day, 17 people die in the US waiting for an organ transplant. If you aren't an organ donor already, sign up at https://www.organdonor.gov/sign-up"
jackruby83
It was devastating
"He froze to death in his sleep after passing out in the snow. It was a school trip with his class and they had some beers but probably some of the first few times they tried alcohol. It was devastating. They were moving from one house to another and he had said he needed a break in between but everyone forgot or just thought he was in another house."
"It sounds like an obvious mistake but it's not necessarily that cold even if it's snow, especially after a drink. To lie down and chill on a snow pile with a good jacket is no problem but if you pass out and forget well damn."
Fit-Childhood879
WTF
Shock What GIF by Paramount+Giphy"In middle school, my neighbor accidentally shot and killed his best friend while hunting. Years later he was beheaded by the Taliban along with two English men. Unbearably sad."
Suspicious-War-8839
Guns and hunting. That is just constant danger.
No Violence
No Way Do Not Want GIF by Schitt's CreekGiphy"Wrestling team bully with anger management issues punched an elderly man in a road rage incident and the elderly man shot him dead and was acquitted as it was deemed self-defense."
evolution9673
So Fragile
"He was playing football and randomly passed out. Never woke up again."
Aints*itAngel
"Happened on the soccer pitch next to ours when I was playing 5-a-side with my work buddies. The kid who looked late teens fell down hard and didn't come back up again. They tried CPR and the defibrillator from the office before the paramedics showed up."
"We just stood there speechless watching it go down. And while it looked super bad, they took him away on a stretcher still working on him so I didn't actually find out he died until a week later when we were back for our usual slot and they held a silence."
"Never even found out the kid's name but I still think about it sometimes. Life can so be fragile."
ianjm
Wired
"An electrician screwed up rewiring her family’s house so a live wire was touching a metal pipe connected to the bath. Her mum was wearing rubber work boots when she filled the bath so wasn’t electrocuted but she must have accidentally brushed against the tap or gone to add some more water while submerged and was killed instantly. We lived in a very small town where everyone knew each other so it really rocked our community. She was in the grade above me so would have been around 10-11."
TimedDelivery
Be Safe
Driving Time Lapse GIF by YevbelGiphy"Like 5 of them died of drunk driving accidents, three of them at one time, Little redneck school in the middle of nowhere apparently people seem to think drinking and driving is the only way to have fun."
Maleficent-Touch-67
Life is fleeting and fragile.
Appreciate every second, kids.
Given enough time, we all change as we get older.
But sometimes the ways we change can surprise us, including things we no longer like or which now annoy us.
Redditor HumanlyCapable asked:
"What are you starting to dislike more as you get older?"
It's Hard Out Here
"For me, I'm 47, it was coming to accept and understand that life is really f**king difficult. It's difficult for everyone."
"We do what we do, say what we say, and think what we think as a way of coping with and navigating those difficulties. Some are better at it than others, and we all consistently slip up and fail."
"Given this, really internalizing how much I struggle myself, moves me towards compassion for others going through the same. The fact that other people are here means that they are still trying. I'm not going to beat them down for that, and maybe I can find ways to help them do better. I love people because we're going through the same things and we need each other for support, even a**hole strangers, and Becky."
- Oliver_DeNom
Better Late Than Never
"I’m in my 70s and it’s the best time of my life. Almost everything I used to dislike, I can easily avoid now."
- Gorf_the_Magnificent
Faith in Humanity
"In my thirties, there was an epiphany when I realized how many people are traumatized before 18. And it doesn't even have to be anything in particular. Just the whole childhood is bad."
"And this seems to be fairly common for lower socioeconomic groups. They're traumatized, made stupid not just ignorant, and with no value for trust or reputation."
"It's difficult to hate criminals and a**holes for who they are when I know they're hurt. I'm not saying it excuses the behavior, but there's so much cruel nuance there."
- BitterLeif
Age Brackets
"Realizing I'm the oldest person in a group."
- bundlebundle
"I'm 29 and work in construction. About a year ago, I started to notice, 'Hey, there's one or two people here younger than me.' I recognized right then that that realization was going to occur more and more often."
