Turning 30

[GoldenFairy]

Hi everyone! As I am fast approaching my 30th birthday I just wanted to know how those that are 30+ feel about having hit such a milestone and for those yet to hit the 3-0 what their feelings are on it.

Personally, I don't feel any different from how I felt when I was 21 - though I know that I am a much more experienced and self-assured person than I was at that age. I also feel that I have established a clear sense of style and have become more careful about my skin care routine etc.

I'm not married or anything but I'm not worried about that just yet!

It would be great to know your thoughts!

 

[Bonitinha]

You will love your 30's! I feel very confident and know much more about who I am as an individual. I am married with kids and love it. I haven't lost my identity at all (I have a great supportive husband).
I think women today look better than ever -- look at all of the women in their 40's and 50's who look great! It is all about how you feel about yourself and how you take care of yourself

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and enjoy celebrating 30!!

 

[euphrosyne_rose]

I just turned 31 on the 3rd and it was harder on me than turning 30. In a way, it's exciting b/c I do feel like I'm a much more settled, confident, sensible person than I was in my 20's but at the same time, it's hard not to think of time slipping by. I'm not married and don't have any kids and most of the time I don't worry about that either b/c I feel that if I'm meant to have those things, they'll happen in their own time.

On the other hand, for me, this past year has brought about some health issues and I keep hearing the "oh, stuff happens when you get older" and frankly, I'm SOOOOOO sick of hearing that b/c it makes me feel ancient when deep down, I don't FEEL 31.

I am confident that the future holds great things for me and that my 30's will be so much better than my 20's were. I think part of what of will make it so great is like I said before- that I'm more confident, mature and laid back now than I was then and I can sit back and really enjoy what life has to offer!

 

[LMD84]

this is a very positive thread. i am not yet 30 and still a few years away. but i agree that many older women in their 40's and 50's do indeed look stunning! i think it's down to good skin care

 

[NutMeg]

My boyfriend just turned thirty, and he's not thrilled. I'm trying to help him be more positive about it, but we're almost ten years apart and I think it makes him feel old sometimes.

I think it's awesome! He has ten more years of learning and neat experiences to bring to our relationship, and I don't think our relationship would be nearly as rich if I was dating the twenty year old version of him.

 

[Meisje]

Women of all ages kept telling me that I would wake up on my 30th birthday with a huge sense of depression. It never happened.

Being over 30 is just fine with me.

 

[kenoki]

I turned 30 last month. I won't lie, I was shook. But, what are you gonna do?

I think the worst part isn't the age. It the sense of urgency in regard to goals. Goals you had, that you got no where near. Goals you've met, that you feel you wasted time on. In youth, the what-if's are scary, but mysterious and inviting. As I get older, the what-if's have become dark and looming. Sort of the difference between The Wizard of Oz and Return to Oz.

But, again, what are you gonna do? I'm going back to school.

 

[purrtykitty]

I go back and forth. My two friends and I have discussed this topic quite a bit, and a few months ago, they were all OK, and even a little excited. But now, they are within a couple of months of turning 30 and they are starting to freak out.

I'm still at the point where I'm OK, but then again, I turned 29 only a couple of months ago, so I still have some time to stew. I know I can't stop myself from chronologically turning 30, but I hope to biologically keep the clock in slo-mo.

I'm trying to not look at 30 as all doom-and-gloom, but as an opportunity to make myself a better person. I've made a ton of personal resolutions to get myself really healthy and fit (lose weight, eat right, etc...) before I turn 30. And then there's the little detail of DH and I having children sometime within the next couple of years...making me even more determined to be fit and healthy going into pregnancy so that I bounce back faster.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Thirty came and went for me and I wasnt scared to see it come and I wasn't scared after it left. I'm loving my thirties more than my twenties and I'm interested in seeing what else life has in store for me. Enjoy where you are in life. Don't worry about tomorrow and there isn't much you can do about the past.

 

[BeccalovesMAC]

I love being in my 30's. My BFF was all depressed when she turned 30 and I didnt understand it at all. I look forward to growing old and being a hot ass grandma.

 

[jennifer.]

i'm gonna be the odd one out, but i was extremely depressed when i turned 30. the thought of getting old with wrinkles and losing my looks terrified(s) me.

i hate to sound somber but if i could only live to maybe 49, that would be good enough for me. i simply do not want to get old. now that i'm in my mid 30s, i'm sure i'll be an absolute wreck when i'm 40.

there was one positive thing about turning 30 though, and that was the realization of a lot of things that i needed to change in my life and i still think i'm in a better place now than i ever have been. it's like i became a whole new person and that makes me pretty happy.

 

[kc8]

I am nearing my mid-30s and feel the most comfortable in my skin then I did in my 20s. Yes, I was a little depressed when my 30th bday was nearing but I think that's typical as you are hitting a milestone bday. I truly believe that age is just a number because I feel and think that I'm in my mid-20s minus all the insecurities that goes with it. I feel more confident in myself and I can say I do know myself.

 

[SuzyLily]

Please excuse this "woe is me" moment

It feels nice to get it off my chest though, as I never really mention it to anyone out loud.

Anyway... I'm turning 27 in 3 months and even though I have more than 3 years to go till I'm 30, I'm dreading it already.

Mainly because I have a physical illness and every time I go in for a checkup with my neurologist, he stresses the fact that if I want to have kids or do things, I'd better get cracking because for women with my illness, it's all downhill after 30.

