I was led to believe by all the TV sitcoms of the 80s that I'd wake up one day in my 40s, everything would feel totally different, and then I'd take long walks and be thoughtful about stuff, buy an overpriced motorcycle and dye my hair badly. I'm solidly into my 40s and I just worry about climate collapse, becoming homeless, and my partner's health. I honestly wish that becoming less attractive was something worth worrying about.
Boomers thought they'd have even more in the 80s and had ennui. The closest I can come to that is thinking 2008 was rock bottom and slowly realizing how much that crisis was squandered, and it was probably intentional.