You Are Allowed To Feel Lost In Your 20s

You are allowed to sleep with the wrong person. You are allowed to date someone for years and break up. You are allowed to get stuck in bad relationships for a few months before coming to your senses and leaving. You are allowed to make mistakes in love and learn from them. You are allowed to stay single, even though most people your age are already settling down with wedding rings and sonograms.

You are allowed to switch back and forth between majors because you still aren’t sure which career path you want to follow, even though most of your friends have already graduated. You are allowed to take two classes each semester instead of four because you have a part-time job that eats up too many hours of your week. You are allowed to move at a slower pace than everyone else seems to be moving. You are allowed to create your own path without feeling embarrassed about your progress.

You are allowed to turn your friends down when they ask you to join them at the club, because you would rather stay inside and sleep. You are allowed to turn down party invitations. You are allowed to turn down drinks. You are allowed to admit that sometimes socializing drains you. You are allowed to have some time to yourself when you need it without feeling guilty or like you are missing out on something irreplaceable.

You are allowed to be a broke college student (or broke college graduate). You are allowed to eat fast food more than you should because the healthy options are too expensive. You are allowed to waste your money on drinks or video games or makeup every once in a while. You are allowed to spend your own cash on the things that you want. You are allowed to be happy.

You are allowed to act like a kid even though everyone keeps telling you that you are an adult. You are allowed to get excited about new movies being released. You are allowed to call your parents when you need help figuring out your taxes or which brand of rice to buy. You are allowed to sleep with a stuffed animal or a picture of your family beside your bed.

You are allowed to take a day off. You are allowed to give yourself a break. You are allowed to sleep in on certain weekends while everyone else is hustling their life away. You are allowed to be easier on yourself. You are allowed to stop working so hard even on your off hours. You are allowed to take a breather and take care of your mental health.

You are allowed to feel lost in your 20s and beyond. You are allowed to question who you are and what you ultimately want out of this world — because the truth is that no one knows what the hell they are doing. They have just gotten good at faking it. You aren’t as alone as you think.