Do You Feel Like Your Age?

[michealsmells]

Definitely not. I still feel like I'm 12, and some of my interests fall technically younger than that. Most of anything I watch falls into animations and cartoons. The way my ADHD makes me able to focus (or not focus) on things makes me feel like a toddler with a 10 second attention span. I dont know what a Taxes is, I haven't gotten a real job yet, I'm flaky and ignorant and collect stuffed animals and can never clean my room.

And that's okay. That's all okay. Even the fact that I don't feel 19 is okay. It's especially bad that I'm in that awkward phase between 18 and like 21 where I'm not actually an adult yet but legally I am. And I know the entirety of my 20s is going to feel very similar.

My interests are okay and valid, I am not any less of a person or childish for being neurodivergent. I finally feel old enough to express myself in my gender and orientations, and even in my other views, even if I don't feel "old enough" in the things that I like. I never need to feel old enough, I just need to be happy with who I am. I'm far from being there yet but I'm makin progress.

 

[Flyffel]

When I was a kid I felt older and now I feel younger! LOL

Let's just say I feel about 3-4 years younger than I am right now.

Also strangers usually think that I'm about 5-10 years younger than I actually am... An old lady I spoke with thought that I'm 13 years younger than I actually am about a month ago.

 

[JellyBeans]

yes and no? i forget that a lot of the things i do are perfectly normal 19 year old behaviour, or i'll hear stories about other people my age and think that seems like such a grown up (ha) thing to do before remembering we're not in fact age 13 in middle school any more. i definitely feel a bit younger when i'm at home vs at uni because there's the different level of independence there. i wouldn't say i ever really feel much older than my age though!

 

[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. There are forty people in their early-to-mid 20s that I am always available to. When one of them is struggling or upset then dad mode is instantly activated. They know I'm only a phone call away and that if they want to talk in person I'll be there ASAP. 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.

 

[BoundSys]

Most of the time I feel younger than I actually am. I'm 25 but I feel 19 or so. It made transitioning into adulthood horrifying bc I didn't feel like an adult but was supposed to be and my parents were... barely parents. So my lack of feeling my age is both attributed to autism (a developmental disorder) and not being properly parented. My 20s has been me relearning my entire life and trying to become an adult while struggling with my mental health.

I don't think hobbies make you younger. But when I look at how minors act on social media I know I'm Not their generation nor do I feel mature enough to be my own. My hobbies are my coping mechanism that keeps me sane which is smth I feel is slightly childish- at least the degree I rely on them. My ability to emote and understand emotions is childish. My only recent appreciation for the world around me is at least a point towards maturity. It's funny my brain is supposedly done developing at 25 but I hope it's not done becoming more mature.

 

[Hopeless Opus]

no i don't feel like my age. many people tell me this is supposed to be the most exciting time of my life because i'm so 'young,' but i just feel so old. like time has already run out for me and it genuinely brings me so much anxiety that i don't even know what to do with myself these days. other times i feel like i'm still younger mentally because of my interests. but i just. feel like the oldest person alive rn lol. and it makes me feel dreadful

 

[vel]

when i first joined tbt, i was happy to be perceived as older than i actually was. it made me feel grown up, and to be fair, i did grow quite a bit. yet, as i get older, it means less and less.

i still feel (and look, if you don’t count my many tattoos and piercings) like i’m 16 and trying to figure my way out in the world. in many aspects, i embody what someone should be doing in their 20’s, but when i dream, i still go back to my middle school days where i dreamed of the independence i currently have. i think some things just never change.

 

[~Kilza~]

I mean, I don't really know how you're supposed to feel at my age so it's hard to say, lol. From a physical standpoint, I guess I feel and look my age for the most part. From a mental standpoint, I guess I feel younger than my age, though not that much younger.

 

[Elov]

I feel both older and younger than my age at the same time. Older because I am already married, and have 2 kids. Majority of people around my age aren't anywhere close to starting a family yet. (And honestly rightfully so because I did have my kids fairly young) But regardless at the same time I feel younger than my age because I feel like I'm behind my peers in other facets of my life.

 

[ali.di.magix]

I generally feel younger than what I am. My interests are still the same as they were 10 years ago, I act immature sometimes, and I look younger than what I am.

