It is official! I am now in my thirties, which sounds a bit crazy to me because I feel like I am still an 18-20 year old to be honest. But I am not the person I used to be when I was 18-20 years old. So many things have changed. I’ve learned so many lessons in my twenties and today I am sharing them with you. Maybe you are still young (or older) and you need to hear these things.
Being in your twenties is a rollercoaster. That is what I can tell you. Especially from the age of 25. When I was 20, I was a student and people my age were too. But then you graduate and suddenly everyone goes their way. One is travelling the world, someone else gets their dream job while other people are starting a family. And sometimes you can feel like you are behind in life when you are not having all those things. But I can tell you one thing and that is there isn’t just one path you can follow in life. Everyone is different. Do what feels good to you. That is the only thing that matters.
Things I’ve learned in my twenties
Don’t burn yourself out
I can sort of laugh about it, but I burned myself out when I was 23 and that was no joke. I was studying full-time, had two jobs and I also had a social life. While I am writing this, I do not understand how I thought that was a great idea. The thing is nobody around me was telling me it was a good idea either. And suddenly I was at home and I couldn’t do anything at all. I had days where I barely could get out of bed because I was feeling so sick. I also got panic attacks and developed a social anxiety disorder. And I still have those moments when I feel anxious. My advice is to listen to your body because you don’t want to waste months or even years. After all, you did too many things.
Having fun is the most important thing
I studied economics at university and the reason I decided to study this was that my family was telling me that I should pick something that would give me job opportunities. They never told me to follow my heart. So I am the one who is going to tell you to follow your heart. I did something I did not like for years and that burned me out. I think I would not have gotten that burnout if I did something I enjoyed doing. Do something you can do for hours and hours. Find out what your passions or hobbies are and find out what kind of jobs you can do with them.
Stop wasting time online
I think I was 21 when I got my first smartphone, everyone else already had one. At first, I used it for school (WhatsApp). But suddenly you had Instagram and all of those other apps and you were spending a lot of time online. I can admit I was addicted to my phone. I spent my whole day on my phone, even during classes. But then I sort of woke up and realized what I was doing. Instead of doing something fun, I was spending time on my phone. Yes, you can still upload a photo or TikTok video if you want to, but please don’t waste too much time. Don’t spend hours on your phone every single day. It is not worth it and your mental health will be better without spending so much time online.
There is no right way to live your life
As I mentioned before, everyone follows their path after graduation. And sometimes, especially when you spend a lot of time online, it can feel like you are doing something wrong or you are behind in life. There is no such thing as being behind in life. Everyone is different, so it makes sense if everyone is doing something else at 25. Whatever you doing right now, is good as long it brings you joy.
You are not old
Another thing I’ve learned is that turning 30 is not a big deal. I still feel like an 18-year-old. It is mostly a mindset. We think that turning 30 is old and it is the end of our lives, but you are still young. You can still follow your passions when you are in your sixties. You will only regret it when you don’t do it. So you are still so young. Don’t worry too much about getting older. Because at 20, I had no idea what I wanted and now I have a vision of where I want to go in life.
Photo by Steffan Mitchell on Unsplash