This will be an unfiltered post. No thinking things through. No edits. Just reflections on life, age, and anything else that pops into my head. Here goesย nothing:
- Turning 33 feels weird.
- I feel old at times, especially in my body.
- I still feel like a child at other times, and I wonder whether I will ever feel like a proper adult.
- I canโt believe I have so much grey hair now.
- Itโs strange to wonder where the time has gone.
- Yet when I think about it, I really have done a lot and had many amazing experiences in my time on this planet.
- Iโm happier now than I have ever been before.
- We never really know how our life will turn out.
- I couldnโt have planned for what has occurred in my life, yet, amazingly, things have turned out the way they have.
- Iโm excited about the future.
- I used to get scared about the idea of getting older, but I donโt anymore.
- Iโve stopped searching for the right answers these days and instead focus on asking and living the right questions.
- I donโt regret much from my past, even though some of it really sucked at the time.
- I still donโt fully understand people, even after I have studied psychology for 8 years, seen patients since 2010 and read over 200 psychology books.
- I will never fully understand myself or someone else, which is okay as long as I keep trying to learn and grow.
- 33 is a palindrome.
- When I was younger, I would have seen 33 years old as โreally oldโ and โover the hill.โ
- I thought that I would have been a parent by now.
- I am glad that I havenโt just tried to follow the crowd and live a traditional life.
- I used to think it was better to receive gifts from others, and now I can see how it is better to give.
- I worried and stressed way more than I needed to as a child.
- I focused on my body image and appearance way too much as a teenager.
- Iโve never really looked after myself that well regarding what I put into my body. This will eventually catch up to me if it hasnโt already.
- Iโve let go of being perfect, which feels great.
- Not everything happens for a reason, but we can learn something from everything that we go through.
- Everyone suffers in life to some degree.
- Everyone has baggage.
- Life isnโt about getting the best job, house, partner, but the best one for you and your lifestyle and values.
- No one truly knows what the future holds, and that is both exciting and scary.
- Itโs much better to only focus on trying to change what is in my control.
- Having unconditional positive regard and compassion for others is tough to do but really rewarding if you can.
- Living an honest and ethical life is so much less tiring in the long run than being dishonest, self-centred and egotistical.
- There are many kind people out there, and being kind to others is the best way to see it.
Thanks for reading these last three years, and happy holidays to you all!
Dr Damon Ashworth
Clinical Psychologist
How can I help?