2018 will be the start of a new chapter, a clean slate, a reason to do better and be better. Then again, it can also be incredibly overwhelming. The pressure of starting over, the anxiety, the fear of falling short. Seeing the progress of your friends, former classmates and family in comparison to your own life can be intimidating. Our minds can take us to a very dark place in times like these. Here are the perfect ways to avoid a quarter-life crisis in the new year.
Rethink your social media
Start using your social media platforms as tools of communication rather than an outlet for comparison. Oh look, yet ANOTHER engagement announcement just popped up on your news feed. Fabulous. Yes, another person on your feed is getting married and starting a family, and maybe you are still single. But guess what? Even though they have found their happily ever after, it doesn’t mean they have their life together. Social media was designed to highlight our best and brightest moments. It is a ruse to fool your friends, coworkers and loved ones into believing your life is trouble-free and flawless. Everyone struggles and nobody has a handbook to life, do not beat yourself up.
Remember there is no rush
Everyone has their own path, their own starting point and there is no shame in how long or how soon you get to where you are going. You will figure things out at your own pace and in your own time. Stop pressuring yourself to do this and that and the other thing all at once and just let it happen as it is supposed to. Work towards what you want and the rest will come.
“If you put your disbelief aside, roll up your sleeves, take some risks, and totally go for it, you will wake up one day and realize you’re living the life you used to be jealous of.”
Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
Timing is everything
Navigating relationships can be hard. Do you text first? Or, do you wait not to seem overanxious? How does someone even find a significant other they can stand for more than 5 minutes? The worst part about all of this is the overthinking, the overanalyzing, and the inability to communicate because of it. We get it, we have been there and we feel for you. None of this, however, means you won’t find that person. Maybe it won’t happen today or next week or two months from now, but what is meant to be takes time. Don’t throw in the towel just yet.
Face the facts
“I learned that you have to give up your life as you know it to get a new one: that sometimes you need to let go of everything you’re clinging to and start over, whether because you’ve outgrown it or because it’s not working anymore, or because it was wrong for you in the first place.”
Kelly Cutrone, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You
These are all ways to avoid a quarter-life crisis but sometimes you need to give up the life you are living to pursue the one you want. Start saving for the house you are after, think about moving abroad or even, quitting your job. This could the first step you need to take.
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