The Quarter Life Crisis
It’s been exactly two months since I turned 25 years old. I kept referring to my 25th birthday as the “quarter life crisis,” but in fact, I felt as though it was a quarter life celebration. It was the first time where I felt like I was beginning to love the life I was creating for myself. However, there were many things I questioned on a day-to-day basis such as:
“Why are we working so much?"
“Why is everyone suddenly getting married?"
“How have people been working in this office for 25+ years?!”
That’s when I realized that I was, indeed, suffering from a quarter-life crisis…
Although I love having a full-time job, I found myself missing school more and more. School gave us the opportunity to learn, socialize and be free – even if we were limited to set schedules, there was something about school that felt liberating. Now we’re facing a time in our life where there are no set schedules or rules. There’s no guarantee if you’re going to impress your boss, or get that promotion, but here we are… figuring it out day-by-day and creating our own rules.
We’re the generation who wants a 9-5 job and more – we have the side hustle to the side hustle, and we want to show our parents that we’re going to be okay, but how are we supposed to do it all?! Some weeks, I feel like I need to run off to the hills to clear my head, and other days I want to surround myself with people and go to a crazy music festival to re-live my days as rowdy college kid.
If you’re between the ages of 23-35, you might be feeling the same. Here are a few points to confirm if you’re also facing a quarter-life crisis (even if you aren't 25):
Confusion: You’re doing all the right things, but you’re not entirely sure if it’s good enough
Out of Place: Constantly questioning where you belong, what you’re doing or what exactly is life all about!?
Wine: You’re drinking it… and maybe by yourself (and ain’t nothing wrong with that, wine is good for your health)!
Constantly Comparing Yourself: Social media is our best friend and worst enemy. You’re always subconsciously comparing yourself to your friends, and you know it’s not healthy, but you do it anyway.
Reminding your parents that it’s a “different time”: You shouldn’t feel forced to get married and own a house by 30 because your parents did it, but instead of reminding them, you gotta remind yourself that it’s a different time.
You feel like your twenties are over even though you have so much to explore – but you’re young, don't sweat it!
You’re in love (with naps): Let’s not forget how blessed a good mid-day nap feels like - now if only we could get a nap room at work…
Fighting between wanting to have a kick-ass career and wanting to leave it all: Ever feel like in order to live your best life, you need to put in the crazy hours to make the most money, but then find that you’re too drained to really enjoy anything?
Referring to university students as “kids”: I mean, they’re not that much younger than us, but I seriously can’t keep up with the slang…
And last but not least, an odd sense of happiness and satisfaction. Even though these years are confusing, awkward and maybe even more difficult to navigate, there’s an odd sense of happiness and satisfaction in your life because for the first time, you’re living for you, and that, m’friend, is one heck of a milestone.
Sincerely,
The Awkward Adult
