Well hello to you my reader chums! Turning 27 this year, I definitely felt the weight of that pressure that I'm now in my late twenties and the comparison of everyone's lives. It's weird how much everything changes from your early twenties to mid-twenties and late twenties, regarding people's expectations, your own expectations and the pressure to have it all.
There have been many moments this year where I've had the '27 panic'. I'm not entirely sure if it's a common thing but I've heard that 27 is a make-or-break year and I can see why. If you're in your late twenties and feeling like you're not where you're meant to be, here is how to deal with the pressure in your late twenties.
Focus on what you have achieved
In times of self-loathing and picking all the negative things about yourself, you need to refocus on the positive things. These include your personal achievements, who you are what you've achieved. We all have different achievements and you should be proud of what yours are. When I look back, I'm shocked about everything I've done in my twenties; the endless travelling, running two businesses, writing five books, building a marketing career, and a lot of personal growth - it has been a wild road.
Remind yourself that everyone has different priorities and goals
Nobody is the same, that's the beautiful thing about life and the human race. We were born to be different and lead unique lives from each other, that's how we all gain perspective. With that in mind, everyone is different when it comes to achieving goals and reaching the typical milestones society tells us to do in our twenties. You don't need to have achieved everything by this moment and for those who have bought a house or had kids, you've still got time to do that, focus on what you've done and know, they're on a different timeline.
Know that your twenties are incredibly young
I keep having to remind myself that being in your twenties is YOUNG. Why does society tell us we need to do everything in our twenties? Whether that's travel, getting married, having kids or investing. Your twenties is the decade to start figuring out who you are and what adulting is. The decision-making part in your brain doesn't form until you're 25 so why should you need to make any big life-altering decisions before then?
Avoid the social media doom scroll
Social media is toxic in so many ways but especially for comparison. I'm easily swayed when I see someone else doing all these amazing things and almost forget social media is a highlight reel. It's only showing the finished products of achievements, not all the sacrifices and the hard work that went into it.
Know, you don't need to rush - everything comes with time
Stop rushing. Take a step back and enjoy the moment, enjoy the process for that matter. The best things come in time and so should the goals you want to achieve. It feels a little more accomplished knowing you waited and worked hard, rather than rushing everything and feeling stressed. The final product is great but the journeys are what the stories are for - don't forget about the journey as you're too focused on the end goal.
Set attainable goals
The pressure can lead you to think up goals you're unlikely to achieve, creating even more pressure and stress. It's important to set attainable goals for where you are at in life, your income and for what you actually want to achieve (not what society tells you).
Stop comparing yourself to your parents and grandparents
The generations before us used to do everything at a much younger age but that's because times were different, expectations were different, ambitions were different and the economy was different. There's no point in comparing as circumstances were different and you can only work as necessary to achieve your goals in this timeline, not the past.
Your twenties are your first years of adulthood
I saw this video recently which said, age 18 is your year one at adulthood which means in your twenties, you're only a couple of years old in your adult years and it's true. You're living the adult world for the first time, away from the comfort of your parent's direction, earning adult money for the first time and having responsibilities. You're not meant to get this right, you're meant to fail, learn and pick yourself up again.
I hope you enjoyed this post. What other tips would you add?
Thank you for reading <3
Thank you, I also needed that! Im 29 next month, and eh- I have no idea what to do with my life yet 😂 Still with my parents for a number of reasons, no boyfriend or kids just 2dogs and a cat (I dont even want kids, man 🤷🏽♀️) hopefully the third decade gets better! I had also just published a post called #Young Adults Problems, which surely helped with how others had been in the same places as I am.
ReplyDeleteKristina @ books-and-dachshunds.com
Ah! I'm so happy you found this post useful and you can relate to it - being in your twenties is hard xx
DeleteWow, many of the things you mentioned are what I am going through right now. I really agree with your point of view. It’s great~
ReplyDeletehttps://kristen98094.blogspot.com/2023/11/find-direction-of-your-heart-in-your.html