Not considering age, everyone grows older differently. Some mature before others and some just stay young for a long long time. Many people are mentally older than their physical age, while just as many are younger. Here are 8 signs that tell you if you are older than you think:

1. Wanting To Have Alone Times

Remember when you needed to hang out with your friends all the time? Remember when you thought you could never leave your other half, even for just a day? Now, you don't even feel bad about declining an invitation to a night out drinking just to go grocery shopping alone.

2. Taking Personal Finance Seriously

Most of us spent our parents' money when we were younger. We don't feel the pain trying to earn that money so we don't feel the pain spending it. We had huge expenses and tiny savings. But now, even spending RM10 on a meal needs a second thought. Considering the commitments we're taking on - car loans, mortgages, groceries, bills, personal finance is no longer a joke.

3. "Lowering The Bar" For A Partner

A lot of young people and wild and over-the-top expectations for the soulmates and partners just because they've been watching too much drama on television. As we grow older, we realize that the truth is nobody's perfect. We also realize that maybe finding someone who is rich, tall, and handsome isn't as important as finding someone that loves and respects you for who you are.

4. Staying Up Late Is History

"The night is still young", does that sound familiar? You might've been used to staying to 2am or 3am in the morning at the karaoke, chatting at the mamak stalls, but now you start yawning at 10pm and have to be in bed latest by 12am. Do you feel your body getting much more tired after a late night compared to the past?

5. Spending More Time With Family

Back then, we just want to spend as much time as we can with our friends, so much as to go on more vacations with friends than with our family members. We used to take our family members for granted. But, as we get older, we start to prioritize time spent with our family members. Holidays will feel better spent going home to our family than going on vacation with our friends.

6. Prefers To Stay At Home

Pandemic and movement control orders aside, whenever there's a public holiday, you might no longer feel excited for a one-day roadtrip. Instead, the idea of staying at home, reading, laying about, and having a homecooked meal seems like the perfect day. Staying with what's comfortable becomes more exciting than discovering something new.

7. No Longer Dive Head First

When young blood was coursing through our veins, we dive into just about anything head first. But, as we get older, we start thinking (sometimes overthinking) before doing. We consider consequences and effects. In other words, we've gained more sense of responsibility.

8. Live For Yourself

Judgements and criticisms used to knock us down so much. We use to overthink and over-care about what people think about us. As time passes and we mature, we start becoming "more selfish". We learn to listen to ourselves, do what makes us a happy and not have a care in the world. Of course, that only applies to good and lawful things!

So, how many of these apply to you? If more than half seems to describe you, you're probably much older mentally than you think you are!