Does anyone else just not give a shit about their health anymore?

The thing is, when you live in an unhealthy manner, you won't just live with minor symptoms of it, before your body just has enough and dies immediately. You will have to face the long time consequences for decades. If you decide to do so at the age of 17 or 20, and find a romantic partner later, you might see things differently by the time you notice how your health degraded.
I'm obviously not trying to get you to live healthy - you do you. But in my experience, not caring about your future self will just make it even harder when it becomes your present self - and on top of that global recession, famine, wars, diseases and whatnot now you will also have to deal with an achy foot, constant coughing or crippling depression. For a long time.

I think I'd be perfectly fine living up to the age of... idk, 50, as long as I'm living happy and as long as I die happy and painlessly. That is literally all that matters to me.
If your life is so miserable, why would you want to live a long one? You'd rather end it as soon as possible because it's the ultimate escape from horrors. It's why when given the opportunity to have immortality, hypothetically, I always, and I mean ALWAYS, say no.
As for health itself, well... it's your body, do whatever you want with it. I don't care. My only advice is be careful out there when you do get ill.

In Italy, our most famous Holocaust survivor, Primo Levi, in his book recounting his days in Auschwitz tells of a man who would spend all his cigarettes on the black market to get some soap and shower every day.
Asked about why, he tells that you not taking care of yourself and your body is what Nazis want to achieve: to turn you in the animal they can exploit to the last drops of blood and sweat.
Taking care of yourself is the first Resistance against Fascism and all those who are against unconditional respect for Humanity.
Take care, Brother.
- Beautiful comment ✊

I am father to a 10 year old, so yes I care very much.

You don't have hobbies you'd like to be healthy or sane to keep enjoying?
For one I would drop social media time... That's where the toxicity gathers.

Tell me you’re young and reasonably healthy without telling me yadda yadda
There comes an age where health is not a matter of choice. You do it or you suffer whatever years you stay alive, which can be surprisingly long. If you’re healthy for your age, don’t squander it, you will regret it as early as your 50s, if not a bit sooner.
You’ve heard 30-somethings joke about bad knees and back pain? That’s nothing, chump. You’ll know it when even sleeping hurts.
- My health's terrible, idgaf. This world is burning and a longer time here isn't a benefit

No. I don't care about living long, but do care about feeling good, and figure I have a body and might as well take care of it. Not obsessive by a long shot but eat well, exercise, sleep. All that feels good.

What's worse than living in a dystopia? Living in a dystopia with a major medical issue.
- What's worse than living in ,~~a dystopia~~ the US? Living in ~~a dystopia~~ the US with a major medical issue.
  As someone with one, I concur.
  
  Why did you cross out what he wrote then write the same thing?
- I know a fascist dystopia isn't quite the same thing, (except in HL2, where you get both), but the thing going through my mind is "rule #1: cardio" from Zombieland.
- This isn't hyperbole, this is reality verbally.
  -MC Paul Barman
  
  Define hyperbole for us, please.

I enjoy being able to do physical activity, to be able to run, and enjoy life while I have it. Why would I actively want to be unable to do anything I enjoy?

Spoken like a very young person. The problem is not as much the dying as what comes before it. Most people don't just drop dead. For most unhealthy people, it is years and years of suffering from various ailments as soon as you get to a certain age.
- For most unhealthy people, it is years and years of suffering from various ailments as soon as you get to a certain age.
  I'll execute plan B: KMS 🙃
  
  Hey can I DM you? I have seen you around and I know you're going through a lot but if you want to talk to someone about this stuff who gets it please feel free to reach out, we can work on this stuff together :)
  
  I feel you tbh but be aware these aren't normal or mentally healthy thoughts to be having even when things are this fucked
  
  Bro get therapy, we aren't your therapist. If you feel this way, neglecting yourself is the exact OPPOSITE of what you should be doing
  
  I must add to what Flax sad: most people here can't be your therapist, I for one have zero qualifications for that

I used to think like this... Nothing worked for me, so I said I don't care.
Later I discovered how easy it is to be healthy, doesn't even require much exercise, just a simple eating pattern. My health improved tremendously, and life is better.
Now I really care about my health, because I feel in control of my health.
Live long and die fast: healthy people don't have long drawn out painful deaths, unhealthy people suffer for years and years before they kick the bucket. Healthspan is something under our control.

I've had similar thoughts, too, but as I get older, being extremely fat just isn't something I can continue doing. Having back pain and requiring a nap every day after work just ruined my quality of life too much, and I'm only in my early 30s.

