Do You Feel Like Your Age?

[QueenCobra]

It depends. I mean, I feel my age in that I’ve become more comfortable in my skin and known myself better, but not in the “practical adult” way— if that makes sense. I also look young for my age, as some people have pointed out, so maybe I come across younger? Idk.

 

[Autumn247]

I’m 29, I feel like I’m 18-19 still in some ways. Just a toooooon more mature than I was then and in my early 20’s.. I’m still a gamer, I love to read, I love anime. I feel mentally the same. However after like a long shift at work standing all day my back hurts bad, so yeah I’m almost 30. Turn 30 next June. I probably have less energy than I did when I was younger. I wouldn’t go back to my early 20’s though if I had a choice. Even if I’d be younger I was way too reckless and impulsive back then. I really started coming into my own the past 3 years, I’ve grown so much in so many ways. I thought I was an actual responsible adult when I was 18-24 just because of my age and I truly didn’t become one until the past few years.

 

[Aquilla]

I am not sure how to put it into words. I’m 26 in a month and feel like my lifestyle is that of a retired person. I’m at university but I don’t live “the student life”. I got married young and everything slowed down after. My spouse and I are both very introverted and we don’t enjoy going out. I dont like socialising in big groups and prefer to invite people over for 1 on 1 time (cooking together, playing boardgames, hiking, walks in nature etc) rather than hanging out with a clique. All this makes me feel like an elderly lady, not a young college student.

At the same time my interests are those of a child. I love watching kids movies and legit spend more time in the netflix kids section than in the one that is considered the “adult” one. I love playing nintendo and video games, but not “adult” video games like CoD and Assassins creed. I get genuinely excited about stuffed animals and anything cute and colourful. I love arts and crafts and even my art style is cartoony and cutesy This makes me a 25 year old with the lifestyle of a retired person and the interests of a preschooler. I don’t mind it though, I’m content with who I am and I’m relieved I can truly be myself around my partner who thinks my childlike interests and excitement are endearing.

Most of my irl friends don’t share my interests and hobbies and seem very ”mature” compared to me, but while they don’t really understand it, they don’t judge me.

The one thing that has changed as I grew up is that with every passing year I care less about superficial things and opinions of others. I think I’ve become more resilient and confident and don’t feel I need to put on a mask as often. Still working on this, but it’s getting better.

 

[Alolan_Apples]

Because of my autism, I behave like I’m younger, even when I’m trying to get better.

Despite liking stuff made for kids, I do feel like I’m 30 now, which is my current age. But that’s only in real life. On this site, I feel like I’m 15 years old (which is like 10 years by 1980’s standards).

 

[wrenbow]

-

 

[Mairmalade]

Not entirely. I have the food cravings and diet of a toddler, look 10 years younger than I actually am, and have a few mannerisms some would define as childish.

@wrenbow described how I also feel perfectly:

I think my demeanour is young, but my mindset is mature.

 

[Drawdler]

No I don’t. I believe I would be capable but my growth was so stunted I feel like I’m not allowed to do anything in life. I still don’t have a driving license and I’m in my 20’s. Also no secondary education so

In terms of how I act outwardly I pass, but in terms of how I feel. No.

 

[rocketspruggs]

I am 22, I will be turning 23 at the end of the year...I don't look or feel my age, I have actually been mistaken as a teenager before, which I personally feel is an insult to me...I'm not even tall either, I am a short person. Some of my interests don't even match my actual age, either...

So...I feel both old and young at the same time.

 

[VanitasFan26]

I'm about to turn 28 by next month. I feel like a teenager trapped in adult body. Its like I am trying to do my own thing but there are things that just hold me back from doing what I want to do.

 

[Envy]

Kinda, kinda not. It's hard to describe.

Not to get too personal here, but I have lived the past decade and a half or so in a bit of a bubble, one where I was unable to move onto the future of my life. Without going too much into that (but I will say that I didn't do it just because, it was a result of denial and trauma), that bubble began right after I graduated out of high school. In some ways I inevitably still matured, but in others not so much. That bubble has now burst (for happy reasons!) and I'm now feeling kinda like an 18 year old thinking of my adult life for the first time and it is wild.

It's not that simple, of course. But that's a way of thinking about it that I'm prone to myself.

 

[pawprints]

No, I’m 29, but my mental illness leaves me behind a lot of peers so I consistently feel much younger.

 

[VernalLapin]

Sometimes I feel like a teenager with rights lmao.

I went to take my test to get my driving permit a few months ago, and the worker was surprised when I told them I was 21. My awkwardness, the fact that I was with my mom and let her do the talking, the fact that I was doing an activity that usually teenagers do and more suggested otherwise. That’s why she said, “I would’ve said 16!”

I’ve noticed that sometimes when I’ve ordered alcohol they have to take a really long look at my id ^^;

 

[AccfSally]

I often forget my real age.