 

[Dinosaurz]

Today I turned 21

I really don’t feel 21 lol
I still feel young and dumb and stupid

 

[!_Nxmillia_!]

I feel old. I grow up so fast oh my god

 

[Tsukuri_Yukimura]

Well for me it’s kinda weird. I’m 30 and unless you know that before hand people say that I look like I should be in high school…now I’m not the kind of girl that cares about looking younger than I am so cool.

I don’t act my age for sure. I still like stuff that I liked when I was a kid overall.

Now as far as feeling my age…I do snap, crackle, and pop when I stand up.

 

[LilianBee]

Well, I’m 24. I can’t say whether or not I feel my age. I feel like I’m at the right age. I actually play mainly XBOX, and my favorite game genre is sports. I play hockey competitively, although, I consider myself better at Madden (football), which is a bit surprising considering I’m a way bigger fan of hockey.

I don’t read. I honestly prefer experience over knowledge, which is one of the reasons why I travel a lot. If it means anything, I prefer to talk with people over the age of 21. I feel that most people under that threshold are immature. I do have a few friends that are 18, but not any younger than that. With that said, the people I get along with most do happen to be older than me. One of my close friends is 31 and we play Pokémon together. I guess you could say we’re both childish in that way, but she’s mature in the mind.

I didn’t get along with anybody in my school. It had less to do with age and more with the fact that I knew, in high school, that I wanted to work and travel. I didn’t want to go to college. My plans are going very well. I stay somewhere for a few months not tied down to a job, travel a bit, have the option to come back or go somewhere else. It’s a free lifestyle. I really feel you about the school thing, though…

I'm 24 also. I relate to you on the reading. Granted I have been trying to read more (I want to) but lack motivation (toxic home situation/mental trauma). I find that I go on two extremes. I can appear and act overly mature, but then crave immaturity. Being that I was abused so heavily and expected to be the "perfect" girl I always appeared more mature to the adults around me. Though extreme maturity and a desire for perfection can be an overlooked sign of severe trauma. Didn't help that my mother knew how to act as the perfect mom in public so no one suspected her abuse

 

[TurnipBell20]

I would say I definitely feel older than I am. It’s always been like that, ever since I was a kid. Might have to do with my sister who is 16 years older than me. I barely have any friends my age, it’s mostly people that are 10-30 years older. xD

I already posted here, but I recently realized something about my interests, so I thought I’d post about this. Someone drove me home, and we talked about literally everything because we don’t know each other too well. I told him about the shows I am currently watching (Beverly Hills 90210, Married… with Children), my dream car (‘65 Mustang) and my favorite bands (Guns N‘ Roses, Pink Floyd, …). He told me that my interests are very similar to his parents‘ interests. I don’t know how old his parents are, but probably 50 to 60.

Sometimes I feel very young, though. It depends on who I’m with. I have two friends who are a bit younger than me, and whenever I am around them, I behave pretty childish because they do, too.

I considered getting a CRT TV and switching from my iPhone to an old Nokia or something. My TV and phone are pretty much the only things that don’t match my 90s/00s lifestyle.

 

[CrazyMario64]

Half of the time yea, other half of the time, no. I don’t really know why :/

 

[Sarie]

Sometimes I feel like I'm a kid trapped in an adult's body lmao

Except I also feel older than I am half the time. I joke that I'm 30 when I'm nowhere near it yet. Also, my knees are already shot

So... Yes and no?

 

[Shawna]

Nope! I’m 25 years old and I still feel like a child.

 

[Yoshi155]

In a lot of ways I feel a lot more mature than most people in my grade, but I think that's because a lot of them act like morons most of the time. And also that I usually pay attention in class and understand most topics and get considerable better grades than, say, 70% of the people here. My classmates would probably say I'm less mature for playing Nintendo games, but I rarely ever even bring it up anyway, and also that's really the only way I can think of that makes me feel younger than other people here besides cliché stuff like smoking or drugs. So I guess my answer to the question is yeah. But by the time I'm like 30 it will probably be the opposite.

 

[Rosch]

Yes and no. I often found myself questioning if I've been acting my age.