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Once you were dreaming of becoming an astronaut, visiting the furthest places, climbing the highest mountains, finding the biggest love, and then it was all gone one day.
Adulthood happened. It knocked on the door, handed you responsibilities you were not ready for and said that everything’s on your shoulders now. So now, most of my fellow dear millennials are juggling between things like the pandemic that made the world feel like an apocalyptic movie you didn’t sign up for, student loans, unaffordable rent, crazy expensive mochas your body nevertheless needs no-questions-asked, barely fine Tinder dates, sleepless Netflix binges, stressful jobs or the even more stressful absence of one, and lots other things nobody prepared us for.
So, dear adults, even though we can’t just get back to our childhood which equals devouring Harry Potter books and carelessly sleeping under the stairs, we can laugh at the absurdity we’re in right now. Scroll down through the best tweets that sum up adult life below and prepare to laugh and cry, and then laugh. Who cares, they already think of millennials as not very stable ones.
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Navigating through adulthood is the job of a lifetime. I have been an adult for more than a decade, and I am still learning to be one. I suspect I am not the only one. So I spoke with Francis Merson, the clinical psychologist awarded the Australian Psychology Society Prize in 2015, who was happy to share some very interesting and useful insights about it.
“People can often get stuck in patterns of behavior during childhood which persist into adulthood and prevent them developing true autonomy,” Francis said and added that there are many ways in which this can happen. “People who have been traumatized can internalize a victim identity, which makes it scary for them to act independently as adults. People who are emotionally neglected can also revert to child-like modes, where they rely excessively on partners and friends to help them deal with the world and their own emotions.”
It can also happen to people who are overindulged since they “might grow up with the expectation that others should sort out their lives for them,” Francis added.
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Even though it might be easy to judge people who just can’t seem to adult properly, Francis argues that it’s important to be compassionate and remember that these people didn’t choose the early experiences that underpin their difficulties today.
More importantly, Francis argues that there’s no such thing as the perfect adult—“someone who is unfailingly responsible, rational and emotionally balanced. We all have moments when we act like kids: we get mad over trivial stuff; we panic needlessly; we sulk when we’re criticized.” Having said that, the clinical psychologist warned that “if these behaviors are the rule, rather than the exception, then it’s possible there are some roadblocks on the way to adulthood.”
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troufaki13 3 years ago
It's mostly bills now... When I was younger I used to have penpals from around the world!
“And, of course, no one turns 18 and suddenly finds themselves fully rational, responsible and ready to smash all their life goals. The knowledge and skills involved in adulthood are accrued across the lifespan, gradually allowing you to become a more effective actor in the world, able to pursue your own interests while balancing them against the interests of others,” Francis said and added that essentially, we are all works in progress: becoming an adult is a lifelong pursuit. Meanwhile, “Immaturity happens when people are not progressing, when they are stuck in behaviors that aren’t helpful for them at their stage of life.”
There are many aspects of the transition into adulthood. Francis elaborated: “it means learning to act rationally, rather than just react emotionally. Adults also seek relationships of equality and reciprocity, rather than just someone to look after them. Adults are in touch with their values, and are proactive in reaching their goals. And adults are realistic, particularly about who they are. This requires gaining insight into one’s own motivations, behavior, emotional triggers, strengths and weaknesses.”
Francis also noted that “it’s important to emphasize that the idea of independence in adulthood does not mean you don’t rely on others.” He explained that we are social animals, and we need each other to survive and flourish. “The independence of adulthood is more like the independence of a nation, which interacts with other nations on an equal footing, makes independent decisions and is responsible for its internal affairs.”
For those who think that adulthood is a lot of work, Francis says that it’s worth it. “What you get in return is the power to flourish on your own terms. By acting as a child in an adult world, it’s much harder to build a life you can be proud of,” the clinical psychologist concluded.