"I still feel like a kid, and have no plans of changing that, but I can see that my 'young' years are almost over."
- stfleming1
Time Perspective
"The 80s will forever be 20 years ago."
- ListenItWillIHear
"I felt shocked when I realized you could be born after 2000 and be old enough to buy alcohol."
- Universeintheflesh
Truly Unsettling
"I was in healthcare a long time, and saw more and more patients die with birthdates in the 1940s and '50s, thinking, 'Oh, d**n, that's so young.'"
"Nope, that's my parent's age, and those people are in their 70s and 80s. They die from falling, or from other minor accidents. It's a hard thing to adjust to."
- DwarfDrugar
Retirement Status
"I’m 62 and retired, and my wife and I are living comfortably on my retirement pension. Once you are guaranteed that check, I say you’ve reached the 'f**k you' status in your life. You no longer have to put up with bulls**t demands from an employer. If you don’t like a certain situation, usually you are in a position to just say fuck this and walk away."
- wyoflyboy68
Ads and Paywalls
"Everything slowly 'evolving' into a subscription service. Even heated seats are getting those, for f**k's sake."
- AchyBrakeyHeart
"My wife thinks I'm nuts because I'm transitioning back to physical media. Keeps insisting that everything I want to watch is on streaming and then gets surprised when it isn't or was and they took it off."
- thugloofio
"My wife wanted me to get rid of all my DVDs and Blu Rays. I have some obscure s**t in that collection along with a ton of stuff you can find anywhere. But I compromised and moved them all to a massive but cheap Amazon essentials case."
"I needed a few extra cases too, but no way am I losing those. Like another person said, soon enough some of them will only be available behind a paywall or with ads every 10 minutes. Hard pass."
- afoz345
The Dating Scene
"Dating. When I was 20, it was fun. Take 10 minutes to get ready and have a good time. Now that I’m older, it’s a whole ordeal and feels more like a job interview."
- RedditorChristopher
Aging Parents
"That my parents are also getting older and the fear of losing them soon terrifies me."
- Maso_TGN
"I’ve lost one. It sucks. It’s one of those events that rocks the foundations of your life."
"BUT…"
"I accidentally had a conversation with my father after he had to have urgent surgery they had some scary moments. I wasn’t able to be with him but talked to him about my feelings and wondering if I was going to lose him."
"He told me that he had a great life and he was proud of my brother and I. He told me when the time comes, to think kindly of him and keep on going."
"About a decade later he died. I was in a hotel room with him and he died in his sleep. It sucked, but that conversation I had with him a decade before about his own mortality really got me through it."
"Why am I telling you this? Sit down with your parents and have the hard conversation. Ask them what they want done with their body when they die. Discuss medical decisions and DNRs. Let them know you love them and you’re scared. When the time comes, you’ll be glad you had that talk."
- slider728
Lack of Motivation
"Myself but more specifically the lack of motivation to do things anymore. I find myself always exhausted and unfulfilled by just everything around me and I can't seem to do anything about it."
- FaultFinal5248
"I'm the same way. I hate that no matter how hard I try, I just can't bring myself to do the things that I need to do. I can't even do the things I enjoy doing."
- point50tracer
Cleaning Woes
"Dust, it just never goes away. Tips would be appreciated."
- Sinister-Kid
"My pro tip for dust is when I finish drying my dishes, I wipe over my kitchen with the wet towel. Top of the fridge, benches, etc. Walk towards the laundry to put the towel in the basket, wiping all surfaces on the way. It means I never actually have to 'dust' those areas when I'm dusting."
- working_class_tired
People Are Just Too Peopley
"People. Nobody knows what respect is."
"My one friend who repeatedly says they don’t care about people shows me more respect than almost anyone else. They don’t care about people and even they know how to not be unnecessarily rude and judgemental. I don't know why it’s so hard for most people."
- I_Am_My_Truth
"I can even look past the rudeness and judgy behavior because I honestly don't freaking care anymore. What really gets me is the lack of social awareness, like is it really cool to be up in someone's 'personal bubble,' should I maybe not block an entire supermarket aisle with my cart, maybe not everyone in my vicinity wants to know about my son's wife."
