as a 25 year old who had just turned 21 right before the pandemic hit i often have very similar feelings that i missed out on a formative time of my youth and that im âbehindâ where i should be right now (especially in terms of self/identity development), whatâs helps me is i try to zoom my thoughts waaayyyy out and think about how when im older someday ill prob envy 25 year olds too and then i decide to just try my hardest to live in the moment forever and cherish being here in the first place cause in the grand scheme of things aging is a gift!!!! easier said than done of course but this is what helps me
Jul 12, 2024
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youâre not in denial about your feelings! and you shouldnât be because thereâs nothing wrong with feeling the way you do especially because you want to change this train of thought.
iâm 26, lived a very sheltered life and would probably be what may be considered a âlate bloomerâ. couple that with only going to community college and graduating in the midst of lockdowns, i âlostâ even more of my âyounger yearsâ. when i was 21-24, i definitely let those same emotions run their course on me. i used to get pretty upset even watching coming of age movies or watching college kids go about their day to day lives. i realized i didnât want that feeling to run my life.
as harsh as it sounds, you just have to remind yourself that you cannot go back in time. youâll waste more time wallowing than you will growing and learning and exploring, causing you to internalize these negative feelings more. go out and explore and make mistakes and make sure to surround yourself with people are accepting of the fleeting nature of life as well.
also, you have so much adulthood ahead of you. 23 is not much in the grand scheme of things. iâm sure there are people 20, 30, 40+ years older than you who havenât worked through this thought process yet and are jealous of your youth. from where i stand right now, and based off those i know who are older than me, you never really stop learning how to be an adult.
all in all, there is no switch to turn off your emotions, so i know itâs easier said than done. 23 in general seems to be a rough year existentially for many, so just know youâre not alone, especially in the current cultural context. aging is a gift! so try to accept that gift gracefully by going easy on yourself.
Jul 11, 2024
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not sure about those a couple years older but id say most my age/younger never thought weâd even make it to our 20âs - i think its assumed the world will implode before we can reach 30. recently realized my siblings have passed 30 but I still see it as unattainable.
i dont really see any meaning in stuff like years/ages but i think the value of those years lived gauges on being able to ignite your environment. nothings different nothing changes but sometimes you watch leaves on branches breathe or follow a crack in the sidewalk with your eyes, keeping curiosity and openness in the forefront of your mind when you can. allowing yourself to experience all the emotions that come along with living, especially suffering cause thats kinda the whole point of being alive
Jan 7, 2025
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i honestly havenât really put real hard thoughts to this but the other night at the porter robinson show, he had this transition where the screen asked questions such as âdo you remember what your baby teeth felt likeâ and âwhen was the last time you hugged your mom,â and i stood there realizing i donât really experience nostalgia in that sense, and i donât really process the passing of time in that sense, but it did make me realize iâm way, way older now
besides the obvious things such as noticing your parents getting older, i think this year i finally felt it for real. whether itâs younger friends pointing out that iâm 25 and their tone just sounded like theyâre scared of that number (haha), or me catching up with my older friends and they are telling me about their plans and wishes about turning 30
itâs the act of having to be responsible for yourself, really really having to do that this time, and having to plan ahead despite iâve always just lived life as it standsâand how much iâm struggling to do it. how frustrating it is to face the problems iâve been running away from and still having no idea how to fix them, but just knowing that iâll have to, that really feels like growing up
anyway this is too longâđź
Sep 13, 2024
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having older friends who can share their wisdom and life experiences and older-person quirks is so fun and wholesome
May 20, 2024
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genuinely believe journaling has saved my mental health but doing it in public alone is such a better alternative to going on your phone and also if you have a pretty notebook it's a great conversation starter
Jun 18, 2024
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if you expect everything you make to be a masterpiece youâll never get started on anythingâŚ.let yourself make âbadâ stuff in order to get to the âgoodâ stuff
Jun 6, 2024