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Auntriarch 3 years ago
Take your pillow when you visit friends. They will not be insulted. They will understand
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𝙸'𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚋!(new account) 3 years ago
ya'll know im gonna hit up that lego section in walmart ^.^
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David Woollands 3 years ago
I kind of lie there with one eye open - very dangerous if you’ve already turned off your alarm
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Marcellus II 3 years ago
If you're a musician, that's typically the best available career move, yes.
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KombatBunni 3 years ago
I love my mid afternoon naps. As a kid I found them boring, but as an adult I like to lay down for a half hour or so and snooze.
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postboredom 3 years ago
You actually subscribed? I always thought it just drops on your head like a brick
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Ophelia Butz 3 years ago
Without the drawer, they're in a pile. Without the pile, they're around the house. But they are NEVER in the trash because I need each one of the 18 chargers that work with nothing in my house. I just do.
Mila Kulash 3 years ago
Oh yes. Sooo many cables, yet the one cable you need in that moment is nowhere to be found.
Terry Tobias 3 years ago
It's not just me?! I still have land-line phone cables that I doubt I'll ever use again.
Anna Banana 3 years ago
I actually got to use my decade-old phone cable a while back. I only had it because where I live there are designated places to dispose of old electronics, but they're in inconvenient places so I've been collecting old chargers, cables, headphones, lightbulbs and such for a few years now. I felt extremely vindicated on that one occasion when my laziness finally paid off.
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Meami 3 years ago
And you're not sure if you still have the device that they are designed to fit but you know if you get rid of them, that Bluetooth speaker that is in the basement that you only use when you clean out the basement, will be dead and need to be charged... with the charger you threw out.
Ruth Fichter 3 years ago
Just today I was comparing with my 50ish daughter about where we stash all these items.
Abby Harrison 3 years ago
ive done this since I was a kid. always had video games, and with my ocd, I ive always keep things organized
GoddessOdd 3 years ago
I gathered up every unmatched cord and cable in the house, put it on Craigslist, and someone took the whole big box about half an hour after I posted it. No doubt they needed to add them to their big box of unmarried cables.
Richard Thompson 3 years ago
It's called a junk drawer. Until you have more than 3 you don't have a problem. I have 5. I have a problem.
Nazda Pokmov 3 years ago
I have two dedicated junk drawers and presently looking for drawer three to fill.
LynzCatastrophe 3 years ago
One of the drawers in my TV stand is this. I'm pretty sure there's cords there that cannot be used again and the last time I tried to get rid of things I was yelled at. Cords are expensive! Though I can easily find everything at thrift stores!!
King Kashue 3 years ago
A little while back I adopted a method an IT friend suggested: I got those shoebox sized storage containers and assigned one to each type of cable. One box for USB, one for Video (HDMI, DVI, etc) one for power cords. I only get that one box worth of space - too much to fit? Got to throw some away. Started doing that for different categories of "stuff I might need" to keep it to a "This is reasonable and I am not a hoarder" number of objects. Plus, the boxes make storage simple and finding the right item easy (no more "uh, maybe there's a VGA cable under the 74 power cords?")
Nicola Roberts 3 years ago
I have a draw in my living room that is full, to the point of stuck, of cables, adapters, audio something or other, that I've not opened in 10 years. I'm considering throwing the lot away. Only considering at this point.
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Space whale 3 years ago
Using a good pen has always brought me joy. Maybe I'm weird but I love stationary.
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Arctic Fox Lover 3 years ago
Well, I'm not an adult yet and I've read BP for long enough to realize that most adults in authority are kind of frauds haha. I have mastered the ability to guess what your childhood was like based on your behavior as an authoritative figure, ooooo *intense music as I open my third eye*
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Brian Bennett 3 years ago
I truly am frightened on these multi lane hiways just stay to the right we gotta turn off somewhere!
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Julia Atkinson 3 years ago
28 - 4000 BC: I am the oldest member of the tribe and it's an honour to be chosen for the sacrifice
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Ryan Deschanel 3 years ago
And teenage is whining "Why are there always ball-breakers to break my balls-uh?! Hello, grandma..."
