Being 21 comes with perks. A lot of them. It also comes with a lot of stress, hurdles, and confusion and without these three crucial things to carry the heavy burden of, life without our 20's wouldn't be worth living... right?
It goes without saying that turning 21 is one of the greater milestones in anyone's life and with this great newfound milestone of power comes great responsibility. Since turning 21 I've learned a plethora of things, some great and some not so great.
For instance, my current standing in life is, without a choice, being an unemployed 21-year old who is forced to watch everyone she loves at their dream internships/jobs and getting paid to do what they love.
It's a given that I couldn't be any prouder of their accomplishments, both of friends and acquaintances, but it's hard not to think about what employers saw in them that they failed to see in you. It's difficult to be living life in your early 20s and have the expectation to be in the same boat as the majority of your peers but once you realize that it's not the case at all, it's equally as difficult to unsee.
Thoughts, mostly negative, start flooding your mind and it's difficult to manage all of them all at once. This is mainly due to the fact that once one bad thought enters the brain, it's automatically permissible for everything else similar to taint your way of thinking. Personally, I think there are a small number of things that triumph the horrible, stomach turning feeling of being unemployed and literally basking in the feeling of rejection and with this feeling, one of two things can happen. One, bask in the fact that these are the few final days in which you can actually be unemployed and not feel too bad about it or two, wallow in your misery and complain about the same unfortunate things.
Pro tip: One is easier said than done and the other will let you live with yourself.
Contrary to popular belief, there are a handful of other things worth it to prioritize before a relationship in your 20s. During this crucial point in our lives, the added stress of petty fights, misunderstandings and miscommunication between yourself and a significant other do more harm than good. Similar to how family and friends will inevitably always end up doing what they want to do, even after countless hours of advice giving, your boy/girlfriend will also do the same. Because of this, it's important to never lose sight of who and what you stood for before so and so came along.
I think the whole point I want to seriously convey in this whole spiel of being a "21-year old unemployed millennial in a long term relationship" is it's okay to feel lost when you're 21 because I personally believe it's just another milestone to overcome in your 20s.
