Why Is Growing Up So Hard? Overcoming the Struggle of "Adulting"
In recent years, millennials have developed a fondness for creating words by abbreviating, lengthening, or otherwise distorting existing words. This legit lingo is on fleek tho, and selfies be like totes adorbz. I mean adulting is cray cray and rents don't get that we're for reelz, but yolo so whatevs.
Yeah, it gets weird sometimes, but we still manage to communicate. However, one of these modern words is becoming increasingly popular so I think it deserves special consideration. Here goes!
Adulting. That word may sound self-explanatory to some and foreign to others, but it's a very complex phrase to properly define. Adulting is more than simply "being an adult", in fact, there's nothing simple about it! Adulting generally includes a combination of anxiety and a lack of self confidence, both caused by a lack of experience with, or a fear of, "adult" responsibilities. This is the general mood of a vast part of my generation. From cartoons to video games, it seems today's generation has grown up with some unrealistic expectations of life.
One day, a kid wakes up to find they're not a kid anymore. The video games are replaced with non-negotiable work schedules, student loans, bills, deadlines, and numerous other responsibilities, bringing overwhelming feelings of fear and stress. These feelings are often complicated by an onslaught of advertisements and peer pressure telling young adults why they're not good enough and how they need to improve, with little positive influence to contradict such lies. The result?
"Stop the world; I wanna get off!!"
That's something even I find myself saying on occasion. Seriously, life gets tough sometimes but that shouldn't be a cause for despair, rather it should motivate us to overcome the challenges we face.
The phrase "Adulting" does not define a reality, it defines an illusion. An illusion that life as an adult is a stressful and depressing struggle for survival, with impossible obstacles that cannot be overcome. If you believe this illusion, you become the victim of your own doubt and discouragement. The world wants you to believe that you're not good enough, strong enough, rich enough, etc., to survive this struggle, and they have a kazillion products to help you overcome that. Don't buy it! Don't buy their lies, their illusions, or their solutions.
American society often has a way of emphasizing quantity over quality, in other words, telling us how much we have or do is more important than what we have or do. That is not true. Don't measure yourself by your wealth or success. You will fail because that's part of learning, but if you allow yourself to learn from your mistakes, you will eventually succeed. Always strive for excellence and accept the results without regret.
If you're facing tough situations right now, you should know two things:
1. You're not a loser. You have the choice and the ability to make the best of whatever situation you're in, and you can overcome almost any difficulty you encounter with a little will power and perseverance.
2. You're not alone. If you face tough situations, you can bet your friends do too. I face tough situations all the time and it seems like there's always someone who can relate to what I'm going through. Talk to a friend, talk to me, talk to God. You might be thinking "God doesn't care about me", but he does. He created you for a purpose, He loves you, and He's ready and waiting to help you anytime you need it. Yes, talk to God!
If you're feeling inferior because you don't have the latest smart phone, stop. If you're feeling insecure because of peer pressure or regret, relax. If you're feeling overwhelmed because of your job, finances, or studies, breathe. "Adulting" is not a word, so don't stress it. Take that word out of your vocabulary and stop worrying about an illusion. Living is a word, so do it! Face the future with courage, knowing that the God who gave you this life will help you to get through it.
Do you know anyone who currently struggles with"adulting"? Please share this message with them. Are you struggling with "adulting"? I know these issues are very real to millions of young adults like me, and if you're one of them, please let me know! I'd love to hear your thoughts and discuss this more in a message or the comments below. TTFN!
Yeah, it gets weird sometimes, but we still manage to communicate. However, one of these modern words is becoming increasingly popular so I think it deserves special consideration. Here goes!
Adulting. That word may sound self-explanatory to some and foreign to others, but it's a very complex phrase to properly define. Adulting is more than simply "being an adult", in fact, there's nothing simple about it! Adulting generally includes a combination of anxiety and a lack of self confidence, both caused by a lack of experience with, or a fear of, "adult" responsibilities. This is the general mood of a vast part of my generation. From cartoons to video games, it seems today's generation has grown up with some unrealistic expectations of life.
News Flash #1: Life Gets Tough!
One day, a kid wakes up to find they're not a kid anymore. The video games are replaced with non-negotiable work schedules, student loans, bills, deadlines, and numerous other responsibilities, bringing overwhelming feelings of fear and stress. These feelings are often complicated by an onslaught of advertisements and peer pressure telling young adults why they're not good enough and how they need to improve, with little positive influence to contradict such lies. The result?
"Stop the world; I wanna get off!!"
That's something even I find myself saying on occasion. Seriously, life gets tough sometimes but that shouldn't be a cause for despair, rather it should motivate us to overcome the challenges we face.
 |
| Image by Unsplash via Stockvault |
News Flash #2: Life's Not That Tough!
The phrase "Adulting" does not define a reality, it defines an illusion. An illusion that life as an adult is a stressful and depressing struggle for survival, with impossible obstacles that cannot be overcome. If you believe this illusion, you become the victim of your own doubt and discouragement. The world wants you to believe that you're not good enough, strong enough, rich enough, etc., to survive this struggle, and they have a kazillion products to help you overcome that. Don't buy it! Don't buy their lies, their illusions, or their solutions.
American society often has a way of emphasizing quantity over quality, in other words, telling us how much we have or do is more important than what we have or do. That is not true. Don't measure yourself by your wealth or success. You will fail because that's part of learning, but if you allow yourself to learn from your mistakes, you will eventually succeed. Always strive for excellence and accept the results without regret.
"The phrase 'Adulting' does not define a reality,
it defines an illusion."
If you're facing tough situations right now, you should know two things:
1. You're not a loser. You have the choice and the ability to make the best of whatever situation you're in, and you can overcome almost any difficulty you encounter with a little will power and perseverance.
2. You're not alone. If you face tough situations, you can bet your friends do too. I face tough situations all the time and it seems like there's always someone who can relate to what I'm going through. Talk to a friend, talk to me, talk to God. You might be thinking "God doesn't care about me", but he does. He created you for a purpose, He loves you, and He's ready and waiting to help you anytime you need it. Yes, talk to God!
"Stop worrying about an illusion...
and face the future with courage."
If you're feeling inferior because you don't have the latest smart phone, stop. If you're feeling insecure because of peer pressure or regret, relax. If you're feeling overwhelmed because of your job, finances, or studies, breathe. "Adulting" is not a word, so don't stress it. Take that word out of your vocabulary and stop worrying about an illusion. Living is a word, so do it! Face the future with courage, knowing that the God who gave you this life will help you to get through it.
Do you know anyone who currently struggles with"adulting"? Please share this message with them. Are you struggling with "adulting"? I know these issues are very real to millions of young adults like me, and if you're one of them, please let me know! I'd love to hear your thoughts and discuss this more in a message or the comments below. TTFN!
Thank you, Pearl! You are a wise person and you've hit on some important things. "Adulting", by my definition, means: doing what is necessary in this moment. Living life with long-term goals is not necessarily bad, but as I think you've said better than me, it is the journey not the destination that defines the state of your life. Personally, I'm not an adult nor do I plan to be one any time soon. But I know it's coming. :) You're a sweetie!
ReplyDelete