The buddy system is still a thing
Going out with friends or going to the bathroom, having a buddy (or two) can always make things more fun and safe. Having someone there to watch your back is always a necessity. Holding hands and an elastic band are not required.
Naps aren't just for kids
Look, you can keep your hot yoga and kale smoothies, a real way to energize yourself is to take a power nap to help beat the midday slump. We may have hated nap time when we were younger, but we are much wiser now.
Dressing room mirrors aren't your friends
With the mixture of the horrible lighting, the lady working at the store asking if you're okay, and the fact that everything is literally a crop top now makes shopping for clothes a nightmare. If you are on the fence about the clothes, buy them and try them on in the comfort of your own home. Most stores have return policies, and you won't have to feel claustrophobic while squeezing yourself into jeans.
So you need to bring an honest friend with you when shopping
If you decide to face the dressing room mirror, don't go alone. Bringing a trusted friend, whether your mom or your college BFF, will bring honesty about what looks nice on you without making you turn into a pile of puddles.
You don't need to spend an arm and a leg to look good
You can splurge from time to time, but clothes will fade, stain, and rip whether they are $10 or $10,000. You need to decide what is worth the bigger price tag and what is something you can find at Target that looks just as great for the fraction of the price. The designer name doesn't always make it worth it.
Chocolate chip cookies are always the answer
It doesn't depend on the type of cookie, sugar, Oreo, chocolate chip, or any other kind, cookies can solve your problems no matter how big or small. They can soothe a broken heart, a rough day at work, or you're just not feeling the day.
Everyone is at different stages in their lives, and it is okay if you're not at the same one
In your twenties, there is this awkward period where it seems like everyone is getting engaged or having babies or landing their dream job right out of college. On the flip side, there are people are still partying like they're teenagers and living at home with their parents. No matter what stage you're in, it's okay. It is YOUR life and YOUR story, and we all take life at a different pace.
The right people in your life will stand out, and those are the ones you keep
This can be tricky, but getting older means finding the people who make you better each day. They bring you joy and strength because you can't do life all on your own. Your value is worth the price of gold and then some, so don't waste your time on mediocre people who make you feel lesser than.
Most of the time, we don't know what we're doing
A comforting but also terrifying reality is that literally no one seems to know what they're doing. We're all flying by the seat of our pants and hope it all works out in the end. Ask for help and learn from your mistakes because that's what life is all about.
Dance like no one is watching
On the dance floor or just speaking figuratively, enjoy yourself and have fun. Life is too short to be scared of being yourself. Do the sprinkler and live with no regrets, you're older self will thank you.
Being in your twenties is a fun, exciting, and terrifying time, but the thing is that we are all in this together. Embrace the curveballs that life will throw at you, and if you strike out, eat a cookie and try again later. Our twenties is the time to make mistakes, grow up even more, and find out who we truly are every chance we get.
11 Things To Do On Those Easygoing Fall Weekends We All Love
Let's be real, sitting in your dorm room or going out and partying all the time gets pretty old.
When boredom hits, it hits hard. I know I'm not the only one who dreads just sitting in my dorm room with my friends, and sometimes we need a change of scenery from our usual hang-out spots. I compiled the perfect list of fall dates for you and your friends or significant others.
Go Apple or Pumpkin Picking
It's one of my favorite things to do. The experience of the crisp fall air and the beauty of the apple orchards or pumpkin patches is unlike any other.
Plus, you can usually do this for a relatively cheap price. Bonus points if you go to a local farm. Support your small businesses!
Have a Fall Photoshoot
Another one of my favorite things about fall is the fashion. I'm a sucker for sweaters, leggings and my favorite Doc Martens. Your iPhone works great, or a polaroid camera goes perfectly with the season!
Drive to your local pumpkin patch, farm or just walk around your area. There are so many cool places to take pictures.
Pumpkin Painting
This is a great solution if you live in a dorm or apartment building and don't want or can't have an actual rotting, live pumpkin out for the entire month of October. Jack-o-lanterns are fun, but you can always buy the Styrofoam ones from Michael's and paint them. Have a contest with your friends or turn on your favorite Halloween-themed movie and go nuts.
Scary Movie Drive-In
This can still work if you don't have a drive-in theater near you. I was lucky enough to grow up 30 minutes away from an actual drive-in, where I could go hang out with my friends. But there's nothing wrong with building a fort in your living room or just hanging out in bed under the covers. The important thing here is the scary movies.
Go Out for Brunch or Bagels
If "Sex and the City" has taught us anything, it's that you can never go wrong with brunch with your friends. Bypass the mimosas and go for apple cider. Or if you're over 21, drink as many mimosas as you please.
Either way, I know I love bacon, egg and cheese bagels. And I will never say no to lazy Sundays with bagels and my friends.
Bowling
I always forget how much fun this is until I'm invited to do it for a group-bonding activity. Cosmic bowling takes me back to my middle school days, but I still find singing to classics with my friends and laughing at my subpar bowling skills fun. Don't @ me.
Bake Halloween Cookies
My grandma makes those Pillsbury sugar cookies with the cartoons on them for every single season. As the years go by and they add more graphics, she still doesn't get tired of buying them and baking them for us and the kids she teaches at her Sunday school classes.
Do it for grandma. Bake the cookies.
Go Thrift Shopping
This can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. I have a fear of trying things on in thrift stores, but I love buying XXL shirts from the adult-men section and making them into crop tops — then washing them three times before I consider them wearable.
It's fashion. Or laziness. Either way, now I have an outfit to go pumpkin picking in or to wear at my fall photoshoot.
Paint and Sip
I, like many of my friends, am underage. My mom has gone to those wine-and-paint parties, and they look super fun. I'm deciding to take it up a notch and do a cider-and-paint party.
Most towns have these studios, or you can invite your friends over and throw one yourself. They're super fun, and you get art to take home afterward!
Go on a Coffee Tour
Or a hot chocolate tour. I'm a big coffeehouse person, and I'm always looking for an excuse to drink as much coffee as I can in a 24-hour period. It keeps you inside, and the aesthetic of coffee houses is very pleasing.
Decorate Your Dorm or Home
You don't have to spend money on this! You can draw some pumpkins on computer paper, cut them out and tape them up. Or you can be extra like my roommates, buy a light box and put "It's freakin bats… I love Halloween" on it. You can buy skeleton decorations for your TV. It's up to you.