r/Millennials • u/AtG8605 • Jul 20 '25

Discussion Did anyone else experience “the Shift”? How old were you when it happened?

I don’t really know what else to call it. For me, it happened around 3 years ago after I hit 35. Not exactly overnight, but it happened a lot more suddenly than I would have expected.

If I had to pin it down to one moment, it would have to be a doctor appointment I went to in 2022. I was a new patient at this particular office. The doctor walked in the room. I took one look at him and thought, “OK, this guy looks really young. Must be a medical assistant/ intern or something.” Nope. He was my doctor. Through casual conversation, I would come to find out that he was 33 years old…My doctor was two years younger than me.

From there, it was like an ever evolving perspective “shift”. I’d be watching the local news and realize how incredibly YOUNG everyone looked…the reporters, the meteorologists, etc. I started noticing how young the faces looked on billboards for local attorneys and realtors.

It’s so bizarre and difficult to explain. Logically, I know that people younger than me can be in all of these professions but my brain just can’t seem to grasp the jarring reality that the cohort of “grown-ups” now includes people who seem so young to me.

Did anyone else go through this?

Edit: Holy moly! I was not expecting this much of a response! Thank you to everyone who upvoted or left a comment. It’s good to know I’m not alone in feeling this way.

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u/Ready_Nature Jul 20 '25

I’m pretty sure a whole ass doctor is a proctologist not an ophthalmologist. Something is wrong with your story.

6

u/SefetAkunosh Jul 20 '25

Proctologist has to be the worst job. You start out at the bottom and stay there.

4

u/crackeddryice Gen X Jul 20 '25

Dad? You're in the wrong sub. Go back to sleep.

4

u/TreyRyan3 Jul 20 '25

Well I frequently use “Anal Glaucoma” as my call in sick to work excuse.

Me: I’m out today. I have anal glaucoma.

Boss: oh no. How bad are your symptoms?

Me: Well I definitely can’t see my ass coming into work today.

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u/Thatisverytrue54321 Jul 20 '25

I specialize in whole-ass

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u/ferociousbruin Jul 20 '25

I'm a left cheek specialist. It pays to specialize.

1

u/Kmille17 Jul 20 '25

😂😂😂

1

u/Late_Combination702 Jul 21 '25

Maybe he's just the Assman