I am 24 and very scared of getting older. Need advice from people in their 30s 40s 50s
Hi everyone. I am 24 years old and honestly I am very afraid of growing older. I keep thinking that as I age, my brain will slowly get worse. I am scared that I will lose my ability to learn new skills, lose my memory, lose focus and concentration, and lose my intelligence.
Right now I already feel like my memory is very bad. Sometimes I cannot focus while studying, watching lectures, or even thinking deeply. That makes me very anxious about the future. I keep thinking, if this is how I feel at 24, what will happen when I am 30 or 40.
I even find myself envying teenagers. I feel like they have better memory, better brain capacity, more energy, more passion, and more excitement for learning. I feel like I am already losing that, even though I am still young. That thought really scares me.
I am very interested in things like mathematics, programming, coding, chess, psychology, philosophy, and solving puzzles. I love thinking deeply and learning difficult things. But I am afraid that as I get older, I will not be good at these anymore. I worry that my memory will keep getting worse and I will not be able to survive academically or do well in my career.
I really want to ask people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, or older. How do you feel now compared to your 20s. Did you really lose your brain power, memory, or ability to learn. Is it actually harder to study and learn new things as you get older, or is this fear mostly in my head.
What advice would you give to a 24 year old who is very anxious about aging and losing intelligence. How do I stop feeling like my best years are already behind me. Will I still be able to become a good programmer or mathematician in the future with this fear and bad memory.
I would really appreciate honest experiences and reassurance. This fear is always in my mind and it is affecting how I see my future.
Thanks for reading.
@Cosmic7654
it is not age IMO but use. If you are afraid, it should jump start your focus and stop procrastination.
Many older people keep their brain active into much older age and learn grow and memory can be as good as a young person. You can learn your whole life.
I feel it is focus and determination on how you do not the age you are or start at.
@Cosmic7654. I didn’t notice any difference in my brain power in my 30’s, 40’s or 50’s. I did study different topics during those years without any difficulty. I’m older now and do have to write things down on a calendar and make lists of what I need to do but that’s about it. I am still able to take adult education classes and learn new things. I hope this helps.
Hi @Cosmic7654,
I'm in my 40s, and I can relate to what you're saying. I remember being in my 20s and genuinely wondering if I had some sort of early onset dementia, my memory got so bad sometimes. I can tell you it wasn't age related. I turned out to have ADHD, which heavily affects memory, concentration and energy - all the things you're worrying about. Not that there aren't other things that can also impact you in those ways, for instance burnout, trauma and depression (I lucked out and have those, too). In all of those cases things like good sleep, a healthy diet, exercise, working within your capacity as much as possible and managing sensory stimuli and stress will help improve things, as they will also do as you get older.
I can say that as I've aged, I have come to understand myself and my needs a lot better, so I have strategies to minimise the things that negatively impact my memory, focus, etc. and maximise positive input. As others have said, keeping your brain active is really important - at any age, but especially as you get older. If you turn out to have ADHD like me - and honestly, even if you don't - I highly recommend making space to spend time engaging with stuff you find really interesting, even if it's just learning everything about your favourite TV show. It'll serve the purpose of keeping you mentally active, help recharge your batteries, and give you the dopamine and energy to push though the bits of life you struggle to focus on. May you have many healthy years ahead.
@Cosmic7654... Honestly my mind is still about the same as the one I was younger. 20s 30s. That's what a lot of people don't realize we still have the same thoughts. Can't really act on them LOL. You'll be fine.