No longer a teenage dirtbag: Navigating the pressures of being in your 20’s

We’re often told that your twenties will be the best years of your life, but with our progressive world only becoming increasingly more complex to navigate, there are a multitude of pressures placed on young adults.

I think the ultimate pressure placed on those in their twenties is the need to balance everything. There is great pressure on young adults, and particularly university students, to progress into good careers, whilst maintaining a thriving social life and travelling around the world. Many students feel they must know what to do following university, but this isn’t easy for everyone – I personally feel pressure to have this figured out, but in reality, I am pretty clueless about what career I want to pursue. We need to re-write these narratives and alleviate the pressure – it’s okay not to like the first job you try, and it’s okay to be unsure about your future. 

The young adults of today are consumed by the exponential growth of social media, which, despite its efforts to improve communication, is responsible for perpetuating unrealistic standards and lifestyles. Influencers on YouTube and TikTok fuel expectations of what a perfectly balanced life should look like, including the typical ‘5-9 routine before my 9-5 job’ that consists of Pilates, books, and oat-milk lattes. Entirely unrealistic (well, for me anyway).

I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate these pressures, but my advice so far would be…

1. Stay present and focused on your own goals – strive towards what you want, not what the media tells you. 
2. Work on eradicating the pressure you put on yourself, and in turn you are less likely to feel external pressures. If you are comfortable with and accepting of change, it won’t matter what others think.
3. Surround yourself with positive people – if your friends are judgemental and competitive, move on! It’s difficult to accept, but these unhealthy relationships only put more pressure on you to fulfil a future that you aren’t happy with. 
4. And finally, therapy. This has become a heavy term and can seem extremely daunting, but we are gradually breaking down the negative stigmas associated with it. Talking about the pressures you are feeling is really important, especially in your 20s as you set up the building blocks for your future.