10 Little Ways You Know You’ve Reached Adulthood

Your internal “body clock” no longer allows you to sleep in until noon

Gone are the days of snoozing every weekend until the middle of the afternoon and bragging your butt out of bed just in time for a late lunch. As an adult, you now find yourself waking up, feeling refreshed (most days anyway) at times that most well functioning and successful adults tend to awaken naturally at (let’s say latest 9:30am). Don’t get me wrong; you still maintain the weekly practice of “Lazy Sunday” because hey? What well functioning and successful adult doesn’t deserve one day a week to lounge about in their pajamas, rocking bed head, and watching the episodes of shows you missed during your busy adult week? I know I do.

You’ve found yourself starting to enjoy and actually seek out informative, scientific articles

Remember when you used to groan internally (or maybe out loud if you were that asshole) when your teachers assigned long, dull articles publishing the findings of how the SARS outbreak affected society and the medical field? Well, now you’ve suddenly found yourself enthralled by the article about the scientific findings on the positive effects of video games on the brain and the article announcing the upcoming lunar eclipse. Haven’t you? Welcome to adulthood. Where science is awesome.

You cannot begin your day successfully without having at least one mug of coffee or tea

Okay so this one might just be me, but I know that if I don’t consume at least one big mug full of pure green tea in the morning, I will begin to feel lost throughout the day. Regardless, if you’ve developed a rigid morning routine then you, my friend, have earned the title of ‘adult’.

High school students infuriate you

Or really anyone ranging between the ages of 12 and 18. As that well functioning, successful adult we mentioned before, you no longer have the time or patience to deal with petty teenage problems. “Oh my god, my ex-best friend’s cousin is talking to the guy I’ve been loving from afar and Facebook stalking every Tuesday!!” Pfft, you’re too busy sipping your iced caramel macchiato and discussing the phases of the moon to worry about that mess. But, let’s face it; you still loathe your ex-best friend for kissing your boyfriend back in 7th grade.

You’re considering (or have already completed) doing that infamous “Facebook friend clean out”

That awkward kid who had the biggest crush on you in high school whose friend request you accepted out of sheer pity? Gone. The girl who posts at least 3 Biblical posts a day? Gone! The girl who takes over your newsfeed every Sunday with sloppy drunk photos from the night before and the guy documenting his “gains” on “leg day” with gym selfies and pictures of his protein drinks? GONE.

You no longer care about the minor events occurring in the lives of those you once acquainted yourself with for 20 minutes and instead your Facebook “friends” list now consists only of people you speak to on the regular and necessary family members (because, really, no one should have to explain to their aunt that they couldn’t stand any more pictures of her three cats in weird outfits). Okay, and maybe you kept that super hot guy you went out with once… but only because he’s so yummy to look at. But where’s the shame in that?

You know what your ‘quirks’ are, you’ve come to terms with them and you’re not the least bit ashamed

I happen to be incredibly accident-prone. Some find it funny, some find it cute, and some find it terribly annoying and tiresome. I don’t really have an opinion on it, but just accept as part of my genetic build. As an adult, I know the slightly ‘abnormal’ qualities I possess and I’m content with them (well, most anyway). So if you’re that person who has trouble walking without tipping over or tripping over some invisible obstacle, be an adult and own it.

You can get dressed in the morning successfully

You know what looks good on you and what doesn’t. You know what colors work with your skin tone and hair color. You can successfully dress yourself in clothes that work for your body without your mother or best friend having to explain to you that high waisted shorts and crop tops don’t work together. At all.

You probably don’t slouch around in the baggy sweatpants with your old high school’s mascot on the left butt cheek anymore either. Even when you’re just running for groceries. No, no. As a successful adult, you dress for that success. You reserve those sweats for your Lazy Sundays. Because, after all, who knows who you might run into at the grocery store?

You have at least a basic knowledge of working your way around the kitchen

Now this does not mean that you have to be making fabulous, 3 course dinners for one every night. It simply means that you’re not living off of Kraft Dinner or Pogos. You should at least know how to operate the oven (not just the toaster oven).

You know how to de-stress yourself

Personally, I love a good candlelit bubble bath or a long run to block the world out. Don’t pull out the old teenage temper tantrum of locking yourself in your room and blaring angry rap music. Find what works for you and stick with it. As an adult, you need to be able to release your frustrations constructively and healthily.

You know how to take a compliment

When someone tells you how great you look or how smart you are, you smile and politely thank them. These are no longer the days of responding to a compliment with insecurity. Nothing along the lines of, “No way, you’re just saying that!” Oh no, friends, in the adult world, we thank people graciously for their kind words.

Plus, you should probably be able to take a joke, too.