Soone Redditorasked, “People over 40, what’s one thing youregret the mostin your younger years?”
Here are some things that older folks would go back and tell their younger selves.
I am a nostalgic person, so this is big for me.
But I wish I had more photos of life’s everyday joys to aid my memory."
“Not appreciating the people who loved me enough.
Don’t take the love people give you for granted.”
u/Sea_Interaction1558
3.
“Not stretching and maintaining muscle mass.
When I had kids, I stopped both, and it took a decade to get it back.
Treat your body well.
“Caring too much about what other people thought of me.
All the dumb, embarrassing stuff you did that comes back to haunt you at night?
Yeah, youre probably the only one who remembers any of those incidents.”
u/Funwithagoraphobia
5.
“Not traveling more in my younger years.
“Speaking too quickly rather than listening and thinking more.”
u/Brave_Bluebird5042
7.
“It seems so cliche, but I did not wear enough sunscreen in my younger years.
I used to lie in the sun with baby oil so I could get a good tan.
How stupid was I?
Now, my face looks like a topographic map of California.
Wear sunscreen, kids!”
“Deferring too readily to the judgment of others.
I had the naive belief that other people had my best interest at heart.
Speak up for yourself.
Defend your own decisions.
No one is out there waiting to make you thrive.”
u/Gorf_the_Magnificent
9.
“Not prioritizing my health.
When I was younger, I didn’t exercise or go to the gym.
I ate a bunch of sugar, drank way too much, and smoked cigarettes.
All of these lifestyle decisions compound in your 40s.”
“Letting go of toxic friendships and relationships.
u/TheVirginVibes
11.
“Not learning a musical instrument.
Im trying now, but its harder as you get older.”
“Spending too much time worrying about love and not enough time concentrating on happiness.”
u/UsesCommonSense
13.
“I wish I’d taken high school more seriously.
If I had done better, it would have opened so many more doors for me later on.
I had the ability to be great in school, but didnt care enough.”
u/PeggyNoNotThatOne
15.“Yoga.
For the love of god, start doing yoga.
Everything starts hurting and becomes stiff, but if you start doing yoga regularly, it eases up drastically.
And do word puzzles to keep your brain active.”
“Not saving money is a big one.
The younger you are, the better.
u/JackSkelllington
17.
“I wish I had taken better care of my teeth.
“Living life on other peoples terms and not my own terms.
Young people, its YOUR life.
You are entitled to live it the way you want to.”
u/trashleybanks
19.
“Not enjoying youth more.
I didn’t realize how fast my younger years would pass.”
u/Giantmidget1914
21.
“I wish I exercised more.
But you’re free to only enjoy these things if you have the ability to move without pain.
Some of my friends can hardly walk to the mailbox, severely limiting what they can do.
Start now if you are nearing 50 and are not in shape or need to lose a few pounds.
You will wish you had gotten into better shape when you’re 60 or 70.”
“Not enjoying being single.
Looking back, I centered most of my social interactions around finding “the one.”
I should have just enjoyed getting to know people.”
u/atx_buffalos
23.
“I spent too much of my 20s in bad relationships.
Wouldve been so much better off focusing on the things I enjoyed doing that made me happy instead!”
24.And finally, “Not setting firm boundaries with people.
Givers have to set limits because takers have no limits.”
u/log899
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
