10 Things You Shouldn’t Worry About In Your Twenties
As millennials, it can often feel like there’s a lot expected of us. From getting a college degree to going grad school to finding a high-paying job before you even graduate. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
It’s overwhelming, to say the least.
And as much as you might think worrying about everything will be beneficial, chances are it’s probably not. Below are 10 things you should stop worrying about, and tips on how to quash each worry.
1. Going to college
It took me a while to grasp this, but college really isn’t for everyone. You’ve heard it before, because it’s true: You don’t need a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in order to be successful. Just look at these super successful people who never graduated from college. Some never went at all! If you don’t feel that college is right for you, that’s perfectly fine. You’ll figure it out. And you know what? If you change your mind at some point, you can always go back.
And if you have a degree? That’s great! Congratulations for being determined enough to make it through college and come out strong. But, that doesn’t make you better than those who don’t hold degrees. Just saying.
2. Getting your dream job
You might feel an immense pressure (from parents, friends, or just society as a whole) that you have to go out, find, and get your dream job right out of college—but that’s just not true. Everyone lives life at their own pace—so you should live yours at a pace that’s comfortable for you.
And if you never get your dream job, that’s perfectly OK. Just try to find one that doesn’t make you completely miserable, or you’re going to face some serious consequences.
3. Finding your “forever person”, getting engaged, or marriage
Some of your friends have already found their person. And maybe they’ve already married and had three kids with them. You should be happy for them, sure.
But don’t stress if you haven’t found your forever person just yet. If you want these things (and who doesn’t?) you can have them. You just need to have faith—and give it time. The right person will be worth the wait.
4. Money
It’s hard not to worry about money, especially when there are so many news articles telling us that our penchant for avocado toast is keeping us from ever being able to own a home.
Maybe you don’t have the best credit. There are plenty of resources out there to help you if that’s the case. And, believe it or not, you don’t have to let bad credit keep you from doing things like buying a car, getting a loan, or moving into your own place.
Or, maybe you’ve had a negative account balance once, twice, or 15 times. If you don’t want it to happen again, contact your bank and ask if they offer overdraft protection. If they do, you should take advantage of it to ensure that you don’t overdraft your account and keep getting hit with $25 fees for doing so.
5. Living with your parents
If you’ve graduated from college recently and have a mountain of student loan debt to pay off (and a job that’s just not paying what you need it to), you might have to tough it out and live at home until you’re financially stable enough to make it on your own.
Sure, it might seem like all of your friends graduated and magically found high-paying jobs that allowed them to live on their own immediately. Or, maybe their parents paid for college and they don’t have a single cent of debt to worry about.
However, the reality is that that’s just not going to be the case for all of us—so don’t feel bad if it didn’t work out that way for you.
6. Not being the best at keeping in touch with friends
The truth of the matter is that sometimes it’s just not that easy.
If you’ve gone for an extended period of time without seeing (or talking to) one of your friends and you’re starting to feel guilty about it, just shoot them a text (or give them a call—if that’s your thing) and let them know what’s up.
If they’re a good friend, they’ll be understanding. And chances are, they’re probably just as guilty of it as you…so don’t worry about it too much. Life happens to all of us.
7. Taking a “mental health” day…or two
Self-care, while not always salt baths and chocolate cake, is incredibly important. You have to take care of yourself—for yourself, and for those that love you. If that means taking a day off of work or skipping a class, so be it. It won’t be the end of the world.
8. That embarrassing drunk text you sent last weekend
It’s probably pretty safe to assume that whoever you sent it to was fucked up too. And if they weren’t, just let them know that it was an honest mistake. If they’re not an asshole, they’ll let it go.
9. Skipping the gym to order a pizza and binge watch Netflix
Sometimes, you just need a night like this. The gym will still be there tomorrow!
10. Turning down an invitation to go out because you’d rather just relax at home
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a homebody. And when you’ve worked hard to build a space that you love, you’re going to want to spend time in it. If that means turning down an invitation or two so you can enjoy it—so be it!