[gregarious_introvert]

It's a little late for me to worry about getting old or looking old (there is an old man who lives in mirrors and follows me around, he is never there when I'm not near a mirror!), but yes, I did worry a lot about the future - even though, for most of my life, I thought I wouldn't have one (I am surprised that I have survived as long as I have - and that I intend to survive a lot longer). I've been very lucky in that I don't have any age-related medical conditions (I have a hernia, but don't consider that age-related and I've got so used to it that I forget it's there), although I am carrying a couple of stones too much weight.

I don't have a partner (she did get fed up with me!) or any friends, so I don't have any concerns in that respect; I used to worry about losing jobs (which I managed to do all too frequently) but now am reconciled to not working and finding other ways to use my time productively. In terms of financial security, I am happy to have more money coming in than going out (although I do worry slightly that about the next reassessment of my benefits, but as that is two-and-a-half years away, I'll worry about that closer to the time) and having "owned" my own home in the past, I find renting far less stressful (although it helps that I am in social housing, so far more secure than someone renting privately). I don't have pets as I live alone and have nobody to take care of them when I'm not at home and it's too late now for me to contemplate having children.

My main worry is that I will die in my bungalow and nobody will discover the body until flies swarm at the window; I think life events have removed every other worry I could possibly have, but mindfulness (even though I don't practice it as fully as I should) has helped immensely, helping me to live in the moment, rather than the past or the future (of course, I have less future than most people on this forum - but more past!).

I think it's sensible to safeguard against future health problems by exercising body and mind, but beyond that, I think worrying is more likely to make things happen than not, so try to enjoy the life you have and work towards the things you want. You're not much more than half my age, sillypenguin, so it's only natural that you would have more concerns about your future career and financial security, but changes just take us down different paths which may not be any better or worse than the one we were on. I've made so many mistakes over the years, my life has been nothing like I envisaged when I left university clutching a piece of paper which I hoped would safeguard my future (it didn't!) but despite all the false starts, heartaches, despair and everything else which seemed disastrous at the time, I've found a place in life where I'm happy - and that's in no small part because I learned to stop worrying.