Older Women Are Sharing The Life Hacks Everyone Needs To Know, And We Should All Be Taking Notes

A few weeks ago, redditor u/secretid89 asked the "older women" of Reddit to share some underrated ways younger folks could take care of themselves now, in anticipation of the future. There were so many great suggestions, so I decided to share them all with you, too.

Well, the older women of the BuzzFeed Community had some life hacks of their own to share, and they're pretty genius if you ask me. Here are 15 of the very best tips and tricks they wish they'd known sooner:

1."Learn what does and doesn't work for your body, and do your best to live that way."

2."Whether it's work, relationships, friendships, etc., it's OK to set boundaries."

"I've talked to so many people this past year who would work through lunches and put in extra hours after everyone else would sign off. And now, most of us are dealing with various stages of burnout. We've made a pact to take our lunch break, sign off at 5, and get back to enjoying the things that make life enjoyable."

—rachelh47434c5a7

3."Talk to trustworthy and compassionate people about body/physical changes as you age, so you know what to expect and that you’re not alone."

"Know these changes are bound to happen, and there is no shame in them. Commiserating and sharing with each other about the changes makes it easier to adjust to them and not be so scared of aging."

—gnomeann

4."Take good care of your teeth. I know routine exams/cleanings can be expensive, but root canals and extractions are even worse and very time-consuming."

5."Stretch! As you get older, you can’t just go hard and do a quick cool down and expect your body to be cool with it."

"I schedule a time now after my workouts to do a cool down and stretch out that takes almost as long as my workout itself. If I don’t, I get injured or am so tight that I can’t workout again for a couple days. I work on endurance, building muscle, flexibility and balance in equal measure now."

—vw71squareback

6."Stop putting in the effort to be polite to pushy people who bulldoze and take advantage of you."

"If they aren't considering your feelings, you're under no obligation to be caretaker of theirs."

—miznortonbuswell

7."Make intergenerational friendships. I see so many young people dread growing older and act like their life is over at a certain age."

8."Keep an eye on the moles you do have, and go to a dermatologist ASAP if they grow or change shape."

"Melanoma is nothing to mess around with. It's better to be safe than sorry."

—P1nkL3m0n4d3

9."Working on managing stress starting TODAY. Try different things until you figure out what works."

"It truly is a silent killer, IMO."

—bronhi

10."You don't have to get married or have children."

11."Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself to your employer."

"I had a death in the family and my employer wanted me to come to work after the funeral was over. I said, 'No. I am going to spend that time with my family.'"

—christig2

12."I'm in dermatology/plastic surgery and my advice to younger women is: PLEASE stop going overboard with fillers. When you plump your face up with these products, eventually it will fade and you will end up with loose, saggy skin. Less is more."

"Lasers for tightening will be much more beneficial to you in the long run."

—elleboogie555

13."Learn how to say no and not feel like a bitch because of it."

NBC

"This goes for everything, from pushy door salesmen, to family, to your partners. When you get that little uncomfortable prickle in your tummy, something is telling you to say NO, so do it. A 'no, thank you' should be good enough. If it's not, double down, do not bend, and DO NOT feel guilty. You're polite the first two, three times and they won't stop? GIVE 'EM HELL."

—witchyribbon84

14."Don't forget to get your living will and Power of Attorney."

"You're never too young to get that done. They can be changed/updated, but it does no good if you up and die and there was nothing."

—kboop2007

15."Read up on and familiarize yourself with employment law. This is something I was NEVER taught in school, and just started doing in the past 10 years."

"Know the names of policies designed to protect you and the varied aspects of your identity. Don't be afraid to use 'serious' language in order to have your boundaries respected. In my career, most major violations and acts of discrimination start as slip-ups from colleagues who — having never researched themselves — make decisions based on their own limited worldview. HR banks on all of us being uninformed to avoid conducting official investigations and bad culture. Now I have the knowledge/language to nip problems in the bud before they develop into something bigger!"

—pugtato

Older women of the BuzzFeed Community, do you have any life hacks like these that we missed? If so, tell us about them in the comments below.

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