Adulthood is hard.
That’s my standard response when people ask me how life is going.
The usual remarks to this are, “but you’re still a baby” or “these are meant to be the best years of your life” and my favourite of course, “enjoy it now because it’s only downhill from here”.
The fact that I’m 22 years old and find myself feeling burnt out half the time is a problem.
I used to look at other people my age and try and figure out where I was going wrong.
Was I not sleeping enough? Was I eating the wrong things? Socialising with the wrong people?
How did everyone seem to have their life together except me?
After a heart-to-heart with a few friends we all came to the same conclusion.
Nobody actually has their entire life together – they’re just better than we are at making it seem that way.
Once you can understand and process your own emotions, navigating through life’s hurdles becomes slightly easier.
Photo:Pixabay
Life after university was a whole different ball game for me.
Trying to juggle a job, gaining my independence, understanding how taxes work, planning a financial future, maintaining a social life, figuring out what we’re having for supper, worrying about the well-being of my family and dealing with that one person who’s always asking me why I’m not married yet – a real mind boggle, let me tell you.
Adulthood is hard.
One thing I’m certain about is that life inside of school and even university is to an extent, very sheltered.
In as much as it can be difficult, it still comes with some sort of safety net.
Adulthood on the other hand, is hard.
As I got older I started seeing how naïve I was about the struggles my parents must have gone through.
Anyway, moving on from this sob story, there are a few things that entering my twenties have taught me.
If anything, these lessons have made for a happier and peaceful life so far.
1. Comparison really is the thief of joy
If I’ve learnt anything it’s that comparing myself to others is counter-productive. If you’re going to compare yourself to anyone, let it be you.
Everybody has been dealt different cards, we have different backgrounds and different commitments. If somebody your age is seemingly further ahead in life than you, it does not mean that you are meant to be at that level too.
Just run your own race.
2. Friends come and go, but the real ones will always remain
Some people are only meant to be in your life for a certain period of time.
There was a point in my teen years where I thought I had to maintain relationships/friendships just because I knew the person, even for a little while.
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I wish I realised how unnecessary that was. It would have saved me a lot of time.
My point is that you shouldn’t have to force friendships or feel obliged to always keep in touch with people who you don’t actually have anything in common with.
Rather focus and maintain relationships that you know are genuine and worry about those who worry about you.
Real friends don’t have to speak to each other everyday to know that their bond is still strong.
You will always be able to pick up from where you left off – regardless of the distance or time gone by.
3. Getting older really isn’t fun
Why does my body get sore all the time?
Why is there always so much cleaning to be done? Where does all the dust come from?
I can’t even party like I used to (not that I should be anyway because of the pandemic). I value my sleep too much. Besides, my recovery time has gone from one hour to one day.
Life is a grind and whether it will get easier, I do not know. What I do know is that all I can do is handle it in the best way that I can.
Other things I do know, are that it’s hard to save money, relationships make you crazy, curtains are expensive, there’s always time for a cup of tea and people will never stop asking me when I’m getting married.
Adulthood is hard.
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