10 Signs That You’ve Somehow Become An Adult Without Noticing It

1. Something dangerous happens and everyone in the room looks at you.

You know what I’m talking about, someone breaks a glass, or begins choking loudly, maybe even a child screams bloody murder near you, and anyone that appears to be young is glaring at you wondering if you can help or assist in the problem. You take a quick look around to realize that they actually think you can do something about this. You may start to consider the last time you got trained on CPR, and then see if you can remember anything about it… whoops. Be prepared fellow Adulters, this could happen, anywhere anytime!

2. You have a calendar, that you keep up with, that even includes non-social things.

At some point in your previous life, you might have bought a planner and immediately opened it to insert your Bestie’s birthday, your birthday, and then anything else major occurring in your life at that time. Now all of the sudden it’s flooded with work appointments, bills to pay, weddings to go to, baby/bridal showers, vacations, and more. You wish you had more room, and the adorable border is now being hidden by your scratched out scrawl. If you’re really adulting, I bet there is even an receipt folder in there somewhere.

3. You could repeat out-loud the dollar amount in your bank account right now.

This is because money currently consumes your attention – unless you’re Kylie Jenner – because you are trying to pay off debt, start a life, and have a little fun all at the same time. Your debit card transactions probably look like, Redbox, a grocery trip consisting of Wine and Chocolate Chips, and and a random shopping adventure to Target, but that’s beside the point.

4. Sometimes you relax by watching the news.

Yes I said it – and we may count the news as brief clips we see posted online, but every once in a while you find yourself drawn to the news station and engaging in political discussions in public. You feel informed enough to bring up with Refugee Crisis in Syria or something else of worldly value and contribute to conversations all over the place. This time of year you might even be publicly acknowledging which candidate you have chosen to vote for in the upcoming Primaries and Caucuses, or have at least have started reading about them online.

5. There is less liquid between coffee and alcohol than there used to be.

Before you could buy alcohol legally you rejoiced in a nice SoBe from the gas station, or a Redbull occasionally. Now you run on coffee from a drip in the morning to the point that you make your coffee cup an accessory, all the way to your interior matching wine glasses at home. Is there supposed to be something between?

6. No matter how badly you want to tell someone off, you find yourself being polite instead.

So your boss doesn’t get you, and the coworker that’s constantly up their ass serves you a dig at a staff meeting. You want to make a remark on their receding hairline, or the fact that they always have spinach in their teeth, but instead you smile and take it. And it’s not because you have no balls – it’s because you actually care about your job and all that money you don’t have. So you swallow your thoughts and smirk like it was almost funny, and you add them to your shit list for when you’re rich and famous.

7. You say hello to people you didn’t like in high school, and now you find it nice catching up with them.

I’m not saying everyone is cliquey, but you definitely had people in high school you couldn’t relate to, or at least didn’t try to. But now upon seeing them in public you feel connected and excited to say hello just based on the fact that you are from the same place and time. You like hearing about the person they’ve become, and you’re sure they don’t remember those questionable looks in the hallway you may have given them, right?

8. Nights in are actually something you look forward to.

You get excited to have piece and quiet after a long work week, and sometimes Netflix just sounds appealing. You don’t need the parties, the keg-stands, the drama, maybe just your cat? You probably own a pair of slippers, and might even have a bath robe to boot.

9. You find yourself giving your parents advice.

Maybe it just involves technology but sometimes it’s even real stuff too. Once in a while you discuss investments, property taxes, and the cons of renting vs. buying. They listen to you and respect your opinion on all kinds of things, even if it still makes you feel weird. You throw political point of view and explain why you are interested in “your” candidate.

10. You can’t remember the last time you went a full day without stressing out about your future, your money, your family, or you job.

Stress is a part of growing up, and when you were young you felt forms of stress too, and now you’ve learned to live with it. But the crazy part is, that it’s an acceptable part of your life that you just assume will be there. If you can’t remember the last time you went without that kind of stress, you’re probably more normal than you would think. We could get into a discussion about our society’s contributing factors and why this is the “norm”, but in all reality it is not only what many experience, it makes our lighter moments happier, and brighter. The day you do get to finally relax on the couch suddenly feels like a free trip to anywhere of your choice. So take it every chance you can, because if you’re actually “Adulting” you’re going to need it.