Wonder when you first noticed you were aging quickly

Another shock was seeing that my CHILDREN now have lines! it really is bizarre,this suddenly noticing our ages thing!

I blame the mirror,it tells lies.
I`m still breathing,that will do.

With my 81st birthday fast approaching I have accepted that the fat old biddy in the mirror is really me. What I regret is that is I didn’t enjoy the way I looked when younger - always thought myself unappealing, but the photographs of past years tell a different story.

I ask myself, what do I actually expect to look like at sixty eight? It’s completely unrealistic not to expect to look older.
But it’s still tough.

What I look like and how old I look is irrelevant, what threw me was that up until then I'd never thought of myself as 'someone being nearly 70'

But of course at 68, I am!! shock

Same! it was a huge shock to me too!

Travelsofar

Its strange but the photos I thought I looked old in a few years ago now look incredibly young! [hmm}

Around sixty I think, people started offering me their seats on train and tube.
I felt quite offended which is completely ridiculous, I tended to answer with "thank you, I'm fine"
Now at 68 I would just accept graciously

I attended a meeting and needed to print off a visitor’s i/d on arrival, to put on a pass.

I needed to wear my reading glasses to follow the on screen instructions. Was horrified at the result, I honestly didn’t recognise this gray haired, crotchety looking old woman!

I begged the receptionist to destroy the photo as soon as our visit was over!

I felt good about myself until the last couple of years, the funny thing is, until I see myself in a mirror, or photo, I feel fine, but realistically, the last few years seem to have added ten years.
My skin isn’t really wrinkly, but it all seems to have sagged, my hair is thinning, I’ve put on weight, and I think I look horrible.
Im grateful that in our late sixties, we are both still working, and have so far avoided serious illness. I still regularly look after my grandchildren and do everything I used to do, but I do now sit in a chair and instantly fall asleep, something I can’t seem to do at night!
My oldest daughter at fifty, looks stunning, better than she’s ever looked, we were often mistaken for sisters, that’s never going to happen now.

Do you ever get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and think "that can't be right".

joannapiano

When I had my cataract done 3 weeks ago and saw myself clearly in the bathroom mirror.

Ditto. I found that I had the occasional grey hair, and had previously thought I had none!

Honestly we all change as we age. No good beating yourself up about it - just go with the flow!

I don’t know about looks, because I avoid looking in the mirror, but I began to feel older after reaching 75. Slowing down, more aches and pains, tired more quickly,

I think we're all different. I was much younger looking and more lively at 60 than I was at 50. But things started to decline from 65 and even more so from 70. Now reached 73 and I keep having more things going wrong.

At 60 I began to notice some muscular weaknesses.

Apart from migraines which I have suffered from since Primary School I have always been pretty robust. Then I retired at 60 and it all hit the fan! Gout, breast cancer, high blood pressure, skin cancer, two partial knee replacements, injured shoulder, emergency removal of gall bladder… jeez.

For me it was around 65. I first started having pain in my joints which affected my mobility really badly. This I believe showed in my face, how I stood and tried to walk. I lost weight and started looking frail. Then I caught covid, lost my husband, had to deal with all that while struggling with terrible pain 24/7. After hip replacement that pain has totally gone but still having issues with my spine....I have stenosis with osteoarthritis this means I'm very stooped, I have gained weight and I feel depressed with all that has happened the last few years. Now been told I'm anemic and waiting to find out why. I hate this aging process it makes me miserable and that shows I my face I'm sure!!!😬

At age 43. 6mths after our mum died my sister visited. She burst into tears at the sight of me. Said I looked so 'different'. Well I knew I did, I could see how much Id aged in my mirror.
Then, a rapid deterioration this last 2 yrs because of traumatic time and illness. Its very upsetting but I suppose better than the alternative.

I used to think I was old in my 60s but now in mid 70s realise I should not have wasted time worrying because looking back I wasn’t old at all. The pity is I am now but am still able to get around , walk a few miles and enjoy reasonable health snd have a lot to be grateful for.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thank you all for the interesting replies. I certainly don't feel so alone now.

The last year or so, when I’ve had a few injuries, a couple of minor illnesses, and Covid, and they’ve all taken forever to get better. I’m in my mid-60s, but the slow recovery rate is making me feel ancient.

I had a lot of family stress in the recent past. But more so this last year that definitely has had an affect on my health. I have Osteo arthritis in several joints it isn't getting any better.
Along with other age related niggles but just have to accept that's age. Wrinkles are the least of my worries so I will grow old naturally and not vain.

I met some old friends at a pub for a birthday celebration recently, and we asked the waiter to take our picture. The result was unbelievable! Who was that enormous old woman in front? It was me. 🫣

Around our 70th birthdays - born 3 months apart - a close friend and I noticed our arms had become wrinkled 'overnight....'...