As someone who is handicapped through no fault of my own, it fills me with sorrow that you feel this way. Self-harm through neglect is no way to live.
My handicap initially left me with no way to walk for nearly 2 years. No doctor would touch my case. My kid literally could not hug me. I was dependent on so many people during that time and could barely take care of anyone else.
I cannot tell you what to do.. but I'm probably not going to live very long anyway (thank you, genetics!), so I'd like to encourage you to find purpose. I found my purpose in creation by sewing, and it brings me overwhelming joy. My goal is to continue creating things to spread that joy to others.
If that doesn't convince you, please know this: there are evil, shitty people in power out there who revel in your self-destruction and actively want you to destroy yourself. Please do not let them win. Continue to do your best in order to spite them and help people who aren't so fortunate.

Becoming healthy is tough and can suck. But being healthy is its own reward. I really enjoy eating clean, lifting weights, going on hikes in nature, etc. You can find joy in life through healthy living. YMMV if you don't have the right attitude though ¯(ツ)_/¯

Eat heathy, and live a long life? Jesus christ, who has the energy for that?
my energy isn't a magic spell. it comes from my habits, diet, sleep, and social support network. I do my best to cultivate each of these. when I lived in a toxic place, I moved. my government is still evil (as it was last year) but sometimes, on good days, it seems like people are starting to wake up. that would be very consequential.
I'm not perfect; I am drinking too much. so yeah I do get where you're coming from. I used to drink too much soda, too, but it was not actually all thatdifficult to cut down from 3 a day to one a month. all my brain needed was one soda to look forward to, didn't really matter when it was. and then once I got to that point, I was feeling sooo much better that there was a very clear mental map from drink-soda to feel-like-ass.
- I tried this for a bit last year, but couldn't hack the social support network part and everything else steadily degraded afterward, I just couldn't see the point. Now I'm back in a very deep hole tbh it doesn't look like I can get out

I can’t disagree that things are shit, but that’s not a reason to treat yourself like shit. Even if you don’t have a long life, going to the grave with tense af shoulders isn’t comfortable either. If you’re able, stretching and walking in the sunshine will at least add some comfort. Nothing is good but that’s no excuse to be an accelerationist to destroy your body.

Just the opposite.
With the potential of medical expenses rising, medication costs going up, insurance becoming shittier (if you'll be able to afford it at all), staying healthy to continue to earn a paycheck (that is a depressing phrase), the potential of wide spread violence, I think its imperative to be as healthy and strong as you can be.
You may also find yourself in a position where you're the only one you can count on and if you are sickly, and weak then it will make things that much worse. Or you may find yourself in a position to help someone that has less ability to move and you'll need to be in good health for their sake.
- Good points!

Take it from someone who agreed with you 30 years ago: the health you ignore today will only cause you more pain, more stress, and more cost down the road. Even if you don't live a long life, what life you do live will be a lot harder to enjoy if you're not healthy.

Trust me. Being healthy feels great. In my early twenties I used to do all the drugs, smoked and drank every day. I didn't have any obvious health issues, but I can tell you now, that being fit and healthy feels so much better. I used to feel pretty miserable, but now I feel like I can do anything. Self care is important for self love. You can still be happy, even with all the shit going on, but you need to look after yourself.

Maybe my next incarnation will be better.
If I have to live a whole 'nother life after this one, I'm gonna be pissed.
- For real if the tunnel closes and I wake up as a baby I'm gonna wrap the umbilical around my neck and then spin around a few times.
  
  The mythology of how it is supposed to work is that you get a mindwipe before the reincarnation.
  And who said anything about being human again? You could also end up a roach that gets squished, then reborn as some insect that gets eaten, then reborn as a pet that gets abused... etc...
  So yea, thanks Buddhists, I'm feeling wonderful 🫠 (sarcasm)

You only live once, so you should try to make your only life as good as you can.
And living with health problems - even if that meant you would have a shorter life - can suck much more than if you just lived without them.

I disagree 100%.
If you're an American, in this health care system, you've got to be minding your health as much as possible. It can get much, much, much worse.

Being healthy improves your mood. Might as well be happy for whatever time we have left.

