One's 25th birthday is a special one, no doubt. You've grown up and traded your mini skirts for pencil skirts. So much changes in each year of your 20's after your legendary 21st birthday and it's hard to get control of the reigns of your life when that happens because there are just too many decisions to be made.
But once that day has come and gone, adulthood hits you like a ton of bricks. All sorts of new adult things start coming at you like wild fire and eventually, when you succumb to the "adulting" pressure, you have reached your quarter life crisis.
2015 was an incredible year for me. I got a new job furthering my broadcast journalism career and I got engaged. Those are some of the major boxes I just checked off my life list. Now, I'm starting to panic because an entry level reporting job means an entry level pay and my bills seem to be piling up more and more. Do the math...I'm broke. It sucks, but I'm managing, and here is how.
Here is the Average Girl's Guide to Dealing with a Quarter Life Crisis.
1. Get yourself the most plush, comfy robe
Mine is Victoria Secret and probably every person who has been to my apartment has seen me in it, I wear it that frequently. There is nothing like coming home from a long day of work from your two jobs, dropping everything and putting on that robe for the first enjoyable moment of the day. It's that one time you can get coddled like every working 20-something wants.
A part of going through your mid-twenties includes that time where you focus on getting your dream job and once you are on the right path, you miss how easy you had it working as as a Dunkin' Donuts girl. And tax season? Every 25+-year-old LOVES tax season because it means you can finally go shopping with your refund which seems to last a hot second. And then you realize how much money was taken out of your pay check to pay Uncle Sam. That's a slap in the face when that moment comes.
2. Ben & Jerry's
Find your Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor. Everyone is destined for one of their amazing flavors. I would highly suggest Fish Food or Half Baked. This small pint of ice cream can play both sides of the fence. On pay day, what better way to spend the first $5 than buying a fresh pint of goodness from your hard earned pay check. This same pint of ice cream comes in handy once you sit down and pay your bills shortly after getting paid. You will want to eat your sorrows away and hang with Ben and Jerry. It's life.
3. Listen to your friends, because you need someone to listen to you
I've found that genuinely caring about your friends lives really makes for a good friendship. Common sense, right? Everyone likes to talk about themselves and for someone to actually care. Listen long and hard because you are going to need someone who will answer your call at all hours of the night when you realize how supporting yourself is not what it is cracked up to be. Like that time a pipe burst in my apartment in the wee hours of the morning and had to sleep on my mattress on my kitchen floor.
I have it a little easier because I have a twin sister who is forced into dealing with my frantic calls 247. Thanks, Sam ! :::insert smirking emoji here:::
LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE (or until they kick you out).
4. Push notifications are your friend
There is just so much that needs to be done now that you have real responsibilities and not everyone can remember all of the bill due dates by heart. I sure can't. So I set a reminder each day that I owe my life too that way I don't get hit with fees. And don't forget about your student loans. After all, you did pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for that education that your getting paid basically minimum wage for.
It's totally worth it...
5. Get a Rubik's cube for your coffee table
This will come in handy when your are trying to figure out where you are supposed to be going in your life. There will be a point where you are faced with that hard decision, mostly involving a job -related crossroads that you can't manage to decide which way to go. The Rubik's cube on my coffee table is my best friend...although I still haven't figured out what journalism route to take.
On that note, when is a quarter life crisis supposed to end?!? Because I've been stressed since the day after my 25th birthday.
6. Lots and lots of clocks
Clocks tickle my fancy, not sure why but I just love them. I like to know what time it is all the time (pun intended). I know, super weird. When you are a teenager, it seems like the days can't end quickly enough and now I'm running out of time to do everything on my imaginary to-do list so knowing the time somewhat helps... and reminds me how much stuff I still have to do.
7. Time Hop will bring you joy
It's the little things in life.
There is nothing better than waking up at the ass crack when it's cold as hell and as snow is piling up outside than using your precious morning social media stalk-sesh to jump back to photos to when you had it easy. Facebook has perfected it because they pop up first thing you check your social media in the morning. Genius.
It gives you a moment to reminisce to when you would line outside a college bar that turned into a sad attempt of a "club" and dressing like its Fourth of July weekend. My only two responsibilities while in college at URI: pass all my classes and get into Bonvue before 1 a.m. Ah, to be young and stupid. Speaking of, hangovers in your early 20's to mid 20's are like night and day. I just can't hang anymore. I'm sure as hell not feeling 22 anymore, Taylor.
It gives you a moment to reminisce to when you would line outside a college bar that turned into a sad attempt of a "club" and dressing like its Fourth of July weekend. My only two responsibilities while in college at URI: pass all my classes and get into Bonvue before 1 a.m. Ah, to be young and stupid. Speaking of, hangovers in your early 20's to mid 20's are like night and day. I just can't hang anymore. I'm sure as hell not feeling 22 anymore, Taylor.
8. A tissue box...for your car
Those damn Andrea Bocelli songs will hit you hard when you are pondering life while driving to work and stuck in the inevitable rush hour traffic. These will also come in handy when you get a call that your bank account overdrew and now your next pay check is toast from overdraft fees. Or when you realize you have $800 in back car taxes you need to pay in order to renew your registration... in one month. Gotta love having your own car! At least I'm less than six months away from paying off that loan. Now, I can't wait to say that when I pay off all of my student loans...in 2040.
So, these tools didn't yet solve my quarter life crisis that I'm suffering from right now but it sure as hell helped me (a tiny amount) in dealing with the repercussions of my grown up decisions, or lack thereof.
So, these tools didn't yet solve my quarter life crisis that I'm suffering from right now but it sure as hell helped me (a tiny amount) in dealing with the repercussions of my grown up decisions, or lack thereof.
I know, I know, life is sooo hard. But with the right coping tools, you will be just fine.
