Aging comes with changes in our physical and psychological makeup; sadly, there’s nothing we can do to stop this. Here are 19 things you find pleasant and tolerable today that may start to irritate you more than usual as an older adult.
Sleeping Late
Every adult needs the same seven to nine hours of sleep, whether you’re in your early twenties or late 70s. However, our circadian rhythm introduces more daytime tiredness as we age, making sleeping late an ingredient for insomnia that no older person wants to risk.
Clubbing
As we age, work and family take up much more of our time, leaving us with far less energy to party all night. Most elderly people can’t deal with the hangovers that follow either, while others simply find their time on the couch with the TV more enjoyable.
Noises
Research has shown that our ears become more sensitive to sounds as we age. The NHS associates this with hyperacusis, which can manifest as anger or anxiety. As a senior, you simply don’t adapt well to loud environments, leading many to retire in quiet, tranquil environments.
Aging
Even the very idea of growing older gets under our skin as we age, and this isn’t about the fear of passing on—even if it’s hardly ignorable. Many people hate the bodily changes that come with old age, especially changes to our skin and the increasing health issues we have to deal with.
Dating
Going on a date is fun when you’re a teenager or young adult. You expect to learn new ideas and see things from new perspectives. However, as you age, dating becomes a chore, and people who don’t want anything serious make it even less interesting.
Uncomfortable shoes
A whopping 80% of seniors suffer from foot pathologies, and inappropriate footwear is a leading cause of this. As we age, we understand the importance of wearing comfortable shoes and sandals. Hence, footwear like high heels and tight shoes becomes less attractive as we age.
Prolonged Standing
Standing for an extended period of time leads to pain in your lower back and uncomfortable varicose veins in your legs, with an NLM study even linking it to cardiovascular problems. Aging makes us more susceptible to these health issues, so it’s easy to understand why we increasingly despise standing.
Social Media
There are many things we find wrong with social media as we age. For one, more social responsibility comes with it, and we constantly see behaviors that are “traditionally” unacceptable. Then, a day comes when social networking sites become too complex to maneuver, and we largely abandon them altogether.
Forgetfulness
When it comes to forgetfulness, the anger isn’t directed at others; it’s aimed at ourselves. Mild forgetfulness is a normal part of aging, but it’s frustrating when you’re trying to remember something important. Constant memory slips are even worse, as they introduce worry about our health into the mix.
Unsolicited Advice
Everyone has something to say about how we can live healthier (for longer) in our senior years. While much advice is given in good faith, others are unnecessarily restrictive, and the whole situation becomes overbearing. Sometimes, constant advice makes us feel less capable of making good decisions independently.
Hospitals
As elderly people, we visit the hospital frequently for checkups to manage age-related ailments. Sadly, this is a drastic change in your schedule and expenses that comes with heart-wrenching anxiety. As a physician speaking to CNN put it, “The older you are, the worse the hospital is for you.”
Shallowness
Whether it’s in the conversations we have, the relationships we build, or the activities we decide to engage in, we start to despise superficiality. Things or people with a lack of depth become a waste of time and energy, as they never stimulate us mentally or offer anything valuable to learn from.
Close-Mindedness
The longer we live, the more we interact with others, learn new perspectives and appreciate the richness of diversity. We despise ignorance and the unwillingness to learn because they prevent us from adapting to changes and make us miss opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Concerts
We love concerns when we’re young, but there’s always too much noise for old folks, and dealing with large crowds is overwhelmingly inconvenient. You’re also stuck standing for hours, and they rarely finish before our bedtime, so we’d much rather enjoy music by reminiscing over our old records.
Lack of Respect
As we get older, we start to see respect as key to our emotional well-being, and we cultivate an environment where respect is reciprocated just as much as it’s given. Sometimes, we just feel we have to be respected for simply being elders and for providing the future that younger generations now benefit from.
Clutter
The hate for clutter is easy to understand. Summarizing research by Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University, the New York Times explains that clutter contributes to older adults’ dissatisfaction with life. Hence, many try to avoid it as much as they can.
Traffic
Bad traffic is a breeding ground for road rage and is stressful for anyone to deal with. This only worsens with age; we develop eye, ear, and reflex-related problems, making maneuvering traffic even more frustrating. Driving, in general, becomes a chore rather than a convenient mode of transport.
Conflict
Older adults employ more passive techniques when dealing with conflict than younger adults, and an NLM study provides the perfect reason why. The older we get, the more we prioritize our emotional well-being, and avoiding conflict keeps our positive affectivity high. We also learn through experience that many arguments are not worth it.
Screens
Finally, you’ll probably start to dislike screens more as you get older. Whether it’s from smartphones, TVs, or computers, the blue light from screens causes strain and discomfort to the human eye, which affects sleep patterns. As we grow older, we need our sleep more than ever, so we avoid screens more than ever.