Can't plan on "this incarnation - that incarnation" level without becoming conscious enough, and that mostly requires hell lot of work, which requires healthy stable body among other things.
But back to the source problem: there are still people who are not toxic. Seems like you are too, and you just staying alive does matter. Live that long for others who come after you, if not for anything else

My brother just had his prostate removed, can't eat or leave his apartment for a week, and he'll probably never have a full-on erection again. My wife had to do dialysis three days a week, which left her weak and ruined after every session. A friend of mine is in pain 24/7, and has been for decades.
I am the luckiest fucker on earth, to have good health, and I've never done a damned thing to deserve it. For 50 years I ate almost nothing but crap food, and I'm flabby and never exercise.
Ain't no justice in this life. Ain't much life if you don't have your health.
- Sounds like warren buffet, whose health conscious ex-wife died and Warren is still alive drinking coca-cola, eating McD breakfast and steaks.
  I think genetically some people are blessed with a body that is just very good at repairing the damage (maintenance) from so called unhealthy food.

I've started running and hiking a lot more recently, and while it might be ultimately meaningless, it does a lot to help my mental health and it just feels good.
- Also drastically improved overall energy levels all day for me.

The problem is that humans tend to be adaptable and resilient. Treating yourself like crap probably won't kill you anytime soon. But a heart attack will make you miserable for the rest of your life.
I don't mean miserable as in you wish you'd never met her let alone married her. I mean miserable as in you can't sit up anymore because of the vertigo, and you can't lay down anymore because it hurts to cough.

All unhealthy stuff doesn't taste good anymore though. The fun of getting drunk doesn't compensate for how hangovers are worse and longer. Cigarettes taste like ass and don't give me the kick I used to get. The fuck you mean, "just eat whatever", the slop us Americans make ain't worth shoving into my mouth.

I’ve absolutely have been stress eating. And I’m supposed to be having a friendly competition with my best friend to lose 20 pounds. She is stress eating too. Neither is winning right now.
- you aren't losing, either.
  
  Ha!
  
  Drum snare

This isn't really a question, but I'll respond with my experience.
As a kid I had a mother that was incredibly health conscious. She always fed me "alternative" foods with strong flavors. It instilled a hatred for health foods in me, but it also changed my taste buds to have a particular distaste for sweet foods.
I am now in my 30s. I still eat healthy. I don't binge eat. I stay away from overly salty foods. And guess what. My health is still a mess. I get what feels like food poisoning all the time. A lot of foods still make me sick.
At some point you need to realize that eating healthy is not always a solution. Healthy foods do not work for everybody, whether it be a severe dislike of the taste or allergies to the additives that are frequently required to make health food taste good. I have begun thinking it is better to have too many nutrients than not enough. It is better to drink a lot of juice loaded with sugar than it is to be dehydrated.
I would rather live a happy life for 40 years than an unhappy one for 80, especially given the current direction of politics and the fact I am now 50% microplastics.
In the end, you need to find out what works best for you and what makes you the happiest version of yourself.
- You sure you're not just eating poorly and thinking you're eating healthy? There's a significant amount of misinformation in nutrition, on par with climate denialism.
  
  That is almost a given. There is a lot of disagreement on what healthy food looks like, and a lack of foundational research on health outcomes of different diets long term.
  Healthy food for different populations is the food that sustains health, even if that food by itself isn't universally healthy for all humans. Dairy, Gluten allergies, etc. There are many foods that some people can tolerance, but not all people can tolerate. Western diet and first nations people don't often mix well.
  Even in the health research space, there is considerable, and acerbic disagreement on what is healthy vs just tolerated. For individuals its even more blurry, there are many religious, philosophical, and cultural reasons people maintain a food bias for.
  A elimination diet protocol is the single best tool a individual can use to find out what is causing them problems. Get down to the very bare minimum of nutrition (meat, salt, water), stabilize for a few weeks, then reintroduce foods very slowly until they are able to identify what they cannot tolerate.
  
  There are also plenty of reasons “healthy” foods might absolutely fuck with your health, even if you’re not eating a ridiculous amount of them. For example whole wheat is a perfectly fine food to have in your diet, unless you have celiac disease and don’t realize it yet.

Yup. Almost succeeded in having a stroke. It was caught. Better luck next time I suppose.

