quarter-life crisis (def): a crisis that may be experienced in one’s twenties, involving anxiety over the direction and quality of one’s life
Happy birthday to… well, me.
I officially turned 25 today, and to be honest, I don’t really like it so far. What’s wrong with turning 25?, you might ask.
The impending doom of being close to turning 30, for starters. Physically I’m getting older, but mentally? I still feel like I’m 18 and have my entire life ahead of me; it doesn’t feel like I’m an adult, despite what everyone tells me. I won’t even start on being halfway to 50; that thought scares me more than any horror movie.
Yes, I have a day job and pay my bills, but there are times when I wish I could go back to a time when I didn’t have to worry about work or money, but rather about which movie to watch or which cereal to eat for breakfast.
As a result, I’m now in the midst of the well-known quarter-life crisis, in which I constantly worry about myself and second-guess pretty much everything I do. Am I happy with my life? Am I falling behind compared to others? Should I have been married by now?
Oh, and the legs and back pain, let’s not forget that. I work on a laptop, 8 hours a day, and it’s taking a toll on my bones. I already have titanium implants in my right ankle, so if I’ll ever need to have a hip replacement when I’m older, I’m basically going to be half-cyborg (which is scary because the Star Trek episode where Picard becomes a Borg still haunts me in my dreams!).
But, as I don’t want to rain on my own parade, I must admit that there are some advantages to being an adult.
Staying in is now more fun to me than going out. To be honest, I’ve realized this a long time ago, due to being an introvert (and hating large crowds). Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy going out, but my social battery is depleting faster than ever, so a night in with a glass of gin-tonic and a Netflix watchlist sounds ideal.
I can buy anything I want. I’m not saying I spend money on ridiculous and unnecessary things, but since I’ve got a job and earn a salary, I don’t ask permission like I used to, I just buy the thing (and possibly regret it later, but that’s not the point now, is it?).
I gained more confidence. It took a lot of work and self-convincing, but I’m happier with myself than I‘ve ever been. I stopped comparing myself to others, so it gave me the possibility to focus on other, more important things. An unexpected pimple broke out on my face right before going to work? No biggie, I’ll just put some concealer on and continue with my day. A shirt suddenly turned into a crop top and a bit of my stomach is on display? I’ll leave it as it is and keep doing my thing.
Well, the years start coming and they don’t stop coming…
SMASH MOUTH, ALL STAR
Smash Mouth really got the point when they said this. Time passes, sometimes much faster than we would like, and we have no choice but to accept it and make the best of it. Each year, or rather, each day is a new lesson to learn. Yes, I’m experiencing the quarter-life crisis and still have doubts about certain things and get anxious about what future will bring me, but who doesn’t?
Age is just a number, and we should be counting experiences instead.
Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better!
INGRID Bergman
