If you’ve ever heard the phrase “nasty 19,” turning 19 can be one of the most exciting moments in your entire life. If you’re 19 years old, welcome to the club.
Being 19 is strange. When you’re 19, you’re old enough to vote and pay taxes, but too young to feel like an adult.
For college students, 19 is the year when everything starts to change. You’re figuring out who you are, what you want, and where you belong, all while realizing that your teenage years are slipping away.
There’s a certain sadness that comes with being 19. You start to notice how time moves. Being 18 might have felt like freedom and independence, but being 19 is way more reflective. You really start to look back at your choices and how you have changed as a person.
You might think about how different everything felt a year ago and how quickly people, places, and goals change.
You might feel like half the time, you’re being told you’re “too young” for certain things and “too old” for others. The pressure of growing up gets harder.
The mistakes you make carry more weight and they matter a lot more than they would’ve when you were a child. But at the same time, nothing is really as deep as it seems. As a 19-year-old, I myself constantly feel nostalgia for when times were simpler.
You might catch yourself missing things you didn’t appreciate when you had them, especially someone telling you exactly what to do. It was a lot easier knowing what your day would look like, not having to make decisions on your own, or not having to worry about responsibilities. You were able to live in the moment without overthinking about what’s next.
There’s pressure to know exactly what you want to do with your life once you turn 19. That “one more year” of being a teenager means learning how to say goodbye to the old version of yourself.
Certain days, you might feel ready for the adult world, but other days you might feel like a child pretending to know what you’re doing. This is normal because no one actually has it all figured out.
Even people much older than you are still learning and growing. Life doesn’t come with a timeline you have to follow, so it’s okay to move at your own pace.
Some people might enjoy the freedom to take their own path, but others might feel scared that there is not a designated path for them to take anymore.
There are a lot of mechanisms to succeed when we are younger and to be patted on the back for small things. But once you grow out of your teenage years, you have to make all these decisions and pave your own path.
These decisions teach you how to trust yourself, build confidence, and figure out what really matters to you;
Being 19 doesn’t have to be about rushing toward 20 or grieving the end of your teenage years. You’re allowed to be scared of growing up while still being excited about what’s next.
Try to focus on the small wins and appreciate where you are in life. If you’re not doing well, things will get better. Life has its ups and downs. This is the time where you’ll learn the most about yourself.
Once you’re in your 20s or older, you will definitely look back at 19 with a smile.
How are you feeling about growing up? Scared or excited? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU!