Your twenties can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. In your early twenties, some people might be graduating from college, starting grad school, working a full-time job, getting married, or even travelling the world and experiencing all that life has to offer. You’re at the age where you’re still considered a young adult while you navigate responsibilities and figure out who you are and what you want your life to look like. Although you might feel a sense of pressure to have your life together, you also feel a sense of community knowing other twenty-somethings are going through the same thing. But what happens when you get to your late twenties and you’re still figuring it out? What if you thought you were on the right path and then everything falls apart? What if you still feel so lost and confused but aren’t given that same grace and understanding from society?
In some ways, your late twenties can be even more anxiety-inducing than your early twenties. We’ve been taught to believe from an early age that your late twenties are when you should start to really see your life come together, on track to have it all together by the time you reach 30. That doesn’t mean you have to have it all figured out, but you might think you’d have something going for you in some aspect of your life. Whether that’s buying a house, having a great career, getting married, or even starting a family, there must be something to show that you’re on the right track, right? But what if you’re not? What if you’re almost 30 and still don’t have any sense of direction?
This feeling of being lost, unsure of your purpose or if you will ever achieve your dreams, can be soul crushing in your late twenties. Especially when you thought you had it all figured out and it feels like everyone around you is thriving. The pressure from society is even more amplified and you are truly navigating what it really means to be an adult in this world. And to feel like you have no control over anything in your life, whether that’s your career, your relationship status or financial status, is such a hard thing to come to terms with and can feel so isolating.
But I want you to know that no matter how isolating and soul crushing your late twenties may feel, you are not alone. We are all navigating through this journey of life on our own timelines and no one’s life path will look the same. The most important thing you have to remember is that everyone has their own version of success and not to compare yourself to others. There is no set timeline for when you need to figure out your career path, buy a house, get married, have children or whatever it is you want in life if you so choose. Your dreams matter and you have to believe at your very core that you will achieve them. You are not stuck and can completely recreate yourself at any moment, try new things, or change your mind a million times until you find yourself.
No matter what your life looks like in your late twenties, you are not a failure and you are worthy of all of your dreams, no matter how far you feel you are from achieving them. But most importantly, if you are in your late twenties and feel lost please know that you are not alone. There are so many people going through challenges, changes and hardships, probably even more so after living through a global pandemic. And through it all I hope you can always remind yourself that you will be okay and everything will work out for you one day. It always does.
