16 Things In Life That Change In Your 30s

1. Staying in at night becomes far more attractive.

In your 20s, staying out all night and dancing while drinking bottom-shelf tequila is, like, the thing to do.

But in your 30s, you do not want to go party until 3 AM. Nor do you want to have a post-nightclub 3:30 AM Waffle House moment.

Heck no.

In your 30s, you'd rather stay in and stay home. Where the drinks are cheaper and far better. (No overpriced $5 Burnett's shots for you, boo!) The entertainment is top-notch. (You control the remote, after all). And the clientele is far more exclusive. (Local frat boys are nowhere to be found.)

2. Friend time will become far less frequent.

I wrote a whole post on how friendships change in your 30s several months ago. (So if you want to know more, I'd encourage you check out that post next.)

But here's the TLDR: You'll have less time to devote to your platonic friendships as other kinds of relationships (e.g. romantic interests, family) and responsibilities (e.g. work, chores, postgrad studies) take over.

3. The risk center of your brain actually works.

Also known as your amygdala.

In your 20s, that part of your brain is still developing (@ men, in particular). So doing wild and risky things is just like... YOLO, right?  🤷🏼‍♂️ 

But by your 30s, this part of your brain is rearing, also adulting, and ready to go. Risk-taking for the sake of risk-taking is just like... Why would I do that?

Like, I went to Scotland a couple weeks before writing this post. And while there, we saw this wild freakin' ride that 21-year-old me would've been like, "Heck freakin' yes, let's ride this." But 31-year-old me was like, "Heck freakin' no, I don't even want to be near the entrance of this thing in case I accidentally trip and fall into a seat."

4. You want to be comfy at every opportunity.

Maybe this is just me. But in my 20s, I had no problem putting myself all together.

But I dunno. Something changed once I reached my 30s. Now, I just want to be comfy at every single opportunity.

And honestly, I probably choose to be and dress comfy even when I am doing things where "comfy clothes" isn't really within the dress code.

But it's who I am now. I am comfy. Comfy is me.

5. Your energy levels are always depleted.

It doesn't matter if it's 6:30 AM, 10:15 AM, 6:00 PM, or 11:45 PM.

In your 30s, you never have any energy. No matter what time of day or what you're doing.

And even in those moments where you find that youthful wind, it doesn't last long.

6. Caffeine is a necessity to get through the entire day.

In your 20s, a cup of coffee (or energy drink) is really all you need to make it through an entire day of... doing whatever 20-somethings do.

But in your 30s... Oh, friend. A single drink will never do.

As a 30-something, caffeine might as well become its own food group. Because to make it through an entire day, you'll need to have some on hand for the entire day.

7. College kids start looking like actual youth to you.

Maybe you're watching college sports on TV. Or maybe you spot some co-eds while out running errands. Maybe you even live in a college town yourself.

No matter the who, what, when, when or why, in your 30s, you'll start thinking, "OMG, they look like actual children," when you see a college student.

8. A completed to-do list is, like, the best thing ever.

One day, you wake up with a to-do list. And from that point onward, you'll spend the rest of your life trying to check off every item on your daily to-do list.

In your 20s, you're new to this kind of overwhelm. So you're more than happy to let tasks pile up and up and up.

You lie to yourself. You tell yourself you'll get to them later. 

But in your 30s, you know better. You know you'll never get to the items you procrastinate. So you stop procrastinating (as much).

This is because you know there are few greater feelings in the world than having a to-do list with nothing on it.

If and when you are fortunate enough to achieve this daily sought-after feat, you know one thing's for certain. Rest. Peace. Finally.

Until tomorrow, at least. When the to-do list surely resets as life attempts to knock you down and suck you energy-dry again.

9. Discovering a new, good-smelling detergent is life-changing.

Who else has smelled a delicious (?) detergent and asked yourself, "What IS that smell? I NEED that smell." 

I know I can't be the only one.

In your 20s, you don't pay much attention to things like detergent. Because honestly, you probably spend a good chunk of time at house parties that reek of stale beer.

But in your 30s... Y'ALL. There's nothing better than discovering a new, sweet scent for your clean laundry to bask in.

10. You care more about how you spend your free time.

Maybe it's because you have a lot more energy in your 20s. Or maybe it's because you have a lot more free time.

Either way, your rare and glorious free time is way more precious in your 30s than your 20s. So you care way more about what you do when you have it in your 30s.

11. You're smarter with your money.

Look. It makes sense that 20-somethings aren't amazing with their money. 

After all, for most people, you'll start your first "big boy/girl", non-hourly job during this time period. And when you're off making minimum wage for the first time, it's easy to feeling like you're just rolling in the dough.

So in your 20s, you treat yo'self. Buy those new outfits. Have an expensive night out. Drop the $2k you don't have on a vacation.

You'll make it back, right!?

But in your 30s, the allure reality of "adult money"  sets in. Yes, you make more than you did in your youth. But you've also learned (perhaps from first-hand experience) the negative side effects of living beyond your means. 

So even though you might not be amazing with your money in your 30s, you're at least smarter with it. (Hopefully.)

12. Proactively taking heartburn medication before you eat anything spicy, fried, or acidic.

What is the DEAL with the severity (and frequency!) of heartburn in your 30s. In my 20s, my diet was, like, exclusively spicy, fried, and acidic food. But now?

If I so much as look at spicy, fried, or acidic food without taking heartburn medication?

Ugh. Y'all. It is SUCH a world of hurt.

13. 10 PM texts really are answered at 6 AM.

I know, I know. Answering 10 PM texts the next morning is, like, a meme. It's cliché even.

Overstated or not, it's true.

It's just universal knowledge among 30-somethings that messages sent after 10 PM will not receive a timely response.

And honestly, 10 PM may even be an ambitious cutoff. At least for me, you're gambling with a response if you send your text after 9 PM.

14. You'll care more about MAJOR purchases.

In my 20s - yeah - I thought about buying a house. Not seriously, but I at least thought about it.

I thought about having a nicer, more expensive car than I had.

I thought about a lot of major purchases in my 20s. But as someone fresh out of college, living without a large handout from mom and dad, and in the very beginning stages of his career, I couldn't do much more than think about these things. Imagine how nice it would be to have more luxuries.

But in your 30s, you likely be more established. You'll likely have some more money to play around with. And this means you can actually make some bigger purchases. So you'll probably care a LOT more about them because they aren't some pipe dream any more.

15. You're actually friends with older family members.

And I don't mean older siblings or older cousins here.  I mean parents. Aunts. Uncles. Previous generations.

Especially in the later half of my 20s, I felt these relationships changing. But they feel changed by this point.

In my 20s, I saw my older family members as allies, yes. But our amicable relationships still felt detached, like you might feel toward a mentor, in that you know they're in your corner, but you don't feel anywhere like equals. 

Because the relationship is completely one-sided: the 20-something takes (advice, direction, money, help, resources, etc.) while the elder family member gives they do is give (advice, direction, money, help, resources, etc.).

In your 30s, these relationships with older family members feel less "take, take, take" and more "take and - hey, wait! - I can give, too."

Like, you aren't just some little kid they're trying to keep safe - and (at times) alive! 

You, like, actually have something positive to contribute to the relationship now! And that's pretty dang cool.

16. Your priorities in general.

Okay. This final one is kind of a catch-all and cop-out. But that doesn't change the fact that it's true.

Compared to your 20-something self, you're older and wiser in your 30s. So naturally, the things you invest time, money, energy, and f*cks into are going to be quite, quite different.

After all, in your 20s, you likely stopped giving a shite about your high school years. And in your 30s, the same will ring true of your 20s.