Holy shit there's so much ableism in these comments. @op you apparently stepped on some toes with this hot take

I care about my health but I also can’t wrap my head around being old

I can think of some things. The first is that there's a real chance that, if you are living an unhealthy lifestyle, it is likely actively fueling the depressed-sounding state of mind you seem to be in. I know when things seem hopeless it's hard to want to try, but it's the successes in small decisions like that which can help us claw our way out of these pits.
The next is that relying on the "next incarnation" is wishful thinking that, I think there is a stronger case to be made that it's more likely to be disappointing than it is an improvement. We don't know how many realities there are, we don't know how many of them we would ever see (or if we could ever see others) after death, or whether or not there is anything of "us" after death to experience anything in the future. But if we're seeing the one world we do know is there, getting worse, then whatever else there is or what we can experience, we now know the total amount of them has gotten worse by this much. Put into more simple terms, we lay in the bed we make. What if you reincarnate/rebirth into a factory-farmed cow for example? There's only one sure-fire way to reduce the odds of that happening - making the choices that lead to fewer factory farmed cows coming into existence.
Death is not an escape. There is no escape. The only way out is through.
Then the other thing that has fueled some of my own decisions, is that we promote what we do, to others. If I were to smoke cigarettes for example, I would be making it more likely that those in my life, the people I care about, would be more likely to also start smoking. From that point of view, literally every choice we make has consequences that probably shouldn't be taken lightly.

Maybe just try to stay reasonably healthy to annoy them. Eating crap leads to obesity and other health issues which make you weak, unhappy, dependent, isolated and (if you live in the US) also poor. Don't let them win by making it easier for them to have power over you.

There is no incarnation, this is the only life you have and it's up to you to make is as good as you can. Externalizing and blaming others for everything does not get you far.
There is no afterlife, no nirvana, no reincarnation, you just sense to exist. Until then make an impression on the universe.
- There is no afterlife, no nirvana, no reincarnation
  Even better. Stop stuffering.
  
  Without suffering, there is no enjoyment. What do you enjoy? What are you grateful for? "Nothing" is a cynical and avoidant answer here, because every person has legitimate answers to these two questions. What are yours?

I do but I can't afford it. So I ignore it. I have a lot of shit I would get looked at if I could. Like some sort of pinched nerve feeling in my abdomen that makes my right boi holler. Or my teeth. Or my back. I'd honestly go for regular checkups if I could.
- I didn't even mention that aspect in my top-level comment because the check engine light is burned out. The systems and access to them were a mess before, and now I'm expecting medicaid cut headlines (and/or dropped people). Which personally, the idea of interrupted treatment makes me more wary than no treatment.
- Last time I got it looked at, mid flair, three doctors said it wasn't that. But they all thought it was that at first. I appreciate it though. Maybe if I ever have the ability to go again (lol) I'll tell 'em to start there.

I admire you for saying what you think. Most of people don't do that and they hide their thoughts fearing "dislikes" . That's why I'm against the upvote down vote system, minority is important too.

I'm healthier and more fit than I've ever been before.
Why in the world would you purposely let your health suffer just because you don't like the government?! What?!
- Depression, fear, and anxiety.
  
  About what tho? The world isn't going to end just because you don't like Trump.

More likely to die happy and enjoy living if you take care of yourself though

I do as well as I can in an enjoyable way to keep myself somewhat stable. Like I've been riding my bike on the trail lately and I enjoy cooking for myself. I'll sometimes drink soda, but honestly I think if the sugar were halved I would probably enjoy it more (or just... some dessert is probably less sugar). Even though I guess subsidies make sugar cheaper than water.
I'll sweep the floor because I don't want to walk on dirt. Though yeah, I'm probably stuck here more than others.
mostly to go outside (with not many good destinations I can viably reach), though I can make it to a local grocery store for a few things
mostly sautéed vegetables, squash/celery/mushrooms/carrots/onions etc, spinach on sandwiches and recently have tried cooking chard

But if you get fat you have to buy new clothes

You sound like you would enjoy the book, The Limits to Growth and its progress checking updates. The models suggest we're in for a very bad time by 2040. The runup seems to have already begun. The neat thing is that the book doesn't even include climate related catastrophe. They're just bonus add on.
- Author name, please?
  
  It was written by multiple MIT professors sponsored by an organization called The Club of Rome. I remember that there were two authors named Meadows. Subsequent updates were by additional people. It has a lot of mathematical models with different parameter assumptions. The 30 year update was by Green, I think.

Well with the climate wars coming I want to be in peak shape to trample everyone else down and take my place as a warlord over as much territory as possible. Can't do that if you're out of shape

Lame. Turn all that negative energy into something useful.

You could live until 100 if you take care. You can still eat what you want in moderation.
- Living til 100 really isn't the motivator some people seem to think it is. I don't want 50 more years of this. I'll take quality of life over quantity.
  
  The good time vs long time idea is a false dichotomy. Unhealthy lifestyles fuel depression and other cognitive disorders. The long life is the happiest life.
  
  What I personally enjoying is more mental so I’ll be okay unless I lose my mind