"Can we just run our errands and live our lives without inadvertently being intrusive or obstructive? I hate people. Respect has done died."
- Sinfullymad
Poor Priorities
"I know someone who died of pancreatic cancer at age 35."
"In the same week, I hear of drama from a separate group of people surrounding the f**king stupidest s**t (high school level of pettiness)."
"Someone just a few years older than us f**king died and the rest of us are having a fit about how Bethany didn't invite Melinda to a BBQ because she's a b***h."
"I couldn't express how astoundingly meaningless 99% of our problems seemed from that point on."
"I wasn't even that close to the person who passed away, but it was one of the rudest wake-up calls in my life. He had a lot of things he wanted to do. I think about it a lot."
- octoriceball
Former Pastimes
"Concerts. My feet hurt, the music is too loud, I've become very sensitive to the strobe light effects most of them use, the fees to buy tickets are outrageous plus parking... and frankly, I get bored. It could be the greatest show on earth and I still get bored after an hour or so."
- toomanycats21
As we age, we know that certain aspects of our lives are going to change, but we don't always think about how our perspectives and priorities might change as the time passes.
If this thread taught us anything, it's to prioritize the important things over the drama, and to make those time-sucking tasks as easy as possible, so we can spend more time on the things that matter.
Every new generation thinks they know best.
And every older generation thinks they've seen and done it all.
It's a neverending cycle.
So how do we make one generation listen to another?
And can the generation imparting important advice give it with ease and not arrogance?
Nobody wants to be disrespected.
Can we all start there?
Redditor baker10923 wanted hear what information the young people want the old people to stop yelling about, so they asked:
"Younger people of reddit. What are you tired of hearing from older generations?"
I'm tired of hearing about the music. Madonna is music.
I will say these kids today though... THAT'S MUSIC?!
We Know Best
Clap Magenta GIF by Telekom erlebenGiphy“I have more life experience than you… 'then proceeds to go on an emotionally stunted rant based on their own personal bias due to trauma they refuse to process because 'they know best.'"
Sorry, Deborah,
"Literally any and all job advice. Sorry, Deborah, but you've worked the same unionized position for 30+ years. The number of valuable insights you can give me about the modern labor landscape numbers somewhere between diddly and squat. And Hank literally drops the 'walk downtown handing out resumes and shaking hands" line without awareness or irony.'"
spehizle
What we went through
"My mom and I got into a fight over housing affordability. 'Your father (55)and I (53) worked very hard to afford this house (175k) and you make more than we did at the time we bought (1992).'"
"The house now is worth about 1.5m, my mom didn't work and my dad made 100k/year. I make 150k and houses in my price range are 600k 1hr+ away from where I want to be and less than half size with less than half the lot."
x-Sleepy
The Pain
"Anything to the effect of 'young people can't have back pain (or any other physical disability).' Like, dude, I wish being in my twenties made me immune to being injured. But that's literally just not how the human body works."
dumbest_thotticus
"Yup. In my 20s also and I have severe back and neck pain from a car accident. Any time I mention that Im hurting (which is all the time but I only say something when its so bad I cant move) I'm dramatic or too young to know real pain."
Zero_Pumpkins
I'm Them
Aging Jamie Lee Curtis GIFGiphy"I am 44 but I still feel like I am young. I am tired of hearing pretty much everything my generation says. I don't understand when everybody else just suddenly morphed into their parents."
Hattkake
Oh the generations, always the drama.
Awful
New Girl Facepalm GIF by HULUGiphy"They're so judgemental and rude. I'm a restaurant worker and I swear young people are way more polite and easy going while older people have zero patience (even though they're the ones who are already retired), oftentimes make racist, sexist, homophobic and bodyshaming comments and still act like they're above the younger generation simply because they've been alive for longer."
dreamingofhogwarts
29 and Up
"As a 29 year old, tired of older people telling me I’ll understand joint pain, tiredness when I’m older. I’m disabled and chronically ill. I have had bad joints since birth. Like it’s great that all your health problems are a result of your age but mine have been around and will worsen because of that."
supermeg77
blah blah blah...