So yeah...that doesn't get me very excited to reach the big 3-0. Which is a shame, because so many women say it is/was the start of a whole new wonderful time in their lives. I wish I could feel that way too

 

[macmakeupjunkie]

I'm turning 30 next month and to be honest I have mixed emotions. I have come so far from where I was in my twenties, I had always said that I wanted to be married and have children by the age of 27 and be some famous makeup artist starting my own cosmetics line by the time I'm thirty, LMAO. I am married, no children thank God!, and back in school, wishing I was a famous makeup artist lol, but I love my job that I currently have. What makes me sad is how fast time flies by, it seems like yesterday I was graduating high school and now I'm turning the BIG 30. But I am still excited to see what the future holds, I think of old being 70, have you seen all the hot women in their 40's and 50's? Some look better at that age than they ever have!!

 

[Lauren1981]

wow... such a great thread. i will be 29 in a few months and have been talking to my mom about how i'm not grasping 30 yet.... meaning for whatever reason it scares the shit out of me. i had many goals i wanted to have completed by the time i'm 30 and i wanted to be in a much different position and situation than what i'm in now but i like my mom says it's all about God's timing and not my own. so i guess in order to not worry about it and actually look forward to it i just keep telling myself (well, my mom keeps telling me) that where i'm at right now is exactly where i'm supposed to be so as long as i'm on my correct path and continually learning and moving forward and completing my goals then that's all that matters.
plus,
i was thinking about me "not grasping 30" and in a way, me dreading it can be the equivalent of me not wanting to even see 30 and i think that's scarier than the actual age. the last time i talked to my mom about it i had to sit back and reiterate the fact that i'm not saying that i want to die within the next year so i don't have to see that age lol.
so slowly i'm looking forward to it and changing my whole perception of what it means for me and turning it from such a negative perception to a positive one.

 

[she]

i'm 2 years shy of 30. i still get carded, not married as of now and i don't have kids- my life is the best one i could ask for, even if it's not entirely perfect.

i have 3 friends in the last year that died before seeing 31... thus... no complaints, just really grateful for my blessings each and every day. we can't afford to take them for granted

 

[mona lisa]

30 is the first real milestone after you turn 21. At any point in your twenties age often does not really factor into how you view things but with 30, it is the first reminder that you are not getting any younger if that makes any sense. I personally was bothered by 30 but after a week or so, I got over it and was just fine. I simply kept telling myself it is just the early 30's and that got me through the four following birthdays which did not bug me at all. Then 35 hit and I could not say early 30's anymore so that bugged me a bit. But I am gonna play the "mid 30s" card all the way to 40 which I anticipate will be the next "oh crap" birthday.

Ultimately age is generally just a number except for the fact that it takes a bit more work to keep looking one's best from year to year. And of course make-up can be quite helpful in that area to some extent also. I would say have your "oh crap" moments with the milestone birthdays and then go back to your normal thing without worrying about it. What good after all does worrying about it really help?

 

[nursie]

i'm about to turn 40 and i still feel like i'm in my 20's.....scratch that, things are better than my 20's because i am comfortable in my skin

it really is just a number. stay fit and avoid toxic people!

 

[Bjarka]

Loving this discussion.

I have lately been feeling the "turning" 30 doom, and I'm only 27!!!

It is scaring me, that people are already telling me "you're getting really close to 30 now", "when are you going to get pregnant? You're not getting younger, it'll only get harder after 30!"

There just seems to be this invisible doom about 30. Like your life is going to become terrible, if you haven't managed these things. I don't get it.

When I was younger, people would tell me, that after 30, you're truly adult. You'll know yourself and all that. And I think that sounds nice, and I never felt scared of it, just looked forward to getting to the stage when you don't feel awkward about yourself anymore (I know nothing is 100%, but...)

But now, with the recent doom speeches, I just feel pressure about turning 30. Like I have to hurry up. And not just to reach personal goals, but goals that are sorta bullied on to me. It makes me feel so stressed out at times.

Logically I know, not to let other people get to me like that, but it can be hard, especially when you get people almost ganging up on you with the matter.

I just hope I will feel better, when I get closer to the actual date

(and that people would stop putting so much pressure on turning 30!!)

 

[katred]

I was actually a little more perturbed by 35 than I was by 30, but I think that had more to do with the fact that I wasn't living the life I wanted. And it went away quick. For me, the 30s have been almost unadulterated awesome in terms of how I've come to feel about myself.

I've never felt better about my appearance. I've never felt more in control of my life. I've never been more certain of what I wanted. I've never been so confident in my abilities. Seriously, I won't say that turning 30 was a "magic bullet", but I find that all of the insecurities that plagued me when I was younger have been brought under control.

I think you have to consider, too, that being 30 is not what it used to be. There are a lot more options open to women and men in terms of the lives you want to live. My boyfriend and I routinely stay out all night with friends, watch South Park, eat cereal for supper, spend hours on line looking for exciting new music or strange and fun news to entertain us... In short, all of those irresponsible things we're supposed to have outrgown. Very few people used to do that, but it's increasingly common. other people make different choices that work for them. Social pressure to conform to one "norm" is gradually lessening.

As far as physical aging- keep active, eat a good diet, take care of your skin. We know more now about keeping our bodies healthy than we ever have and it shows. My mother at almost 70 looks younger than her mother did at 55.

Don't be afraid of the number- it's a random and meaningless dividing line.