Learning To Accept Your Own Life In Your 20s

How many times have you felt out of place? We all say that it’s not healthy to compare yourself to others, but it can be hard when you see people constantly evolving. The choice you’re left with is feeling stuck, wondering when your time is coming. Accepting that your life is your own and taking control of it can be difficult, but it’s necessary. 

Recently, entering my twenties has made me feel like I have to take life more seriously. It’s a scary feeling. Growing up, I felt like I had gotten nowhere in life. There’s this pressure I put on myself, like there’s a timeline I should be following with a deadline. Although I have accomplished many things in life, I still feel like I’m not doing enough.

When my parents entered their twenties, they were already married. 

My younger brother and I came into the picture, and they moved into their own house. But behind that picture, they struggled, I saw them struggle, but I never saw them give up. I tend to compare myself to them a lot, wondering when I’ll move out and start my own family. Then I sit back and think to myself, will I be able to handle that now? I won’t. I’m in no position to start my own family, at least for now. I want to graduate from college, travel, and save up for things that fulfil me. Things my parents weren’t able to do before having children.

See, that’s the funny thing, I don’t have the same pressure they did. I want to do things for myself, while they did things for my brother and me. 

Social media plays a huge part in our daily lives, and it can sometimes affect us. Well, speaking for myself, at least I know I let it get to me. Scrolling through TikTok, watching influencers getting paid and flown out to enjoy a weekend at a club. Watching weekly vlogs on YouTube consisting of creators redecorating their high-rise apartment, lying by the pool, tanning, and eating at high-end restaurants with the girls. Seeing them live this life while I’m coming home from a stressful day at work or procrastinating on starting an essay I have due feels like a terrible life.

I’m not complaining, I swear!

I have to remind myself that this is their job. They get to choose what they put out on social media. Behind that can be days of exhaustion and loneliness. I have heard creators talk about how they’re afraid to let people into their lives because they never know if they truly want to be their friends or just use them for fame. I can also imagine how they may struggle to maintain the privacy they want, having to constantly keep their supporters informed about their lives. Not to mention dealing with hate comments. 

When you see it that way, it makes you appreciate the simple life you live.

The way my life route differs from that of my parents and the influencers I watch is the same way yours differs from your neighbors or the person you saw at the grocery store. Before you make yourself feel bad because you don’t have what the next person has, appreciate what you do have because someone else may look at you wishing they had that. Your life is meant to go the way you want it to go. I’m not saying there won’t be bumps along the way, but everything you want to achieve is possible, of course, with effort being put in. So, use others’ journeys as inspiration to keep going, instead of belittling your own journey.

Featured image via Nicole Wolf on Unsplash