As I have officially entered the adult world in my twenties, I have realized that many of the things I dreamed of doing and being when I was little will only successfully occur once I reteach myself simple things. The simple things which are often considered complex and nuanced consist of self, school, friendships, relationships, knowledge of the world, and much more.
One thing I constantly struggled with once I turned twenty and considered myself an adult was coming to terms with the sometimes daunting fact that being an adult is a full-time job that never ends. Yes, it is possible to lay some burden of adulthood to your parents by asking for advice or help, but when you are seeking a life that you only are able to understand and envision for yourself, it is detrimental to start making decisions for yourself. That process is extremely hard when the values that society enforced on us and the values we grew up with do not align with the life we aim for.
Through the process of adulting, I realized that reteaching yourself and relearning certain aspects of yourself and life was the inevitable part of adulthood that I soon found to be simply beautiful. The moment we have to decide what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want to have, the process of relearning begins. That process consists of long days filled with confusion of the route we’re taking, constant need for change, unsatisfying days and friendships, feelings of wanting to quit and being a failure, restless nights, need for more, and a feeling of being utterly lost. Those moments persist until we begin the sometimes dreadful process of relearning many things taught that hinder the lives we want.
We have to relearn healthy ways to speak to ourselves as we navigate through adulthood when we make many mistakes and find ourselves in situations that don’t often come with guides. We have to relearn different ways to look at the world when we often feel confused and distraught by the events it brings. We have to relearn better and healthier ways to sustain friendships and romantic relationships as we grow to find ourselves in the world and who we want in that world with us. We have to relearn ways to communicate and live with our families as we began the process of building our own. Stepping into adulthood brings many new ways of living and thinking. We are able to build our own world from scratch by relearning everything. We are given the advantage to build an individual and navigate through the world as that individual. Although the process may be harsh and sometimes tiring, the results are promising given they are at your hands.