Turning 20 is one of those moments that send you into a spiral of anxiety about what comes next.
You are technically not a teenager anymore but still not an adult. You are just at an awkward stage, waiting to pass until you are a legal adult.
But what makes being 20 such a troubling time period? Let alone your 20s.
I think we all felt that liberating moment where we were thinking to ourselves about what we had to look forward to during our 20s. But we have also had that sinking moment where we feared for what will come in the next 10 years.
These moments are important to our transition into our 20s and shouldn’t be frowned upon!
After I turned 20, I started constantly thinking about what I wanted to achieve in the next couple of years. And then, I went through the whole overthinking process of “what if?”.
The “what if’s” are what gave me issues sleeping at night. I could not help but feel this immense amount of stress trying to figure out how I was going to make my 20s the best years of my life where I accomplish everything and more.
It was not until recently that I decided to shift my anxious thoughts into optimism.
I spent so much time being fixated on predicting my future and the steps I would have to take to fulfill my picture-perfect dreams that I became unhappy and stressed all the time. I became my worst critic when it came to school work, personal development, and my image as an older sister.
I always thought that I had to maintain this pristine image of being a young adult that had their shit together.
But let’s “BFFR”, because your 20s are a time of trial and error. It’s inevitable not to run into any mishaps or mistakes.
I slowly built that acceptance that my progress in my 20s may differ from the other people that are in their 20s, and most importantly that everyone works at different paces. There is no reason to be in that constant competitive mindset where you feel like you need to catch up with everyone else.
Let’s ditch that toxic competitive mindset and fixate on our own progress. There is nothing wrong with focusing on ourselves.
Our 20s are really a sacred time that we should make the most out of and enjoy the journey it will take us on. As SZA once said, “Good luck on them 20-somethings.”
What are some of your favorite memories you’ve made in your 20s? Let us know! @HerCampusSJSU