Is This A Quarter-Life Crisis, Or Am I Just In My 20's?

Hey all, how did November vibe for you? Have you put your Xmas tree up, are you watching I'm A Celeb, and have you complained about the Great British weather? November has been a fun ol' month at The Life of Molly HQ, I decided to bite the bullet, stop doubting myself, and well... I launched my own agency 'zero nine'. One month of entrepreneurship has been life-changing, and I am really loving it. Besides the career update, I also headed on a weekend trip to Edinburgh, the city that inspired Harry Potter, and if you need a destination to add to your 2024 (!) bucket list, this is one to check out.

But besides all the exciting stuff that has been happening in the last couple of months of rebrands, business ventures, holidays and manifesting the life I have well... dreamed of. The 20s are hard. Like really shitty, from dealing with loneliness to not feeling like you are on the right path, to judging yourself by someone on social media, it is tough. I wanted to dive deeper into the topic, so shall we get into it?

What the F Am I Doing?

As a mid-20-year-old, the early 20's slump is so real and can be so challenging. When I was studying whether that was at school or a degree I felt I had a 'purpose', heading towards a certain goal, whereas when you head out into the big bad world, you have this constant unknown feeling, of what you should be doing, and it is so overwhelming.

This stage of life has now been coined as 'The Panic Years'- a very relatable term for those of us in our 20s. Read the monologue below.

The Panic Years.

That’s how my twenties have felt anyway.

A panic to be perfect, to have everything figured out before thirty.

A panic to stay ahead of the cost of living crisis, buy a house, all while staying present because

“You’re only in your twenties once,” remember?

A panic when people’s success on LinkedIn makes your stomach drop.

A panic when you’ve got no plans on a Friday night but the rest of Instagram stories does.

A panic to constantly self-improve, to read more books, until reading more books becomes more of a chore than a hobby that you do just to tick off a to-do list.

A panic to make people proud and spend time with aging grandparents.

To keep up with trends, plans with friends, and skincare.

Quite frankly, I am tired of panicking about the panic years.

But I know I’m going to continue to panic about them anyway.

Transitioning from university to the professional world brings a shit load of uncertainties about careers, finances, and identity. Also, with school/ university, we have a sense of structure, a reward system (aiming for A's), and a lack of responsibility for ourselves. All that when lost, can be shocking to the system.

Do I Fit Into The Aesthetic?

Social media, as much as I love it, can be so tough for everything mental health, especially during the turbulence of your 20s. You judge everything you do against what someone you don't know posts online. Social media gives everyone the opportunity to show the 'unrealistic' expectations of a 20-year-old.

- How can someone afford a flat, when I can't afford to pay for a monthly gym subscription?

- How has someone my age got married, when I can't get out of the talking stage?

- Am I meant to be out clubbing in Ibiza, and not spending my weekends watching MAFS?

All these thoughts are intensified by social media's highlight reel. In addition, we see so many 'trends' right now; the cool-girl aesthetic, living a tomato girl fall, cottage-core etc etc, make us all feel the need to identify ourselves before we even fully know ourselves.

WTF is The Pandemic Skip?

The 20's are so confusing, and have been made even tougher due to the pandemic. Many of us lost vital years of growth in our lives due to the stop of life during lockdown, whether that be hitting the clubs, travelling the world, or heading into the office.

Introducing... the pandemic skip, described by the Cut as 'the strange sensation that our bodies might be a step out of sync with our minds.'

Those of us at 24, still believe we are in our early 20s and ''ready to live for the plot'', without considering that we should now be considering the ''society'' timeline that is expected of women, graduate, get a 9 to 5, find a husband, babies all that jazz. Isn't this all just a big ol' mind fuck?

Lastly, Am I On Time?

The biggest struggle in your 20s is feeling constantly left behind, and not being up to date, all against other people's timelines. I feel this the most when it comes to relationships, as a single gal, I do worry about it.

Stylist’s brand new research shows that 87% of women are feeling the pressure of time to achieve everything they want in life.

Another thing is this constant realisation of the goal post moving, no matter what, you find a job, then you need a promotion, you move out, now you might want a partner, you find a partner, now you get asked when you are getting married. All whilst still trying to discover yourself and battling with this idea you are not successful or fulfilling every part of life. There is this constant battle about what you should be doing during the decade of your 20s, and I have still not figured it out.

This Month’s Vibe: All about manifesting the good vibes for the end of the year in preparation for the new year

This Month's Little Moments That Mean the Most: Having true real friends who celebrate your wins

This Month’s Favourite: The Magnolia Parks Universe Book Series, if you love Gossip Girl and Made In Chelsea, you'll love this

This Month’s Win: Ticking off another great travel location with my sister

This Month’s Rec: My Gift Guides, check them out here!

This Month’s Motto: If you are not obsessed with your life, change it

And that's a wrap! Catch ya in the next blog post, until then keep up with The Life of Molly every day and check out my IG here!

Love Molly! xoxo