Love & Life

How To Get Through Your 20s In One Piece

The pressure that comes with stepping into your 20 something-odd years is immense, and according to us, totally unnecessary.

• written by Joy Onu
• 6 min read
• 02 Sep, 2023

Life is a boiling pot, and for most of us, getting through our 20s is when things start to get hot, but should it really be that way? Navigating your 20s is no joke, you want to make it in life, but you also want to have fun. You want to start a family but you also want to find yourself first, the list goes on and on.

It’s so easy to get lost in the maze of what others expect of you, and what you expect of yourself, but if there’s one thing we know all too well about life, it is that, it works on its own schedule. There’s literally no point worrying about things that are out of your control, live your life as best as you can, and everything else will follow.

Easier said than done, we know, but here’s a few ways to get through your 20s:

Find Your People

Surrounding yourself with people that are actually good for your soul is so underrated these days, not everything is supposed to fit a particular aesthetic. Choosing your friends and even family is so pivotal in your 20s, but no pressure, even if it’s just one person that will always have your back no matter what, you’re good.

Having a support system could help you get through your 20s, imagine having friends that don’t support you or love you enough to have your back through hard times? That’s not ideal in any situation, in fact, it only makes your life more stressful.

Stop Sweating The Little Stuff

Yeah, you’ve probably not achieved everything you said you were going to achieve, but at the end of the day, all you can do is take life one step at a time. Remember that everything happens for a reason, and time works independent of what you want.

The universe will align for you when the time is right, until then, take a chill pill. Stop stressing about things you can’t control. Your 20s is the best time to understand who you are, it’s about figuring out what you want, it’s about being a colossal mess. Enjoy the journey, and let the universe do its thing.

Don’t Cry Too Long Over Losing Friends

You will lose friends, it’s going to happen, a time will come where you drift away from people you thought the world of. It happens, it is sad, but try not to dwell over it or beat yourself up for it. One thing’s for sure, finding your people won’t be easy, but the trick is to remember that people come into our lives for a reason or a season, sometimes friendships don’t last forever and that’s okay.

So What If You’re Still A Single Pringle?

It’s hard to be single in the internet era, oppression is everywhere, and you’re always crying yourself to sleep wondering when it will be your own turn to find ‘the one’, this you? If it’s not, cool, if it is…you will find the one who’s meant for you, when you least expect it.

You probably had a plan, get married by 25, have kids by 27, and now you’re 29, and there’s not even a significant other in sight yet. Well, like we said earlier, the universe and time itself works the way it wants, regardless of your plans. 

Who says you have to get everything in your 20s, just take a deep breath and wait for things to happen when they’re supposed to happen, this is the time to have fun and prepare yourself to take on the rest of your life.

Money, Money, Money

Being broke in your 20s will have you questioning your entire self, but don’t. You’re working hard for your dreams to come true. Having money is awesome, don’t get us wrong, but what’s the point of obsessing over what you don’t have, when you can work with what you do have.

Trust that your dreams will come true, trust that you will get that job that pays heavy, trust that you will be everything you ever prayed to be, but for now, just find happiness in the little things, and enjoy it.

Life Isn’t A Race

One of the most popular culprits of making our 20s unbearable is comparison. Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s, we’re all living our own separate stories, just because your friends are making it in life and achieving everything they want, doesn’t take away from your own story.

Celebrate with them, be happy for them, but never let their success be interpreted as a failure for you. Your time will come, but until then, be their biggest cheerleader.

Take Care Of Your Mental Health

It’s so easy to get lost when the voices in our heads keep saying we’re not getting anywhere. If there’s anything we’ve learnt in life, it is that your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

If you get anxious or worried, remember to take things easy and take care of yourself. Seek professional help if things start to get overwhelming, try meditation if you start to feel uneasy, pray if you feel lost, and always remember that help is always right around the corner, and things will work out eventually.

Your 20s shouldn't be that hard, remember that you're allowed to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. From here onwards, don't forget to laugh, have fun, live your life in a way that glorifies you, and make those mistakes!