Hands up if you’re stressed out. Yep, the 20s are a rough patch for everyone: we’re figuring out how to ‘adult’ and sometimes it gets overwhelming.
Stress. Photo by Tim Gouw from Pexels
A quarter-life crisis is a thing. According to British psychologists, about 86% of us experience it to some degree.
Psychologist Alex Fowke defines it as “a period of insecurity, doubt and disappointment surrounding your career, relationships and financial situation”.
Here are three ways I think you can manage during the turbulence.
1. Adjust your expectations
This doesn’t mean give up completely, but be realistic. Often our despair and frustration comes from unrealistic expectations crashing into reality. Everyone starts somewhere, and if you’re in your 20s, this usually means from scratch.
In her soul-seeking blog Compassion Fix, Ginger says: “Instead of beating yourself up for not being where you envisioned yourself in your career at age 28, look at how far you have come and how much you have accomplished in other regards.”
2. Be wary of how you use social media
Don’t do it! You know, the thing where you dive into people’s Instagram feeds, obsess over their perfectly curated life, and get upset that your life sucks compared to theirs?
People are always going to post their absolute highlights, and you are going to make your insecurities far worse by wishing for the life they ostensibly have.
3. Chat with diverse people
Engage with people from all ages, cultures and walks of life. This way, you will experience how different everyone’s journey is, and how much room for change and growth there is in life. This should help you trust the timing and processes of your own life, and stop beating yourself up about not being where you planned to be at this age.
