Anxiety about birthdays

I am about to celebrate my 35th birthday and I am feeling super anxious. I have a great husband, 2 healthy kids, a wonderful extended family, a great job...I don't know why I feel this way. Did anyone else feel anxious as they approached a birthday. I welcomed 30 as I was trying to have a baby after a miscarriage and was just looking towards the future. I need some great reasons to turn 35

Anxiety about birthdays

No, I look at every birthday as a blessing

Anxiety about birthdays

I am your age and yes. Major anxiety and honestly dread of birthdays. I just don't FEEL this old (not that it's old, but you know what I mean). Like, at what point did I become mid 30s?? I just tell myself that 30s and 40s are still young nowadays. And I remind myself that age comes with some good stuff like being wiser, more confident/strong and having more money and security etc. But yeah i def know where you are coming from!

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

I hated turning 40 but the anticipation of it was, of course, worse than the reality. I guess now that I am older I just feel like everything is going too fast, I wish I could slow down time a little. At this rate I am going to blink and be 80!!

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

While I have never had anxiety about my birthday or getting older... Maybe one day? But in the past I have not personally experienced the feelings that you are having, I can tell you that it is common and I know people who felt similar.

It has to do with change. Change is a sometimes unsettling thing because it is uncertain. And a lot of times, things that are uncertain seem scary and brings about a little anxiousness. I know I have definitely had trepidations about change before - not specifically my age, but about other types of change. I try to allow the feelings to come in, think about them, and then derive something from them - a meaning. Then, I try to think of something positive and that helps me to be able to move past the negative parts of the emotion... If that makes sense.

Try to remember that it is good you are allowing yourself to experience the emotions you are feeling, without suppressing them, but remember that you can't control the future - and you are going to turn 35 one way or another, so you might as well accept it as a good thing and trust that your path from 35 onward is going to be a wonderful one. So far, you have seemed to have (from what you wrote) a great 35 years -- what's on the agenda for the next 35 and beyond? Good things, I'm sure.

And even though the saying may sound cliché - age is just a number. You are only as old as you FEEL.

Anxiety about birthdays

I hated my 30th birthday. I had it in my head that I would be married with 2 kids by the time I was 30 so I was very depressed bc I was married without children and we had been ttcing for over 2 years. I wanted nothing to do with my birthday. Sure enough, 3 months after my birthday, I finally got pregnant and now I'm 32.5 with 2 kids!

Anxiety about birthdays

I will be 35 this year it's not really anxiety as it's more like wow I'm closer to 40 than 30 now is it a bit much to take. It's just life though. I know how you feel though...

Anxiety about birthdays

25 killed me. Like hyperventilating in the car. No joke. I literally cried because I was going into the next check box on surveys. Lmao. Pathetic.

Now I forget how old I am. Lol. But I can see the anxiety. For me both my parents passed young so that's always in the back of my head. There is no much I want to do and see in the world so I just try to focus on that rather then the number but seeing the number creep up is not fun. I'm way too close to 40 and I'm trying to decide if I want another baby so my window of opportunity is getting smaller and smaller and that causes me anxiety.

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

Message edited 12/10/2015 12:51:36 PM.

Anxiety about birthdays

I am approaching 50 and my opinion is that tomorrow is promised to no one. Enjoy every day you have, as much as you can.

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

29 was worse than 30 for me. I was feeling the pressure of not being married yet and wondering if he was ever gonna ask! hahaha

And 35 kinda stunk. Trying for a baby, Infertility, etc etc.

But now that I'm 38.5 and 40 is in a blink, I'm starting to panic because I'm already falling apart physically. It's only gonna get worse lol

I now have 3 white hairs on my head, which I pluck out every time I see them growing back. 38 brought those. I could only imagine what 40 will bring.


BUT I will say this... For me, from here on out, I won't be worrying about what I haven't achieved, or wondering whats next. Just taking it day by day

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

Posted by shadows

Posted by PhyllisNJoe

29 was worse than 30 for me. I was feeling the pressure of not being married yet and wondering if he was ever gonna ask! hahaha

And 35 kinda stunk. Trying for a baby, Infertility, etc etc.

But now that I'm 38.5 and 40 is in a blink, I'm starting to panic because I'm already falling apart physically. It's only gonna get worse lol

I now have 3 white hairs on my head, which I pluck out every time I see them growing back. 38 brought those. I could only imagine what 40 will bring.


BUT I will say this... For me, from here on out, I won't be worrying about what I haven't achieved, or wondering whats next. Just taking it day by day

You ONLY have THREE white hairs?! At 34 I have about 10-15 that keep coming back (i keep cutting them close to the scalp every time they come back. my hairdresser said i'm going to look like a porcupine eventually if i keep cutting )

Anxiety about birthdays

I turned 40 without even batting an eyelash (I'm 42 now). But for some reason when I turned 27 it really affected me. I think because I was in my "late 20s". LOLOL

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

I am having some anxiety about turning 30 because most of my immediate family members died in their 60s. I feel like my life is literally half over.

I know that is an irrational thought though, so I am trying to eradicate it from my mind.

Anxiety about birthdays

Thank you! I am so happy others felt the same! I feel as if every day is a blessing, but my kids are growing up too quick, I feel like I might not have more kids...Then I think to myself, am I really at the point where I won't have more kids? That makes me sad. I am looking forward to the future, but it seems as I get older, its coming to quick :(

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

Re: Anxiety about birthdays

I had some bizarre feelings the night before my 40th. Like turning that decade was a big deal for me, but once I woke up I got over it.

I think it's probably normal to have these feelings.

Anxiety about birthdays

I think it's normal but I've never had it. I think as long as I'm personally happy with where I am in life that it won't bother me too much how "old" I am.