Your 20’s are such an odd time… all the societal norms of what is expected at each age goes out the window. One friend is travelling the world, while another is settling down. One is still living with their parents while another is buying a house. One is ending a 4 year long relationship while one is just starting a new one.
It’s confusing. It’s complicated.
I like to refer to this stage as the ‘Goldilocks era’ – the era where you’re constantly arranging everything… in some kind of pursuit of finding what’s ‘just right’.
And what’s just right for you is totally wrong for someone else…. that’s both the beauty and the complication of it all.
I, myself, have never really felt like I fitted within my age category. Sounds odd I know, but I’ve always gotten on better with people a few years older than me. I struggled to relate to people my own age and always felt a bit *off* throughout school. I didn’t always enjoy what my friends enjoyed and I would rather take myself away to people a few years above me to feel like I fitted again. It’s been something I’ve started to navigate throughout my 20’s and feel like I’ve finally found my people in terms of friends, partners and people that make me feel like I fit.
I think the hardest part of your 20’s for me is that you just have to be patient. And as my boyfriend can vouch for when I’m having to wait for anything (dinner, deliveries, goals)…. I do not have much patience.
When I want something, I want it yesterday. Whether that’s an order I’ve made online or a goal I’ve decided I want to hit. I hate waiting for things and will do everything in my power to get it to me faster. (The money I’ve spent on next day delivery is gross)
But patience is such a huge part of your 20’s and something I’ve learnt that I need to get better at. I need to just be and appreciate where I am now. One of my favourite things to repeat to myself when I can feel myself getting restless is ‘remember when you wanted what you’ve got now’.
I’m practising so much more gratitude and focusing on what I’ve got, rather than what I want.
So whether you’re in your early 20’s, full of hope and slightly confused as to what the next decade is going to hold… or your late 20’s looking back on the rollercoaster this time has been. Know that you’re not alone, know that nothing lasts forever and if you feel a little bit restless, that’s okay. So do most of us.
