Monday, June 26, 2017

The Daily Struggle of Being in Your Early 20s

This is a little different to what I normally share but I feel compelled to write this anyway so here we go...


Being in your 20s is one of the best and worst times of your lives...at least that is the general consensus amongst those wiser and more learned than myself.

But you know what, I have to agree (from my experience so far).

I know a lot of you reading are in your early 20s and probably going through the exact same thing. So I thought I would reach out and share my thoughts so that it might help some of you out there also...


The other day I was battling traffic to work and a line in one of my favourite songs stuck out to me that I hadn't noticed before. It was from Arctic Monkeys 'Love is a Laserquest' and goes something like this... "Do you still feel younger than you thought you would by now, or darling have you started feeling old yet".

It's a real thought provoking one because I feel like that one line perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to be in your 20s.

Basically, you're stuck in between still growing up and being a grown up. It's like - which one is it, make up your mind. Which lends itself to confusion of where you stand in the world and how you should feel, act, look and what you should do.

I was joking with my mum that some days I will be a child and other days I will be an adult. Depends which way the wind is blowing really.

My day either looks like A or B...and this is being terribly embarrassingly honest.

A (adult me)
I wake up at 6am to meditate, get into the gym to do a workout and drink a green smoothie. Then I have a super productive day at work, head into Uni and actively participate. Then drive home, pass golden arches and successfully resist the urge to eat crap, making myself a perfectly balanced home made meal. I'll go have a nice bath, get a heap of work done then get an early night for a full 8 hours of sleep.



B (baby me)
I press snooze on my alarm until 7:20 which means I now have 20 minutes to get ready. I roll out of bed and throw on whatever work dress I have closest. I'll do my makeup in the car. I struggle to get through work and stop myself from falling asleep in class. Then I'll drown myself in take away, pour myself a glass of red wine and play tug of war with my dog for an hour.

Sometimes there is an in-between but usually it's one of the two extremes and you know what - I think both are perfectly fine.

It's all about balance.

I'm quite a disciplined person and can stick to a routine and create healthy habits for myself but sometimes you just need to chill and be human.

And so that's what I think your early 20s are all about. Hey, maybe even your late 20s too. But I can only speak for myself and what I've experienced so far in my 21 years.

Basically, you can still get away with being a child and making stupid decisions or crashing your car because you're not paying attention - but it's important to try and grow up and make good choices for themselves.

It's a stage where you can chase any dream because the risk isn't attached. You've got a lot of time to figure it out.

2 comments:

Hayley @ hayleyxmartin.com said...

I recently turned 24 and I feel this completely! As well as the thought of I didn't think I would be here at this age. I feel like I should have everything together. Just have to stay positive and trust that things will fall into place.

Hayley // hayleyxmartin.com

elizabeth said...

Aw I really relate to what you said about being somewhere between being young and grown up, I definitely go from one to the other haha :D my twenties so far have been so hard since developing ME after having my son at 19, I feel so unwell every day, but there are so many things I am proud of too :D following you on GFC! xx

elizabeth ♡ ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara
(lets follow each other on bloglovin or instagram)