Your back’s been hurting more and more recently. You’ve found yourself sneakily making the font on your work computer screen bigger. And you’ve realized that the music and films that those darn kids enjoy these days are beyond bizarre. No, the world’s not coming to an end—you’re simply getting older.
The ‘[Heck], I’m Old’ online community is a place on the internet where everyone can post about aging. We’ve collected some of their most nostalgic pics and funniest memes to share with you, dear Pandas. So put on your reading glasses, scroll down, and upvote your fave pics. Meanwhile, you’ll have to excuse us, we’ve gotta sit down for a moment—we’ve got a few things to come to terms with…
Bored Panda got in touch with Glenn Geher, Ph.D., to get his opinion on what to focus on so that we can live a high-quality life as we age. Geher is a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz, a published author, and an avid marathon runner. Read on for the insights he shared with us.
#1 I Know That Feeling…
I Know That Feeling…
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Seamus Crumley 43 minutes ago
You know you are getting old when you look backwords instead of forward.
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Professor Geher explained to Bored Panda that the human body “is a wear item” and that there’s an increase in health issues associated with aging. “From a societal perspective, making sure to provide easy access to high-quality health care—especially among older folks—is essential. And as we all know, some nations seem to do this better than do others,” he said.
“This said, lack of social connections is a known detrimental factor when it comes to health. And unfortunately, many elders tend to find themselves living alone for various reasons (e.g., death of a partner). And loneliness tends to be relatively prevalent in urbanized areas—which are, of course very common in the modern world.”
As such, public policy and government experts ought to prioritize issues like ensuring that elders have access to high-quality medical care and have safety nets “to help cultivate social connections.” From a large-scale health perspective, these are both critical issues.
#2 Photo… Album?
Photo… Album?
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Libstak 1 hour ago (edited)
They’re gonna regret this if a solar flare sends us back to the stone age, just saying.
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#3 20th Century Babies
20th Century Babies
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KittyGotClaws 1 hour ago
True. But this works best especially in situations where you’re trying to get into a bar or club. Even if you’re born in 1999 that make you 24 years old this year.
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Geher, who is currently 53 years old, shared with Bored Panda that he’s training for his 12th marathon right now. “I am fully expecting my time to be much slower than my time when I ran my first marathon at 29,” he revealed that, as a result, he himself has been thinking about the issue of embracing the aging process.
“Yes, aging is a beast. It comes with such adverse outcomes as physical decline, cognitive decline, and, often, stress and trauma associated with the increasing loss of loved ones,” the professor said.
“To buffer oneself against these adverse outcomes, from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, folks who are getting up there in years would be wise to eat natural foods and exercise regularly, maintain an active lifestyle that includes necessary cognitive expenditure, and take steps to make sure to be socially connected to at least a small group of close others.”
#4 This Tweet Woke Up Today And Chose Violence
This Tweet Woke Up Today And Chose Violence
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Libstak 1 hour ago
Can we have a reboot then? I’m going with “Cantankerous old Friends”.
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#5 Museum
Museum
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KittyGotClaws 2 hours ago
Well, I’m so old that we didn’t even have computers in grade school. So there.
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#6 Meirl
Meirl
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KittyGotClaws 1 hour ago
Nothing wrong with that. You are the author of your own life story.
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Geher pointed out that the adage of aging being better than the alternative is generally true. “Taking the steps mentioned here can go a long way toward helping make the aging process a relatively positive experience.”
Professor Geher also has a Substack page and also writes a blog on Psychology Today. You can find the newest topics he covers there.
The online community has been going strong for nearly a full decade now—it will be celebrating its 10th birthday this September. At the time of writing, the group had just over 114k members.
It’s easy to see why the sub is as popular as it is. It’s taking a very relatable subject (aging, getting grumpy, wanting simplicity, realizing that the younger generations might lack taste) and putting a fun spin on it. It’s a corner of the internet where you can find the humor in getting woken up by your bladder at 3 am and having an ID card that shows you were born before the turn of the millennium.
#7 Most Of These Apply To Me
Most Of These Apply To Me
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Libstak 1 hour ago (edited)
That last one, and after constant training and retraining in just about every business every year to offer the gold standard in customer service in the 90s….We ended up here, money well spent corporate execs…..not.
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#8 This Made Me Laugh!
This Made Me Laugh!
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troufaki13 2 hours ago
And all the cleaning bottles in the bathroom!
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#9 Too Old Af To Care But: Gen Z vs. Millennials vs. Gen X vs. Boomers
Too Old Af To Care But: Gen Z vs. Millennials vs. Gen X vs. Boomers
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Olivier Caissy 1 hour ago
F u all!
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It might sound cliche, but your age really is just a number. What matters far more is your lifestyle, how active a social life you have, and how you feel on a daily basis. If you’re healthy, active, surrounded by loved ones, and find gratitude in the smallest things, then it really doesn’t matter if you’re 70 or 17—you’re living life well.
However, a happy and healthy life isn’t something that happens automatically. It requires a lot of personal effort, a dash of discipline, and the willingness to set strong boundaries.
There is no definitive way to be happy because everyone’s an individual with unique goals, but it’s vital that you get the basics right first. These include taking care of your physical health, staying mentally sharp, maintaining your social connections, and living in the present.
As far as your physical health is concerned, the habits that you want to develop as soon as possible are common sense ones. Like getting enough sleep every night. Drinking plenty of water. Spending time in nature. Moving lots. Reducing screentime. Eating slightly less than you normally would. Avoiding drinking alcohol and smoking. Wearing sunscreen. And choosing to eat veggies, healthy fats, and protein instead of processed foods and refined sugars.
#10 Now We Need A Gps To Go To The Supermarket
Now We Need A Gps To Go To The Supermarket
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Corvus 1 hour ago (edited)
My childhood summers – I’d go out with my neighborhood friends and my grandma would have no idea where I was or what I was doing until it was dark outside. That’s what freedom felt like 🙂
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#11 Who Remembers The Original Search Engine?
Who Remembers The Original Search Engine?
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