You tend to take life for granted in your 20s, and why wouldn’t you? You can wake up without a hangover after a night of drinking and work out without stretching. You feel invincible and perpetually ready to conquer anything.
But as you grow older, you will feel Father Time’s harsh reality checks. Before you know it, you might suffer from head-splitting tinnitus from the numerous concerts you’ve attended without ear protection or need knee replacement surgery after many years of wearing high heels.
These 40-somethings would know, and they are sharing their nuggets of wisdom with 20-year-olds in this Reddit thread. If you’re a youngster who has yet to reach your prime, you may want to take notes and save yourself from potential future suffering.
#2
Sleep, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SLEEP, nothing will f**k you up long term than thinking going without sleep isn't going to hurt you.
Report
36points
#3
Wear some freaking sunscreen. Skin cancer sucks!
35points
#4
Diet, posture, physical activity. All of those are much easier to correct in your 20s than your 40s.
Report
34points
#5
Their teeth. You get only two sets of teeth and the first is lost at a very early age.
Invest in an electric toothbrush and use it liberally.
Invest in an electric toothbrush and use it liberally.
28points
#6
Time with the family & your elders. You miss miss them when they're either passed (parents, grandparents) or all grown up (sweet children, nieces & nephews). Even time with elder mentors, such as teachers.
Enjoy everyone while you have them and while they have you!
Enjoy everyone while you have them and while they have you!
28points
#7
I would reverse the question. Most 20 somethings think soooo many things are the end all.
Basically, none of it matters. Keep working on being the best person you can be.
Basically, none of it matters. Keep working on being the best person you can be.
28points
#8
Everyone saying their health, which isn't wrong.
What's really going to affect you is your parents' health, presuming they're still alive and you have a good relationship with them. If your parents live into old age, they will need more and more help. They won't understand how things work. They'll be more susceptible to scams. If they're like mine, they'll be stubborn and won't acknowledge their weakening faculties. Try getting someone who's driven for 60 years to surrender their license because their eyes aren't so good.
And when one dies, the other will likely have fallen into a very co-dependent lifestyle, and the structure is completely destroyed.
You know it's going to happen, but you don't realize how it'll manifest itself until it plays out.
Edit: well, this took off. Glad to hear this actually helped some people. But yeah, it sucks.
What's really going to affect you is your parents' health, presuming they're still alive and you have a good relationship with them. If your parents live into old age, they will need more and more help. They won't understand how things work. They'll be more susceptible to scams. If they're like mine, they'll be stubborn and won't acknowledge their weakening faculties. Try getting someone who's driven for 60 years to surrender their license because their eyes aren't so good.
And when one dies, the other will likely have fallen into a very co-dependent lifestyle, and the structure is completely destroyed.
You know it's going to happen, but you don't realize how it'll manifest itself until it plays out.
Edit: well, this took off. Glad to hear this actually helped some people. But yeah, it sucks.
27points
#9
Cut back on the carbs and sugar now. Also, keep exercising. Don’t take a break in your 30’s because the kids are keeping you too busy. Trying to lose weight in your 40’s is torture. I’ve been hungry for 3 years.
25points
#10
Lack of stretching. Stretch younglings, stretch.
23points
#11
Their online behavior.
You can see it on reddit every day. Grown ups in their twenties don't know the very basics of human interaction. Get off of tictoc, insta and reddit. That's not the real world. In fact it is as far from the real world as it could be.
Get out, touch gras. I can't believe I'm writing this.
You can see it on reddit every day. Grown ups in their twenties don't know the very basics of human interaction. Get off of tictoc, insta and reddit. That's not the real world. In fact it is as far from the real world as it could be.
Get out, touch gras. I can't believe I'm writing this.
Report
23points
#12
Some tips:
Waer earplugs anywhere loud because tinnitus is a f*****g curse. You can still enjoy stuff with them in.
Sunblock EVERY TIME YOU'RE OUTSIDE because the sun eats the youth from your face. And can also give you cancer. Wear sunglasses too.
Moisturise with simple cream like cocoa butter. Every time you bathe or shower All over.
Eat well. Lots of fibre. Drink water.
Look at your poop and be aware of what's normal and what could possibly be warning signs of serious illness (dark blood, black poop etc.) Bright red blood usually means hemorrhoids.
Check your boobs or balls regularly for lumps. If you find one go to the bloody doctor.
Brush your damn teeth with fluoride toothpaste before you go to bed. Circular motions. Don't scrub them like a dirty saucepan. Don't brush immediately after eating or drinking. Don't rinse your mouth afterwards. Don't use alcohol mouthwash. Any pain at all go to the dentist. Infections can kill you.
Don't ignore chronic symptoms like a cough or stomach pain or chest pain.
EXERCISE aerobic and weight bearing. Dancing around your living room is good.
Don't eat or drink anything with artificial sweeteners if possible as they're evil.
Don't drink sugary drinks. A lot of weight gain can be caused by drinking excessive calories. It's not just food that makes you fat.
Vitamin D supplements.
Read. Books, articles, creepy pastas, anything.
If you have the opportunity to do something that'll make you happy that won't hurt anyone then just bloody do it. Don't stand in your own way. Regret is a curse.
I love you. You're awesome. Be the best you that you can be.
Waer earplugs anywhere loud because tinnitus is a f*****g curse. You can still enjoy stuff with them in.
