The Pressure Of Your 20's

In my life so far I think this is the point I've felt the most pressure. I've gone through doing exactly what society has planned out for me - school, part-time jobs, university and now finding a job. I remember when I was younger and I use to look at people who my age now and think they had their lives all planned out and now I'm here myself I've realised that is far from the truth.

 I think the thing that gets me the most is comparing ourselves to where we should be. We can all be guilty at times of having our own ticking clock in our heads. By this age I want to have done this and that age I should have achieved that and I will need to be here in order to do that thing or I'm doing something wrong. I will raise my hand and say I have said many statements like this over the past few years - whether it was when I wanted to be married by to when I needed to have a job by. I think setting goals is important and setting a time scale is also effective (sometimes). However it also puts a lot of pressure on individuals to meet and if they are passed the time we set in our heads the feeling of failure sets in. 

The older I have become the more I've realised you can't plan ahead as much as you would like. Life can be so unpredictable and one thing can completely throw you off track, let's face it something always pops up that you didn't expect. I also think it can at times it can hold you back from doing worthwhile things such as travelling which can be often frowned upon after university as that's when you are supposed to be 'serious' about your starting an independent new chapter of life. I wake up and each day on this earth seems to get more and more complicated with new challenges at every corner. What I am trying to say is yes you can plan but make room for the unexpected changes in lifestyle. It is okay to push goals back if you need to and you don't need to feel bad about doing so, it doesn't mean you won't achieve it.

Not only is there pressure to find and secure your purpose in life but more than ever there is an undeniable weight on our shoulders about our appearance. I was not shocked to find an article the other day discussing how the women in the UK have reported the lowest levels of self esteem. This deeply saddens me that women in particular feel so much hatred towards themselves, even worse is the fact they can't see how beautiful they truly are. We all have our hang ups, including myself but overall I would like to think I was more on the confident side of things. I'm not 100% sure who or what is to blame for this rising concern or whether it is a combination of a few things. Nonetheless it's the way some people are feeling and it breaks my heart, knowing me I just want to go and give all those people a cuddle! Not that this would fix the situation but it would certainly make them feel a bit better even if just for a moment. When a stranger sometimes compliments my outfit or something just as simple as smiling and wishing me a good morning it can really make my day. I'm making more of a conscious effort to spread positivity and ensure that the people around me feel good about themselves and I hope this encourages you to do the same.

As a generation we need to talk about more important topics which may be considered taboo. There is a rise of mental health in particular and suffering from panic attacks myself I am glad to see so many bloggers and youtubers discussing the subject and raising awareness. These are just a few things that I have noticed at just one year in to the 20's, I would love for you to leave comments and tell me your stories and pressures! Let's start a discussion... I feel better after just typing this out.

Shop The Post: