When we’re kids , we can’t wait to finally be grown up. Then, before ya know it, BAM! You get your wish. You’re a grown up . And you learn the hard way that while having more freedom and independence is awesome, being an adult isn’t all perks. Not by a longshot.
Recently, Redditor u/BluebirdIll6390 asked, "What's the hardest pill to swallow in your early twenties?"
While answers varied, one huge theme was the harsh reality of having to hold ourselves accountable. It’s up to us to manage our health and finances, continue learning, live by our values and generally create a life that fulfills us. And even then, there are no guarantees—another harsh reality.
And while these responses might be a little sobering, there’s also some relief to be had in knowing that these are “hard pills” we all must swallow in order to continue being well adjusted adults.
Scroll below to check out some of the most interesting answers.
1. "You have to become the driving force making the next steps of your life happen. There’s a pretty clear, direct pipeline from childhood to university. After that, it's all open. A lot of people get stuck floating around in post-college purgatory, waiting for something to happen, but you just have to be the one to make those things happen now. It’s very easy to get sucked into the rhythm of the first job you get out of college, setting up wherever you’re situated, having ideas of what you’d like to do with your life with no urgency to get started because you’re under the false assumption you’ve all the time in the world. You’re young, but the days are long, and the years are short. Don’t wait to start living." — u/shroom_in_bloom
2. "The hardest thing for me was realizing that some of my friends and family were objectively bad people who would never change and/or grow up." — u/Mirraco323
3. "You have to decide what you want to eat for every meal for the rest of your life."
Forever in menu paralysis until the day I die. Photo credit: Canva
— u/Niramarsk
4. "For me, a hard pill to swallow was realizing how much I actually have to make to have the lifestyle to which I was accustomed and how far I was from that as a recent graduate." — u/Smgt90
5. "Some careers don't start till you're in your 30s." — u/Neither-Historian227
6. " Your parents are getting older and won't be here forever.” — u/themagicbong
7. “Holidays won't be magical unless you make them magical. You have to go out of your way to decorate and do themed things to get that sense of excitement you had as a kid.”
But hey, at least you can decorate your home the way YOU want to. Photo credit: Canva
—u/ Little-Bones
8. "You will either cultivate habits, willpower, study, exercise, and routines for success, or you will slowly watch yourself fade. No one is protecting you from yourself anymore." — u/phoenix14830
9. "This is likely the best your body will ever feel. Put in the work now, and your body will thank you. I'm talking about flexibility work, strength work, skin and teeth." — u/myic90
10. "Remember how, as a kid, a year took forever? Like the week after Christmas, had this crushing reality that it would be forever before it happened again? Now, remember how fast this last year went? Yeah. That's your life. You'll be 30, wondering what happened to time. It just keeps getting faster. Don't try to speed through, even in the bad times. Take time. Don't live for the weekend, don't put things aside for 'another time.' People say you won't be young forever, but nobody prepares you for how short 'not forever' it actually is." — u/MentalSewage
11. "Your comfort zone quickly becomes a prison if you indulge in it. You need to push your boundaries and only fall back into your comfort zone when you absolutely need it. Staying in your comfort zone will breed anxiety when you leave it. You have to put yourself into uncomfortable situations to build up resilience for the future." — u/Crackracket
12. "That feeling of being a kid who is just figuring shit out never actually ends." — u/Former-Finish4653
13. "Realizing that adulting is a full-time job with no time off."
Day off? I don't know her. Photo credit: Canva
— u/FrostyGameKnight55
14. “Everything you think is so unique about yourself has been done a million times over by other humans.” —u/ Fishfishbirdbirdcat
15. “At the end of the day, you are on your own. No parent, teacher, or camp counselor will swoop in, resolve conflicts, and guide you to the next step. You have to figure it all out. You can ask people for advice, but the problems are infinitely more complex and never have a 'right' answer, only a 'best we can figure' answer given what you have available. Yes, close friends or a significant other can be there to aid you when you need help with projects, moving, or a shoulder to cry on. But at the end of the day, it's your life, and you must steer the ship." —u/adunk9
16. "All the fun of going to school, having summers off, having 'breaks' for fall or winter...that's just about over. Time to go to work every day until you're ready to retire. Hope you enjoyed your school years!" — u/cibman
17. “Friendships grow out of proximity- once that proximity is gone it requires effort to maintain.So once you leave school those people whom you thought were ride or die for life, will move on without you. Your best friends at work will forget about you 6 months after one of you leaves the job. To maintain friendships, you need to maintain shared interests. The corollary of this is also true- to gain friends, take an interest in their interests and use that to gain proximity.”
Look how much fun they're having. Photo credit: Canva
—u/ The4th88
And last, but certainly not least…
18. "'You can be the sweetest, juiciest peach in the world, and there will still be people who don't like peaches.'" — u/HazelGhost
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