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Isabel Care 3 years ago
I have one in the kitchen that has a sensor, so it opens when my hand gets near it. Great for when I am holding myself upright with the other hand.
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Olga Dremina 3 years ago
Remember in comedy movies there was that dad, who kept weird old outfits and told "That was a great trend, it will come back, you'll see"? I am that dad now.
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Terry Tobias 3 years ago
My friend is buying me a car battery for a Christmas present. I'm so happy!
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Mark Stewart 3 years ago
Or complaining about the ridiculous noise kids listen to these days and realise with horror you turned into your dad.
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Isabel Care 3 years ago
Pretending you are a person that can do what you need to do, then going home and hiding under the covers until you recover from having done it.
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Henry Cheves 3 years ago
Sorry for the delay, I will talk to you shortly.-I will forget that you ever existed in the next 5 minutes.
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Ryan Deschanel 3 years ago
God bless grandparents and their "still thinking in francs instead of euros" annual generosity!
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Ryan Deschanel 3 years ago
Who says that? Nobody says that! Everyone knows your best years are your 30s!
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Downunderdude 3 years ago
I just want to lie in bed WITH Taylor Swift but I don't think that's gonna happen. Sigh.
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What do you think ?
J.L. Martin 3 years ago
You are in good company, ZAPanda. Would you like a hot chocolate?
Load More Replies...
JustAnother Soul 3 years ago
You know you are old when you can look back to when you were 50 and reminisce about when you were young.
Brendan Roberts 3 years ago
Yeah, being an adult is damn hard, but I certainly do not miss my teen years.
Mila Kulash 3 years ago
Me neither but I miss my teenage body. Would love to trade it for that shipwreck of a body I have nowadays. 😅
Load More Replies...
Jace 3 years ago
At age 46: unemployed and on Disability (sleep and PTSD, thanks to so-called healthcare and prior employers). Poverty. Alone most of the time. Hate where I live. Hate my house. Screwed up family. No friends local. Girlfriend is on the other end of the continent. This is not the life I was propagandized into believing was waiting for me as an adult. Hard work doesn’t accomplish shite without being born into a LOT of privilege. On top of all this adulthood disappointment is my ongoing realization (starting in my teens) that most adults are actually just idiot children in bigger bodies and professionalism is a goddamned joke. These are not the lies I was promised.
Kevin J. Henning 3 years ago
Seems to be a lot of people commenting on being adults in their 30's. Wait until you hit 50!
Chich 3 years ago
Wait until you hit your 40's. There should be classes or books available like those "Your changing body" ones for preteens.
Eb 3 years ago
In the UK there's a series of books for small children called 'That's not my dog/bear/cat' etc. There should be something for the middle-aged: 'That's not my face/hair/backside/husband'.
Load More Replies...
VeryDarkMatter 3 years ago (edited)
And how excited you are when the new spatula looks great AND is easy to clean.
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
I had this awesome spatula years ago. It had a turner on one side and a scraper on the other. It melted one day and I went to go find another one and THEY STOPPED MAKING THEM! Why is it so hard to find the things that you have that wear out with the exact same one. Stupid fast fashion.
Load More Replies...
Lady B 3 years ago
When you hit 40 and you get more spam email and snail mail from AARP and burial planning insurance. Like they are saying hurry TF up and die.
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
My BIL was getting AARP mailers in his twenties. Who knows how it works?
Load More Replies...
lgbt_squid.12 3 years ago
I’m in math class right now and my friends and i literally broke down with laughter looking at this while we were supposed to be doing work.
Joanna Werman 3 years ago
Sure, laugh at our pain now. When you're older one good laugh and you've dislocated a rib
Load More Replies...
Chaotic-Pansexual (she/they) 3 years ago
I’m not even an adult but I relate to almost all of these
Summer Mason 3 years ago
Me as a kid: I can't wait to grow up. Me as a grown up to my kid's: wait till you all grow up and then you'll know why I'm the way I am.
Calyfan Yelood 3 years ago
I know it's easier said than done, but try to enjoy the present. If you spend your whole life trying to be older, you'll reach the end of your life never having enjoyed anything and there's no going back to the past.