Sunblock EVERY TIME YOU'RE OUTSIDE because the sun eats the youth from your face. And can also give you cancer. Wear sunglasses too.
Moisturise with simple cream like cocoa butter. Every time you bathe or shower All over.
Eat well. Lots of fibre. Drink water.
Look at your poop and be aware of what's normal and what could possibly be warning signs of serious illness (dark blood, black poop etc.) Bright red blood usually means hemorrhoids.
Check your boobs or balls regularly for lumps. If you find one go to the bloody doctor.
Brush your damn teeth with fluoride toothpaste before you go to bed. Circular motions. Don't scrub them like a dirty saucepan. Don't brush immediately after eating or drinking. Don't rinse your mouth afterwards. Don't use alcohol mouthwash. Any pain at all go to the dentist. Infections can kill you.
Don't ignore chronic symptoms like a cough or stomach pain or chest pain.
EXERCISE aerobic and weight bearing. Dancing around your living room is good.
Don't eat or drink anything with artificial sweeteners if possible as they're evil.
Don't drink sugary drinks. A lot of weight gain can be caused by drinking excessive calories. It's not just food that makes you fat.
Vitamin D supplements.
Read. Books, articles, creepy pastas, anything.
If you have the opportunity to do something that'll make you happy that won't hurt anyone then just bloody do it. Don't stand in your own way. Regret is a curse.
I love you. You're awesome. Be the best you that you can be.
23points
#13
The power of compounding interest. For the love of god, start socking some money into your retirement as early as possible. Look at the charts online of the difference between starting to save a little when you’re younger versus how much you have to put away when you’re older to actually retire one day.
Report
22points
#14
Travel internationally in your 20s when you’re single, with friends, stay in hostels if you have to
Report
20points
#15
Take care of your mental health. Cut down toxic relationships. You are worth it! ❤️
19points
#16
People in their 20s don’t realize that every year they live isn’t just another trip around the sun; it’s another brick added to the backpack you’re carrying through life. When you’re young, that bag’s practically empty—light as hell. You’ve got a few memories, a couple of heartbreaks, maybe a regret or two, but nothing that really weighs you down. You’re sprinting through life thinking it’ll always feel this fresh and easy.
But by the time you hit your 40s, that backpack’s packed to the brim. Every relationship you’ve had, every choice you made—or didn’t make—starts to add up. It’s not just the passage of time; it’s the *weight* of that time. You’ve got the good stuff—family, love, achievements—but you’ve also got the “what-ifs,” the missed opportunities, and the regrets. Those regrets? Man, they’re like invisible bricks—things you didn’t even know would haunt you later. Not calling someone when you should’ve, passing on that one big risk, staying in a bad situation too long... all that stacks up.
And memories? Oh, those hit different too. They start to stick to you like wet cement—some beautiful, some bittersweet, some straight-up painful. You don’t realize in your 20s that every phase of your life leaves a mark. It’s not just time flying by; it’s life building up behind you. By 40, you’re dragging around this whole-a*s timeline of experiences, relationships, and regrets. The weight of all that can be inspiring or crushing, depending on how you dealt with it.
In your 20s, you’re running free with a clean slate, but every year that slate gets messier. And one day, you wake up and realize you’re not just living for the moment anymore—you’re carrying the weight of every moment you’ve ever lived. That’s the s**t nobody warns you about.
But by the time you hit your 40s, that backpack’s packed to the brim. Every relationship you’ve had, every choice you made—or didn’t make—starts to add up. It’s not just the passage of time; it’s the *weight* of that time. You’ve got the good stuff—family, love, achievements—but you’ve also got the “what-ifs,” the missed opportunities, and the regrets. Those regrets? Man, they’re like invisible bricks—things you didn’t even know would haunt you later. Not calling someone when you should’ve, passing on that one big risk, staying in a bad situation too long... all that stacks up.
And memories? Oh, those hit different too. They start to stick to you like wet cement—some beautiful, some bittersweet, some straight-up painful. You don’t realize in your 20s that every phase of your life leaves a mark. It’s not just time flying by; it’s life building up behind you. By 40, you’re dragging around this whole-a*s timeline of experiences, relationships, and regrets. The weight of all that can be inspiring or crushing, depending on how you dealt with it.
In your 20s, you’re running free with a clean slate, but every year that slate gets messier. And one day, you wake up and realize you’re not just living for the moment anymore—you’re carrying the weight of every moment you’ve ever lived. That’s the s**t nobody warns you about.
19points
#17
I've seen way too many people who spent their 20s and 30s grinding. They end up with full bank accounts, but no real friends, community or life experiences. Those are the people who end up with epic mid life crises.
Money comes and goes, but genuine friends and experiences can't be bought.
Money comes and goes, but genuine friends and experiences can't be bought.
Report
13points
#18
Eating too much fast food, junk food, and alcohol. Get out of those bad habits now!
13points
#19
That physical job is not paying you for the damage it does to your body. I did flooring for 18 years before I got out of it. I was a sub contractor and made great money. Until I realized that it wasn't enough to fix my joints. I have shoulder problems from carrying rolls of carpet and pad up endless flights of stairs. I was lucky and somehow my knees are ok.
13points
#20
Sticking with a person you are never going to change. Worst mistake ever.
Report
13points