Quarterlife Crisis: noun. a period of emotional turmoil experienced by some people in their 20s, characterized especially by strong feelings of being unsettled and unfulfilled.

My 21st birthday was this past February. It was a day that I had been waiting for, and when the moment came, I felt free, as if a weight had finally been lifted off my shoulders. After the honeymoon stage of my new legal status came to an end, and the spring semester of my junior year was wrapping up, the realization that I was actually OLD started to kick in.

Let me clarify. Twenty-one is not actually old, but 21 goes by rapidly, and soon after comes 22, 23 and 24. The years that follow 21 are terrifying, and college seniors like me are approaching the dreaded quarter-life at full speed.

The reason the quarter-life (and the crisis that comes along with it) is met with so much anxiety is the amount of expectation and pressure that follows. Between finding a career and “settling down,” 20-somethings are constantly being bombarded with questions and standards that, if we don’t meet them, mean our lives are “a mess.”

To my fellow rising seniors out there: DO NOT PANIC! If you’re already stressed about your impending graduation and the mystery of what will follow it, you are not alone.

What will happen to us after graduation? Will we find jobs? Will we move far away, or stay close to home? What will our relationships, both friendly and romantic, become? Will we live with our parents? Will we find what we’re looking for?

The truth is, stressing about these questions is pointless. You can think about it all you want, but until you’re actually living in the moment, it’s impossible to know whether you and your friends will keep in touch, whether you and your boyfriend will stay together, and whether or not you’ll be back living under your parent’s roof.

Of course, if any of you are like I am, you’ll panic regardless. It’s OK to panic. It’s OK to work a few minimum-wage jobs before you find a career. It’s OK to let relationships end, and it’s OK to let them grow. It’s okay to be “a mess."

It's really easy to freak out when you come to a crossroads in your life. One of the most difficult parts of your 20s is adjusting to changes all the time. I know that I tend to reject and avoid it for as long as possible. Because of this fear of change, a quarter-life crisis is very real feeling. Facing changes I don't want to leads to all sorts of mental breakdowns.

What we have to remember as we face this upcoming transition in our lives, fellow 20-somethings, is that despite all the pressure to succeed and become mature adults, we still have more time than we think. It’s called a transition for a reason. Our maturity and entrance to the real world happens slowly. Though it may feel like we’re just tossed into it, our entire life has been preparing us for the next few years. And the next few years will prepare us for the ones after that. There is no exact science for navigating the waters through this part of our lives, and that’s OK.