Load More Replies...
Sinead Kenny 3 years ago
I'm 41 turning 42 and not only did I not have chance to come to terms with turning 40 (was in the middle of pandemic and didn't even get post at that point) but I nearly crashed the car when I was referred to as 'middle aged' by a younger relative 😳😲😫😢 At 18 I thought middle aged was 50-60!!
Lady B 3 years ago
Yeah I was referred to as middle aged at 35. Was like…WTF? That’s about middle age so I am tobogganing down the other side of that slope😭
Load More Replies... Adrian 3 years ago
The way the bast**ds keep changing the rules: you eventually learn how to make xyz work, the tricks and traps when it is replaced by uvw. You eventually find a reliable place to park and they bulldoze the area. You do the calculations for solar hot water during an El Nino year, then after installation it becomes a La Nina so water is never hot. You learn how to prune your apple tree and it dies. Get the fences in top notch order and the apple tree falls down and smashes it all. Work out to how to watch the tennis and the channels all change. Get the kids all used to a Thursday night get-together and they all install WhatsApp. Get all the kids moved out at the same time, redecorate the place and they want me in a retirement village.
Ray Martin 3 years ago
If you think being an adult is bad, then you're going to hate being old. The one thing I was never prepared for is how completely and totally fücking irrelevant I am.
Rebecca Olds 3 years ago
Adulting is feeling extra tired and thinking its just life stree till your doctors says no you have this and this defiency and recommends 2 new supplements to add to your life.
Jaaawn 3 years ago (edited)
Anybody else notice that Bored Panda and Buzzfeed have begun posting the EXACT same articles as each other. Sometimes BP articles appear before appearing on BF within a couple of days and vice versa. Don't get me wrong, I use both sites to idly kill time but it is a little annoying.
Veronica Sjöberg 3 years ago
I know many people have a hate for the use of "adulting" but I think it's perfect.
SilverSkyCloud 3 years ago
at least when you're an adult you dont need permission to buy that video game with the 18+ rating
Viv Hart 3 years ago
At 80 y.o. I look back at my younger self, and can truly say I enjoyed my life as an adult. It did help, not being married, so I had only myself to care about. Enjoyed travelling when it was still affordable, and now enjoying my retirement years. I can't believe that this old body still has a mind of 40, folk in my retirement village are so OLD and boring, can't have a good conversation, oh well, I'll watch YouTube, nothing worthwhile on TV.
Octavia Hansen 3 years ago
When I was 15 - 25 years old, I LOVED getting phone calls! Friends! Family! Parties! Good news! Now all the calls are robo calls, scams, people asking for money, people I don’t even like. And it’s my phone! I used to have to wait to use the family phone. Now I have one on me 24/7 and it’s not even worth picking up the call. And I get to pay for this, too!
Octavia Hansen 3 years ago
From about 12 yrs old to 20 yrs old, I LOVED getting phone calls. Friends! Family! Parties! Fun! Now the calls are selling me something, some scam being tried or people I don't want to talk to. And it's MY PHONE! I don't even have to wait to use it or pay extra . . . but I'm really starting to hate it.
J.L. Martin 3 years ago
You are in good company, ZAPanda. Would you like a hot chocolate?
Load More Replies... JustAnother Soul 3 years ago
You know you are old when you can look back to when you were 50 and reminisce about when you were young.
Brendan Roberts 3 years ago
Yeah, being an adult is damn hard, but I certainly do not miss my teen years.
Mila Kulash 3 years ago
Me neither but I miss my teenage body. Would love to trade it for that shipwreck of a body I have nowadays. 😅
Load More Replies... Jace 3 years ago
At age 46: unemployed and on Disability (sleep and PTSD, thanks to so-called healthcare and prior employers). Poverty. Alone most of the time. Hate where I live. Hate my house. Screwed up family. No friends local. Girlfriend is on the other end of the continent. This is not the life I was propagandized into believing was waiting for me as an adult. Hard work doesn’t accomplish shite without being born into a LOT of privilege. On top of all this adulthood disappointment is my ongoing realization (starting in my teens) that most adults are actually just idiot children in bigger bodies and professionalism is a goddamned joke. These are not the lies I was promised.