"(34) I'm sick of hearing about how young people just spend all their time on Tik Tok. How they have stupid dances. How they're just staring at screens all day, blah blah blah."
"Yes, they do all that stuff, but we had stupid dances when we were younger. We sat in front of the TV all day. I've yet to see someone with square eyes."
"Also, hearing about how kids/young people today have no respect for their elders. MF's were doing the same sh*t that people today are doing now. The difference is, everyone has a camera in their pocket."
ocelotrevs
Work Days
"'No one wants to work anymore.'"
"First of all no one ever wanted to work. That's why it's called, 'work,' and not 'fun.'"
"Second of all, maybe it's that no one wants to work at your job that lists itself as entry level but wants 5 years of experience and a master's degree along with being able to work 12 hour days at minimum wage."
GodOfAtheism
Basics
Listen Mothers Day GIF by Cartoon HangoverGiphy"Go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, retire, then die..."
Misfits9119
How will we bridge this gap?
One only knows.
When we have our first sip of tea or coffee as a child, we discover that we like it a bit better with a lump of sugar, or two, or three.
As the years pass, we slowly find ourselves putting one less lump of sugar in our hot beverages until we eventually don't use any at all.
While most of our interests, hobbies, and favorite foods will remain with us until our dying days, we might find ourselves losing some, if not all, of our interest in other things the older we get.
Not to mention, finding our hatred of certain things grows even stronger.
"What are you starting to like LESS the older you get?"
Annoying At Any Age
"Waking up at 5 am to pee."- killarnivore2
Time To Unplug...
"Social media."
"I’ve already pared it down to Reddit and Instagram YEARS ago but honestly could do without IG too now."- Reddit
Who Has Free Time Anymore?
"Lack of leisure time."
"When I was younger, it wasn’t a big deal to go from work to gym to home to right back out half an hour later to bar hop or movie or something."
"Now it’s like work…. Aw hell, gym?"
"Not even half an hour to chill? "
"No? Fck."
"After gym I’m not doing sh*t the rest of the night."- Expensive_Rhubarb_87
Tired Donald Duck GIF by Mickey MouseGiphyNothing Is Worth The Wait.
"Anything with a lot of hype that requires me to stand in a long a** line."- sneakynin
What DON'T I like Less...
"Working. Getting Drunk. Politics. People."- Frosty-Custard-5558
Sobering Dose Of Reality
"That my parents are getting older."- Ok-Park-4155
Don't Even Get Me Started...
"Dating scene and overall toxicity in it."- Yakima42
So Many Perks To Delivery...
"Going to the damn grocery store."- KendalMay
Hungry The Good Place GIF by Global TVGiphyDarn Newfangled Technology!
"The way the internet is in 2022."
"Ads, subscriptions, pay walls, unhelpful sites with more pictures than words, and streaming service content split up between around 200 platforms, and most of the good content is exclusive to one, and never available elsewhere."
"On browsers, you have to have multiple extensions or the like to tell Cookies, Trackers, and Ads to go away."
"For people in Australia, we're also Geo-Blocked, so we have to use VPN to get around it or turn to other means."
"Commercial radio is unlistenable, with the same 25 songs on repeat at the only five I can remember the channel for, and even that is preferable to the afternoon talk show of cackling, squawking gossip."
"I'm happy to pay a contribution to my group's spotify; I can have that going on my phone, instead of listening to any of that crap."" I can have long playlists, *my* kind of music, and I don't have to pull over to change CDs."
"Changing phone service provider is simple enough on the surface, but then you also have to update your 2-factor authentication, and if it's tied to the old number, which is out of service, you have to go in person to a store or office, or call customer support."
"For each instance."
"Those are the most prevalent grips I have with modern life."
"It's all in regards to what I watch, listen, or read, and the devices I do so on."
"It's this tangled web of inter-dependant, exclusive-pushing, paywall-blocking, subscription-requiring noise that really does distract from more important, more healthy, use of time, energy and money."- Zeus_McCloud
The older we get, the more we find ourselves constantly frustrated by everything.
Up to and including how easily annoyed we get with each passing year.
And It only gets worse...