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How do YOU feel about getting older?
By Emily Ratay — Written on Feb 18, 2019
Not everyone is a fan of celebrating their birthday. You might not even have anything against getting older, but when it comes to having a big party, everyone knowing that it’s your birthday, the singing, all of it – you might clam up a bit.
Like, yeah, yeah, I know it’s my birthday, let’s keep it on the DL, okay? If this doesn’t sound like you, then you’re probably on the other side of the spectrum. The side that looooves getting dressed up, receiving gifts, putting all of the fabulous pictures on Instagram, the whole nine yards.
Don’t get me wrong, birthdays are supposed to be fun. They’re a celebration of YOU, after all! But they are also celebrating one year older, which can be hard for some of us to face. Getting older is often equated with getting sick, slowing down, and moving on.
It can be stressful and overwhelming to think about all of these things because no matter what your horoscope sign is, we all want our lives to be as exciting, happy, and memorable as possible. But it’s not fair to focus on the negative connotations of getting older.
Growing up means opening yourself up to new experiences and opportunities, meeting amazing new people and creating connections, and proving to people that you’re not done kicking butt yet.
Maybe you have no problem with the getting older part; you just don’t want to be the center of attention!
Or you just like having your birthday because, hello, free drinks and presents! Whatever your reasoning is, you’re not alone in it. Each zodiac sign feels differently about their birthday, whether they see it as a good thing or something to sleep through and hope happens quick.
I also know I’m not the only zodiac sign that loves showering my BFFs with gifts and drinks and food for their birthdays, and generally make them a big deal, but want to keep things low-key for myself. Maybe there’s just too much pressure surrounding birthday and the expectation of fun.
While it’s normal for people to get anxious and even depressed about getting older when their birthday comes, taking a few notes from a handful of zodiac signs who know how to celebrate getting older the right way might be exactly what you need to start enjoying growing up.
Here are the zodiac signs who dread getting older and never want to age vs. the ones who can’t wait for their next birthday, and try to grow up too quickly, according to astrology.
1. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarius hates the thought of getting older because it means less and less time for her to enjoy life. I know, it sounds morbid, but Sagittarius is the kind of zodiac sign who lives for the here and now. She doesn’t want to think about the future! It’s way too scary.
Plus, if we’re being honest here, Sagittarius has never been one to want to settle down or make commitments for her future. Thinking about her next birthday reminds her that she’s kind of just doing her own thing without much structure.
While she might not have a problem with that, other people want her to grow up or be more mature and start settling for things, which she is totally not down with.
2. GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
The reason why Gemini always looks like she’s having so much fun is because she never lets herself worry about the things that aren’t going on right now. She doesn’t really pine for her past, but she certainly doesn’t like thinking about the future much, either.
Gemini dreads her next birthday because it’s just another unfriendly reminder that, when she really thinks about it, she’s nowhere near ready to grow up. Growing up comes with a lot of responsibility and sacrifice, and Gemini would much rather live untethered and unbothered. She thinks of birthdays like a not-so-subtle alarm clock, reminding her that things will eventually have to change.
3. PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
Pisces has some pretty mixed feelings about getting older. On the one hand, she can be very wise and excited about all of the good things to come. On the other hand, she can build up an idea of what the future will hold that has no way of actually being true for her.
Pisces has a big imagination, and she wants to be able to follow her dreams without regret. She might say that she’s excited to celebrate another birthday, but when things don’t turn out as perfectly as she hoped they would, it can disappoint her into not wanting to look forward to anything the future has in store for her. She needs to focus on what could go right instead of worrying about what could go wrong.
4. AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
Aquarius doesn’t like to think about the future because she still has a lot of things she wants to finish today. In fact, it can really make her panic if she thinks too much about how close her next birthday is because it means she’s getting close to finishing another year.
Aquarius has a lot on her plate, and a lot more on her to-do list, that she isn’t ready to celebrate the beginning of another year. One of her biggest fears is living with regret, but worrying about everything she hasn’t done yet is really only her way of getting a head start on feeling that regret. What she needs is a strong support group who can keep her head in check so that she can finish everything she wants to do in life and more.
5. SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)
Scorpio has never been one to love being the center of attention, so it’s rare that she will want to celebrate her birthday for that exact reason. Unless you’re in her inner circle, you might not even know that it’s her birthday.
On top of that, she might start to feel worried that she hasn’t adequately learned from her mistakes to get older. Whenever she thinks of growing up, she thinks about how she should already know how to do certain things, handle specific situations, and be adult-like, when in reality, life is one huge learning curve. It can freak her out if she feels like she isn’t ready, but honestly Scorpio, no one is ready.
6. CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
Cancer is one of those zodiac signs that are known for being empaths, which means that she often sees what happens to people as they get older. She might not know exactly what she wants out of life just yet, but she definitely knows she doesn’t want to end up unhappy or unfulfilled.
Cancer doesn’t really dread her birthday, but it can be overwhelming to know that she’s getting older. That said, even though she can get stressed out thinking about the future, she’s equally excited about making the most out of getting older. It might take her a while to find her confidence, but once she does, she ages with grace.
7. ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
Aries’ spontaneous and impulsive nature might make her seem like she’s not totally ready to grow up yet, but she really just wants to make sure she can still live a thrilling life, even when she’s older.
Aries doesn’t hate her birthday, but thinking about the future can make her a little nervous all the same. Really, she just wants to make sure that she’s prepared for whatever life throws at her. But you know her – that nervousness doesn’t last very long. Aries loves a challenge and celebrating another birthday is just the Universe’s way of letting her know there’s another challenge out there for her to conquer.
8. LEO (July 23 - August 22)
Leo loves looking forward to her next birthday because it’s an entire day that is devoted to celebrating her – plus, presents, cake, and champagne! If you ask her, every holiday deserves a huge celebration, but this one especially since it’s just for her.
Leo looks forward to the future because she knows that the best is yet to come. That said she doesn’t want to feel like her curiosity and thrill for life has peaked already. She wants to know that she’ll always be thriving long into adulthood. Thinking about the future can give her pause, but only for a second before she realizes that she’s got this.
9. LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
Libra doesn’t often get much credit for how hard she works to have the very best things in life (they don’t just fall into her lap), but she does. Life is about learning what’s important and what’s not, and Libra wants to know that she’s made all the right decisions for herself.
Libra looks forward to her birthday when she finally has something real to look forward to. She has learned from her mistakes, she knows what she wants out of life, and she’s willing to put in the hard work to get it.
Libra doesn’t shy away from anything that requires her to roll up her sleeves for because she knows the end result is always worth it. In other words, bring on the birthdays!
10. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus is one of those zodiac signs that just can’t wait to grow up. There’s just something about living life on her own terms that makes Taurus dream of the day she gets to own her own place, have a family, and yes, even be in charge of her own finances.
Taurus is no stranger to hard work. She knows that if there’s something she wants in life, she has to be winning to work hard for it. But that’s okay with her. Taurus loves having a sense of responsibility and feeling like she’s in charge of something. She often counts down the days until her next birthday because she knows it’ll come with even more responsibility and growing up.
11. VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
Virgo is an old soul – she’s been a grown up ever since she was born. It’s why she has a hard time relating to people her own age – she much prefers to have a deep conversation with someone who has experienced so much more than her.
Virgo loves the thought of continuing to learn from life as she gets older. And as for her birthday, bring it on. The best is yet to come for her. She knows that she can only succeed even more from here, so she doesn’t even bat an eye when she says goodbye to one year and hello to another one. For her, it’s just another year full of possibility.
12. CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
Capricorn is one of those zodiac signs (maybe the ONLY zodiac sign) who will never peak. Year after year, she just seems to be getting better with age, succeeding even more at life, and making more goals.
Capricorn works hard because she wants to show everyone what she’s made of. Everything she puts her mind to is an investment – you won’t catch her doing things that are meaningless or boring because they’re not a part of her multi-year plan for success. Watch out for her: she’ll be the one you want to look up to if you’re ever worried about the future. She’ the a holy grail of wisdom.
Emily Ratay is a full-time writer living in Pittsburgh. She's passionate about the environment and feminism, and knows that anything is possible in the right pair of shoes. She plans on writing a non-fiction book in the future.