But I usually feel like I'm much younger, so that's probably why I forget.

 

[nightglow]

I feel like both so I guess it evens out?
I have interest in things alot of people my age don't unless they too don't have children.
(Children understandably take up alot of your time and they become your focus)
Also, most people in my age are up for going places and doing physical activities like hiking or traveling or being at big social things, while I don't due to just not feeling well or no interest.
I'm a homebody in an age group that isn't so much. Granted I'll be in mid thirties in a few years so that will change a little for my age group.
I myself upon appearance is often mistaken for as a child. Not due to clothing choices unless Tee shirts count for that, but because I am small and my face has always been round.

------------------
Also, don't worry about your cartoons. I'm sure they watch them too and just don't talk about it.

 

[Suguri]

I think I've matured a lot more than other people would have at my age. I attribute this to my time on the internet from 2020 through mid-2022. And I'm gonna talk about it in detail...

I remember I was an active user on a website called Scratch and I heard of this wiki someone made that was about certain users there and why they were "crummy." I had a guilty pleasure of reading those kinds of articles, and so I got hooked. I even made an account to do wiki edits and everything. When the wiki got discontinued and the editors (including me) got banned from Scratch for a while, we migrated to a Discord server. Let me tell you, my time on there has exposed me to a ton of drama, questionable content, and lots of toxic people. I don't think I'd be the person I am today had it not been for me learning lessons from them at a middle school age.

There's a lot I could talk about. For example, one time some guy posted a link to a server that had something to do with money. I forgot what it was about though. He said the people there were promoting a scam and he thought it would be a good idea for him and some other people to "raid" the server. I joined the raid to see what it was like, and after that experience I don't think I'm ever going to participate in one again.

There was also a particular person I remember was very active there. His posts have offended me a few times and I remember him DMing me a meme that I'm pretty sure was a jab at an OC of mine.

And there was this other guy I knew for a while because he had a Scratch account like I do. Unfortunately, his reputation was dampened because of, well, I'd describe it as an age gap between him and his significant other. And they shared questionable content with each other too so that was a problem. The significant other in question has since cut ties with him.

I think these experiences made me feel older than my age, in that I consider myself calmer, my word usage is almost formal, I try not to have a black-and-white mindset, etc. It's also got the side effect of making me feel alienated with the people at my school. You see, they swear, they use slang that sometimes bothers me (especially with how they misuse the word "literally"), and they're too loud overall. I don't like it because not only do I get overwhelmed, it also makes me afraid of befriending anyone because they might think I'm out of touch.

There are also moments where I feel childish too, and I find myself trying to get out of it a few times, specifically with my taste in literature (I still like the Wimpy Kid series). I'm pretty sure that's what's been keeping me from discovering more books for teens, since reading expletives in text irritates me. My parents also don't like to see me with a Nintendo console because they say those are for kids, and that makes me feel embarrassed with myself for no reason. I guess you could say that right now, in my current state of mind, I don't feel right.

 

[Seastar]

I feel a lot younger than I am and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon...

I'm going to change my answer to "Yes and no."
There's a lot of things I cannot relate to at all that make me feel younger. Things people would normally do or deal with at my age but I just don't. I also have interests that some people would see as childish, like Nintendo games. Maybe it's because I'm autistic, I don't know.
At the same time I feel like I have actually matured as I got older but just not in the way some other people would see it since I still have things like anxiety in the way.

 

[Chris]

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

I spend most of my time around people younger than me, and I feel the age difference, so in that sense I certainly do feel my age. ... But when I can switch off from needing to be professional then I feel half my age. All I want to do is hang out with friends, play video games, and chase girls.

Turns out there was a medical reason for this all along. Neurodivergent and three decades of masking. My condition means executive age is thought to be lower than physical age - and I definitely don't feel my age, so I feel there is some truth in that. I try not to compare myself to other people too often, but it does explain why I find my own age group the hardest to relate to.

 

[Doo]

I don’t feel my age at all, I feel much younger. I’m also autistic, I didn’t expect to see such a pattern at all. People my own age seem years older than me lol

 

[ribbitribbon]

i feel much older than my age. that’s another reason i don’t typically give my age out online; people pre-judge me when i do. when i do say how old i am everyone is always surprised.

 

[moonbyu]

not really. i feel quite younger then my friends and other peers.

this thread is making me realize that it could very much be a neurodivergent thing! for as long as i remember, because of my learning disability (and other mental illnesses that went unchecked), i felt very out of place with my peers, mostly academically and socially.

i still feel that way now that i'm entering college/ the adult world. i have interests that aren't exactly for adults, i'm incredibly quiet/awkward (so much so that a lady in my college class had asked me how old i was after i bombed my presentation), and i physically look quite younger than most of my peers too (short ).

it used to bum me out a lot, but now i don't really care. can't really change it anyways lol