People Are Recalling The Seemingly "Small" Things From Their 30s That Ended Up Impacting Their Life In A Huge Way Because They Ignored Them

Getting through any decade of life is challenging and a completely new experience. But it's nice when older people are willing to give you advice on how to make it just a little bit easier.

So when Reddit user u/justheway asked, "What looked unimportant in your 30s but turned out to matter enormously?", I was totally ready to take in the life advice. Here are the top answers below:

1. "Stretching is honestly underrated. I sat at a desk for years without thinking about it, and my back just started falling apart in my early 30s. Ten minutes of morning stretching changed everything for me. It felt silly at first, but now it is the one habit I will not skip."

2. "Diet. I could eat anything in my 20s and be unshakable. Hitting my 30s and having to plan some meals around being balanced so I didn't feel like waking death was a revelation."

—u/fayyt

3. "Sleep. In your 30s, it’s easy to treat bad sleep like a minor inconvenience, something you can power through with caffeine and spite. Then, later, you realize it was quietly affecting your mood, weight, patience, memory, relationships, and, basically, your entire operating system. Boring answer, but sleep debt collects interest."

4. "Saving for retirement. Every dollar saved now will be worth 3-4 dollars in retirement. Every dollar saved in your late fifties is just a dollar."

—u/alphawolf29

5. "Doing exercises and being serious about it. Push yourself to get fit (being an athlete is not necessary). Some things I found hard to do last year are now so easy. It's so fun to be able to climb a lot of stairs and not be sweaty and out of breath, lift heavy bags, be able to stand long hours, stop fearing losing balance or falling and getting hurt, etc. It gives so much confidence, I wouldn't go back."

6. "Skincare. Putting on sunscreen every time I went outside. I did NOT do that shit, and 20 years later, my skin sucks."

—u/jasoncross00

7. "Taking care of my health. I used to think, 'Hey, I'll worry about that later.' So I can't be too annoyed that 'later' has arrived. I think I believed that I wasn't going to live this long. Sober for 40 years, so that helped, but I'm still stuck with some bad health choices."

8. "Posture. It seems flopping in a beanbag chair, hunched over, staring at a screen for hours gives you back pain after a few decades. Who knew?"

—u/somewhat_random

9. Have a plan. I started a 401K and worked a lot while taking night classes in the first half of my 30s. Then I got a house, and I bought a motorcycle and rode the mountains while I was still young enough to enjoy it. By the way, when my 20s ended, I never would have figured my 30s would be that productive. Now, I have great memories of riding, a place to live, and enough money to eat."

10. "My blood pressure. I had a hemorrhagic stroke in my early 40s due to untreated high blood pressure. I had to learn to walk and talk again."

—u/mrpbeaar

11. "In my 30s, I thought it didn’t matter much who I spent time with as long as things were fun. Later, I realized the people around you either raise your standards or slowly lower them. Being selective about who gets access to you changes everything."

12. "I didn't think flossing mattered much until my gums started sending me hate mail every morning."

—u/jiv4nko

13. "Marriage and kids. Turns out I want to have my own family. Hopefully, it’s not too late for me."

14. "Maintaining basic core strength and flexibility. In your 30s, you think you're doing fine because nothing actively aches yet, but you're really just coasting on residual youth. Once you hit your 40s, you find out real quick that reaching awkwardly for a dropped remote can take your lower back out of commission for an entire week."

—u/lesacunninghamck

15. "When you are in your 30s, many of you have parents in their 60s who are retired, healthy, and self-sufficient. It was easy to treat visits as optional and prioritize the other chaos of life. But their autonomy can degrade rapidly in the 70s. And by the time you feel like you can spend time with them, they may be less able to travel or converse on the same level as before."

And finally, here's one that reminds you it takes a village:

16. "Healthy, significant high school and college friendships. They've been key for me to not go down during my divorce process. Life (e.g., marriage, kids, work) kept us apart for many years, but they showed up when I needed them most!! I thought they were gone forever, but they've saved me."

Do you want to share your take on things that looked unimportant in your 30s but were actually pretty vital? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, or, if you'd prefer to remain anonymous, fill out this form.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.