None of Us Want to Be an Adult When We Grow Up
We’re always so excited to be adults as kids, right?
Why? Why are we like that?
It’s a damn trap, right?
Yeah, but it can also be pretty cool, depending on how you look at it.
It’s Not All Bad…
You’re going to be so tired, but you can nap whenever you want!
Not just from 10:55-12:20 bc that’s when school nap time is
You have to pay the bills. Money. For things you need to live.
Ughhhh. But you can also buy things like cake, or craft supplies, or throw blankets with some of the money that doesn’t go to bills.
What a time to be alive!
You’re responsible for feeding yourself and making sure you get enough water and all that really boring stuff.
But the snacks. OH FRIEND. The snacks!
No more snacks are just for snack time. You are now the snack czar!
Snack when you want to. No one is going to stop you. It’s incredible.
You have to work, but you can have a dog without asking mom or dad, and that dog will greet you at the end of your day like the royalty you are
You have to clean your house - but you can decorate anyway you want to!
Hello 2000s punk emo bedroom your mom would never let you have, this is your home now!
You have to keep your own schedule and remember appointments and all that other really annoying mundane shit, but YOU CAN CANCEL PLANS.
No more going to Jimmy’s birthday because your moms are friends.
No no, there’s a law and order marathon order on Saturday and that’s where you’ll be.
…At Least Not All of the Time
There will be times when you will wonder why the hell you signed up for this.
That’s when the really cool parts of being an adult will have to sustain you, and you’ll be able to identify more cool things and let yourself enjoy more cool things if you’re tuned into your internal voice and practicing some self-care on the reg.
I mean, you need to be able to identify the coolness in all its glory - the snacks, the tv shows worth binging, cake or throw blankets or craft supplies - or all of the above?
If you’ve learned to care for yourself well, and your self-talk and self-compassion is 100, then you’ll quickly and easily identify the cool shit that makes being an adult tolerable for YOU.
Then, friends, you can bask in the glow of knowing that even though some days are tough AF, you’ve got an arsenal of shit that makes you happy to fall back on.
Having Problems Identifying Your Own Cool Shit?
Are you a little disconnected at the moment?
Who could blame you?
We’ve all been through the ringer.
It may be difficult to think of anything that seems like it brings joy at the moment
Here’s where to start if you’re stuck on what could possibly help you withstand adulthood at this point:
Go back to your best memories - what was it about those experiences that brought you joy?
Make a list.
List out every single activity or hobby you’ve ever enjoyed or wanted to try.
Don’t worry about time or financial commitment on first blush - you can look at that more closely later.
Anything on that list make you particularly excited AND fit into your current lifestyle well? Get on it.
Call your friends!
What are they doing that makes them feel a little bit better after a long day?
Ask for recommendations, ask about experiences, and ask them to tell you WHY it helps them.
Rely on good ol’ Google - search for whatever you think may fit - or start with something super general, like “cool hobbies no one knows about.”
You’ll be amazed at what’s out there that you’ve never heard of.
Image by Aziz Acharki
Why Self-Care is So Important When We Need Balance
Balance is one of THE HARDEST things to achieve as an adult, and it becomes so important to have self-care in your life when you find yourself seeking balance.
If you aren’t tuned in to your body, your emotions, and your mental health, you may not realize that the balance is off for you, first of all, but if you do, you may not be able to identify how to tip the scales back the other way.
When you are tuned in to what your body and mind need and what helps you to thrive, it becomes way easier to recognize when things are out of alignment.
Once you recognize, “Hey, shit is not okay here,” you can sit down with the 3 Pillars of Self-Care and get to work.
Speaking and treating yourself kindly as you navigate what you need to do, and what you have the capacity to do, then setting the intentions to get it done, will become the first step in pulling yourself back into balance and caring for yourself well.
Adulting is already hard enough, friends, make sure you are using self-care to experience all the coolest parts of being an adult, too.
Need some help figuring out what you and need and what you have the capacity for? Sign up to get my Need, Want, Can Worksheet here.