What Makes You Stop Feeling Young?

Being young forever might be the goal but preserving youth isn't smooth sailing considering all the obstacles in life. We asked some young people what would cause them to feel as though they were no longer 'young'. The answers ranged from absolutely heart-warming to thought-provoking.

The most common word that popped up in answers to the question was: 'responsibility'. Rezwana Tanvin, 19, describes the end of her youth as "…a point in life where I have so much responsibility and stress that I'd feel like the only time I can breathe is when I sleep."  

Sharing a similar viewpoint, Maisha Zaman, 23, says, "For me it would be getting burdened by responsibilities which will not let me pursue my dreams. That would certainly make me feel old. It would feel like a confined world."

There are few who feel so riddled with responsibility already that they stopped feeling young while still in their teens. Narvin Meherun, 18, says, "Feeling young...I think I've stopped feeling that a long time ago. For me, youth was about being care-free." Likewise, Faridul Hasan Shuvo, 17, says, "My entire school life I just studied sometimes and brought good grades but now I have to overlook all my desires and make use of my money and choose a career."

However, there are people who can't be brought down by challenges up ahead as Tahsina Hossain Anika, 20, says, "Honestly, I think no amount of responsibility will ever make me stop feeling young. I dread physical ageing though."

For Absar Rahman, 18, feeling old comes with aging of the body as well. He says, "I wouldn't feel young when I realise I'm completely unable to do some sort of physical activity that I once could." A lot of people cited physical aging like wrinkles, white hair, back and joint aches and so on as the signs of losing their youth. 

"To me, purpose and faith are the key elements that make me want to keep going no matter what circumstance or age I am going through. The day I lose both of these will be the day I might feel like an old person. Might seem a little dramatic, but this is what I believe," explains Talha Sayed, 20.  

Loss of youth doesn't always equate to loss, as for some it means not being able to gain more in life. Radya Yousuf, 20, says it's "Not being able to learn new things." Arfaa Islam, 18, adds in retrospect, "I think that people stop feeling young when all the things they want to do in their lives are overshadowed by all the things that they need to do; you can't learn guitar or karate over the summer because you need to apply for university or study for upcoming board exams, and so on."    

Youth feels like a trait that diminishes with time and experience for some. "I think experience makes you age more than anything else. Having to experience something beyond my years that break the rose-tinted glasses through which I see the world would make me stop feeling young," Parmita Das, 17, says. 

Ziqra Raza, 18, says, "I feel old when I'm surrounded by a bunch of younger people who are making decisions I had to make in the past – particularly decisions I regretted, and decisions I'm stuck with for a long time."

Furthermore, Sandra Christina Talukder, 19, talks about how society dictates how young a person should feel as they grow older, "If I want to do something and someone says, 'you realise you're too old for that, right?' I stop feeling young. I can't feel like getting up on the carousel because I'm not a kid anymore? I find carousels fun. Why label so many things in this world according to someone's age?"

For some lively souls, youth is retained in the simple things in life. Reeda Rahman, 19, says, "I have this thing where I burst into Disney songs because I loved them so much as a child. I'd imagine that I would stop doing that on a day I'd stop feeling young at heart."

"1. When I stop over-thinking about even the silliest things. 2. No more nagging to my parents to buy me stuff. 3. Not checking horoscopes to see my crush's love compatibility with mine. 4. Not Googling, 'Why am I like this?'" Sehreen Haider Birdy, 19, delineates the quirky side of youth. 

Feeling young is subjective to every individual. 'Simpler days' are associated with emotions, time, energy, experience, and so much more for every person. It's amazing to think how experiencing youth is widely regarded as such a spiritual experience. 

With a keen eye and a broken brain to mouth filter, Mahejabeen Hossain Nidhi has a habit of throwing obscure insults from classic novels at random people who may or may not have done anything to warrant them. Drop her a line at mahejabeen.nidhi@gmail.com