You ate too much avocado toast and now you can’t afford a house. Or even a flat. You’ve had three breakdowns and water floods into the passenger seat of your car – I think I’m projecting here – ANYWAY: everything feels like it sucks, seventy percent of the time. Don’t worry -if I got through it, you definitely can.
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Travel. But don’t be a dick about it
“I’m just so more open-minded than people who haven’t travell-” NO. Go, see the world! Explore! But realise that others might not have chosen that path, or maybe they just haven’t had the opportunity.
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Don’t let them move in on the first date.
JUST DON’T OKAY.
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Practice compassion
For real – be nicer to people, to animals, to the planet. It can be an effort sometimes, I know. But gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions, we can do with a little more I think.
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Forgive yourself
Yeah, you fucked up bad. But it’s time to make amends and forgive yourself.
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Know your limits
Don’t do stupid shit like snapping your ankle in half because you went hangover bouldering and got stuck. Your bones can break! You can burn out! Be at least A LITTLE sensible.
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Listen to your body
Like, actually pay attention. A ton of people have a ton of chronic illnesses that could be helped to some degree if we listened to our bodies a little more. Pay attention to how your mental health might be affecting your physical health. Meditate (try different kinds of meditation), try varying your diet (75% of the population is lactose intolerant!) make notes, listen to your body.
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Pay attention to red flags
Whether it’s your new, ‘eccentric’ boss or a partner who just used the word ‘curfew’ – don’t ignore that little flutter of worry in your stomach. Talk to somebody about it. Don’t let strange tinder dates move in with you. SERIOUSLY. Whoops, I’m projecting again.
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Take responsibility for your mental health
Be kind to yourself. Understand that you might not always be okay and that’s okay. But know that mental health issues are never an excuse to hurt another. Take responsibility for this part of yourself.
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Challenge EVERYTHING
No. Really. We’ve been brought up in a world to think and feel a certain way. Push back against this. You don’t know it all. Push back against injustice. Ben and Jerry’s have vegan ice-cream now so… just sayin’… you have no excuse…go vegan. What? Nothing. Moving on. Challenge the status quo!
And finally…
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Don’t stop
Okay, your most recent article got no likes. You’ve been rejected 50 times. Or, you have no reason you just feel like you don’t want to exist. I mean, it hurts. Of course it hurts – sometimes so much you want to curl up and disappear because you’re convinced you’ll never be the person you want to be or because you can’t feel joy for a while.
But the only difference between you and the successful version of yourself you dream about is the effort involved. Successful-dream-you has been rejected tons, but they just carried on anyway. And carrying on doesn’t have to mean being doing yoga and working full-time whilst working on side-projects and having a great social life. No.
The only difference between you and the successful version of yourself you dream about is the effort involved.
Carrying on is sometimes just sending a text and asking for help, getting out of bed and getting into the shower instead of curling up under the covers all day.
If you stop, then you’ll definitely never know. Move forwards and see yourself grow.
Trust me, it’s sometimes a battle, but I’m glad I’m still here so I can go ahead and make a ton of mistakes in my late twenties two write about in 5 years time.
What are your tips for surviving your early twenties?
Very good!