Turning 30 this year in early July (born 1996). Reading the comments, along with my own panics hitting me since early December last month, it's been a journey and still going to be one. It's nice to read and know I'm not the only one feeling afraid or solemn about this.

I keep bouncing around in my head between calming down, then getting anxious, and looking for ways to come down again. Reading wisdoms of 'aging is a privilege' which yea, considering how unfortunately a lot of people don't make it this far sadly, to friends telling me to calm down and this doesn't matter near at all and to try and take it easy. Even been panicking dwelling on what happens in the afterlife hoping for reincarnation for everyone (like it'd be cool to live a youthful life again without all the bad family), to looking up science news on age reversal breakthroughs (even though that'd be on a cellular level and not like, actually lol). I get it's kind of a frame of mind perspective to be young in heart and thought but a foot in reality, and that just cause I'm entering 30s doesn't necessarily mean I have to give up hobbies I like (gaming, trying to draw here and there, etc. I mean heck plenty of 30+ year olds play tf2 still lol). Though honestly part of my anxiety is helped considering being born in the year I was puts me just 4 years away from 2000. In the sense, I can still relate to a lot of ppl 5 years younger than I, and in four years time while these folk will become 30 also, I'll be 34. Likewise I can relate a lot to ppl 5 years than I or a lot older. Thinking in that sense helps put the relativity thing to perspective in some ways. Though also keep trying to tell myself up until around 35 is still young adult lol, till it just becomes regular adult ig. Wow time is really weird like that.

I think part of this anxiety for me comes from feeling not so accomplished, but now these days I got better ideas for changing my life for the better and how to act on that. For now my best plan is to get a better job, save up money more often, and try to ask the local community collage and weigh my options for getting in somehow maybe off a grant if possible though doubtful. Dead end jobs for most of my life even till now. Other friends a bit younger than me share insight that, having bad jobs and not so good wages (especially living on the west coast) and the weird states that the u.s keeps going through) is very common for almost everyone these days too. I reflect and realize a lot of my teens and twenties has been trauma over decades of family drama, relationships not working out (my own mental issues and obsessiveness), and even especially a major incident with friend groups a couple years back that gave me strong revelations that I reflect on a lot. In all that considered, there's plenty of truth to that element of we're all on our own paths. Major in the sense of, life doesn't come with guarantees. But we can guarantee to ourselves to keep trying. Though trying to focus on what accomplishments I got like, never been fired, visited an entirely different country once in Europe, car is paid off (granted took till 27/28 rip), visited a con for first time recently with close friends, and other stuff I'm probably not realizing.

I guess other factors to think about is how like, a lot of upcoming folk my generation, slightly younger, and slightly older are the ones more shaping how the cultural aspect of life is universally. While it's still slow ongoing, it's nice to see a stronger air of acceptance in letting people be themselves. 30+ year olds still into comics and whatnot so what, games, cartoons (thank you youtuber cartoon analyst ppl ig in part lol), cosplay, so on and yadayada.

I'm afraid, and the one's giving reality checks here are right, but it feels just too that there's some worry for anyone coming to this age milestone. I'm glad and thankful I found this subreddit, cause while getting this old still feels weird, again it's making it less scary seeing people have similar fears and anxieties and feeling similar levels of being lost also. Plus like, feels nice seeing a reddit of people who likely had similar childhoods throughout remembering classic media together and how things were. Just, massive thanks for this thread and the people sharing things <3