Current Events > Do you think old people have a lot of anxiety?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Imagine being 70 and knowing any day could be your last.

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R u ok

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thats the blessing of dementia

I overheard my gran on the phone once and she seemed to implied she is at peace with it

Kanaya413 posted...

I overheard my gran on the phone once and she seemed to implied she is at peace with it

I suppose life has a natural order of things that has happened for thousands of years, and humans are used to it by now.

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It seems crazy, though. Imagine that you could die any second, by natural causes.

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You usually are at peace by the end of a long life. I don't think it's sad when old people die, it's life. We all know how it goes. It's tragic when young people die because they never got a fair shake. Getting old is a privilege. And you build perspective on that as you age and realize at the end how privileged you were to see so much happen.

I have less anxiety in my 30s than my 20s by a long shot as well. Nothing really changed except I got older and learned more.

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Pepys Monster posted...

knowing any day could be your last.

That's true at any age...especially with how widespread driving is. All it takes is one idiot to end your life forever.

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Lost_All_Senses posted...

You usually are at peace by the end of a long life. I don't think it's sad when old people die, it's life. We all know how it goes. It's tragic when young people die because they never got a fair shake. Getting old is a privilege. And you build perspective on that as you age and realize at the end how privileged you were to see so much happen.

I have less anxiety in my 30s than my 20s by a long shot as well. Nothing really changed except I got older and learned more.

One of my friends died at 23. I'm really depressed about it. I wish I could bring her back so badly.

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Squall28 posted...

That's true at any age...especially with how widespread driving is. All it takes is one idiot to end your life forever.

Yeah, but at least with driving, you have a chance to react. When death by old age hits you, it's over.

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Pepys Monster posted...

One of my friends died at 23. I'm really depressed about it. I wish I could bring her back so badly.

:(. That's rough. I doubt she'd want you to be depressed about it. Not that Im saying you can always control that. Cause, of course you can't. But I find a lot iof strength in believing others just want me to be ok.

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my dad is 74, basically any time his thoughts are idle they drift to "holy fuck i've got at best 10 good years left"

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Lost_All_Senses posted...

:(. That's rough. I doubt she'd want you to be depressed about it. Not that Im saying you can always control that. Cause, of course you can't. But I find a lot iof strength in believing others just want me to be ok.

Yes, but I'm 33. It should have been me. Not her.

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Oubliettes posted...

my dad is 74, basically any time his thoughts are idle they drift to "holy fuck i've got at best 10 good years left"

Damn, we're all about to be there, if we're even lucky enough to make it that far.


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Pepys Monster posted...

I suppose life has a natural order of things that has happened for thousands of years, and humans are used to it by now.

She like me is a devote Christian so she knows the Lord will take her

but Im a filthy sinner so Im a little less enthusiastic about where I may go

I feel like they've had a pretty long time to come to terms with it. I was way more anxious about death when I was younger even though I have more perspective of how relatively fast this life actually goes by now. I doubt I'll revert back to that as I get older.

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Pepys Monster posted...

Yes, but I'm 33. It should have been me. Not her.

Just because you're 33? I don't think you're internalizing this in a healthy way. Cause that makes no sense. It's honorable to have love for a friend and be willing to sacrifice, but it's not honorable to beat yourself up over something that is out of your hands.

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This feels bad to reveal but my old grandfather that was in WW2 and was generally a tough guy without any health problems his whole life until he had a stroke at about 91 and lived to 94 and slowly regained function between 91-94 back to the point where he was walking and talking almost like he did before then he died of another stroke and my grandmother randomly told my Dad and I at dinner after he died that he would wake up crying afraid that he was going to die at any moment after the first stroke and she would have to sing him to sleep.

She was old and fairly senile but it did hit me hard to hear that. He was your classic stoic strong guy but feeling that weak made it hard to keep up his walls apparently. If she hadn't told us that we all would have thought he was fearless going to the end but she just felt the need for some reason to tell us that he wasn't. It was a single conversation but how do you forget something like that?

My grandmother was 93 when she passed (from covid at the beginning of it all).
We talked regularly throughout the years. And she would make jokes about how she wouldn't live forever.
The best was when she told me about a visit with her doctor. She was having anxiety and trouble sleeping. The doctor suggested Xanax. But she said the doctor warned her that it was very addictive.
She told the doc "I'm 92 years old. How long can I really be addicted for" and laughed.
She had such a great attitude about everything. She was doing great for 93.
Then covid. Fuck covid.

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Obviously it isnt the same for everyone but as my older relatives reached their end of life (and I still have two living grandparents that are into their 90s) they always gave the outward impression of being at peace with it. Ive never known them to pontificate about it happening any second. >_>

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