Is it possible to start out at, let’s say, 20 years and be sharp as a knife. Never forgetting things, never dropping things, always have an answer ready and can do multiple things at once. And then around 30 you suddenly drop stuff you have in your hands, you forget if you locked the door, your contactlenses have gone missing from the storagecontainer, people need to stop talking while you drive?
Oh yes, there’s many things that can cause this as others have said. Stress, sleeplessness, mental problems or illness, and especially physical health and weight. I’m almost 40 and I find I have “degraded” in many ways due mostly to my weight, depression, and diabetes. I lost my balance a lot now, I find I am not as quick witted as I used to be. The main one is my memory. I used to have an encyclopedic memory and do still to some extent, but interactions with people, movie plots, I don’t remember as well anymore. But there’s still so much trivia and knowledge that is just stuck in my brain.
If it happened suddenly this is not normal and you should see a doctor
If it’s happened gradually it might be the result of more stress, less sleep, etc, but you still might want to consider talknig to someone. Conditions like thyroid issues can cause a global reduction in function like that and it can be insidious.
Everyone certainly lose their sharpness with age. But at 30, presuming you didn’t experience something that could cause PTSD or that you are severely sleep deprived, dropping things you are holding is a bit too much. The other signs are not looking good either, some people are a bit like that by default but keyword- by default. They were also forgetful and easy to distract in their 20s too.
I would recommend you get this checked by a professional, see a doctor.
Even of you don’t have a neurological condition causing this, the symptoms are yelling there is something else that is really out of whack- even if it is something “stupid” like lack of sleep or a poor diet, whatever the cause is it deserves to be addressed seriously. Good luck OP.
Bro just discovered the concept of aging 😅
I’ve had clumsy moments as time goes on, and I’ve thought about this before, but in my case I can chalk it up to two big things:
1.) I’ve gained weight, and I believe there’s a correlation between aging and gaining weight. Certain maneuvers are noticeably harder. I seem more top-heavy than in my memories of being younger.
2.) I have KIDS. I have almost died so many times because we’re disorganized and my kids’ crap is EVERYWHERE. I’ve had one broken toe, countless foot bruises, surprise falcon kicks to baby skulls, and several instances of “Why, child, have you crawled under my feet, from behind me, while I briskly walk to the bathroom? Well I don’t want to maim or kill you, so…Guess I’ll die aka avoid putting any weight on that foot and toss my body as far away from theirs as possible during planetfall btw Did you know plastic cups explode if crushed just right?” Likelihood of having kids correlates with age, I assume.
Now…you listed several mental things besides physical. So I guess I’m only speaking to physical clumsiness :P
I’m late 30s. I’ve slowed down a lot since my 20s. Reflexes aren’t anywhere near as sharp, I use to have very quick hands and reflexes. As far as memory, I’m still good at remembering things that I care about but it’s far from the steel trap it use to be. For stuff that’s not things that I care about I have to write it down, I’m still pretty good but I forget stuff now.
It’s certainly possible with neurological problems or just stress or sleeplessness.