Kevin J. Henning 3 years ago
Seems to be a lot of people commenting on being adults in their 30's. Wait until you hit 50!
Chich 3 years ago
Wait until you hit your 40's. There should be classes or books available like those "Your changing body" ones for preteens.
Eb 3 years ago
In the UK there's a series of books for small children called 'That's not my dog/bear/cat' etc. There should be something for the middle-aged: 'That's not my face/hair/backside/husband'.
Load More Replies... VeryDarkMatter 3 years ago (edited)
And how excited you are when the new spatula looks great AND is easy to clean.
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
I had this awesome spatula years ago. It had a turner on one side and a scraper on the other. It melted one day and I went to go find another one and THEY STOPPED MAKING THEM! Why is it so hard to find the things that you have that wear out with the exact same one. Stupid fast fashion.
Load More Replies... Lady B 3 years ago
When you hit 40 and you get more spam email and snail mail from AARP and burial planning insurance. Like they are saying hurry TF up and die.
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
My BIL was getting AARP mailers in his twenties. Who knows how it works?
Load More Replies... lgbt_squid.12 3 years ago
I’m in math class right now and my friends and i literally broke down with laughter looking at this while we were supposed to be doing work.
Joanna Werman 3 years ago
Sure, laugh at our pain now. When you're older one good laugh and you've dislocated a rib
Load More Replies... Chaotic-Pansexual (she/they) 3 years ago
I’m not even an adult but I relate to almost all of these
Summer Mason 3 years ago
Me as a kid: I can't wait to grow up. Me as a grown up to my kid's: wait till you all grow up and then you'll know why I'm the way I am.
Calyfan Yelood 3 years ago
I know it's easier said than done, but try to enjoy the present. If you spend your whole life trying to be older, you'll reach the end of your life never having enjoyed anything and there's no going back to the past.
Load More Replies... Sinead Kenny 3 years ago
I'm 41 turning 42 and not only did I not have chance to come to terms with turning 40 (was in the middle of pandemic and didn't even get post at that point) but I nearly crashed the car when I was referred to as 'middle aged' by a younger relative 😳😲😫😢 At 18 I thought middle aged was 50-60!!
Lady B 3 years ago
Yeah I was referred to as middle aged at 35. Was like…WTF? That’s about middle age so I am tobogganing down the other side of that slope😭
Load More Replies... Adrian 3 years ago
The way the bast**ds keep changing the rules: you eventually learn how to make xyz work, the tricks and traps when it is replaced by uvw. You eventually find a reliable place to park and they bulldoze the area. You do the calculations for solar hot water during an El Nino year, then after installation it becomes a La Nina so water is never hot. You learn how to prune your apple tree and it dies. Get the fences in top notch order and the apple tree falls down and smashes it all. Work out to how to watch the tennis and the channels all change. Get the kids all used to a Thursday night get-together and they all install WhatsApp. Get all the kids moved out at the same time, redecorate the place and they want me in a retirement village.
Ray Martin 3 years ago
If you think being an adult is bad, then you're going to hate being old. The one thing I was never prepared for is how completely and totally fücking irrelevant I am.
Rebecca Olds 3 years ago
Adulting is feeling extra tired and thinking its just life stree till your doctors says no you have this and this defiency and recommends 2 new supplements to add to your life.
Jaaawn 3 years ago (edited)
Anybody else notice that Bored Panda and Buzzfeed have begun posting the EXACT same articles as each other. Sometimes BP articles appear before appearing on BF within a couple of days and vice versa. Don't get me wrong, I use both sites to idly kill time but it is a little annoying.
Veronica Sjöberg 3 years ago
I know many people have a hate for the use of "adulting" but I think it's perfect.
SilverSkyCloud 3 years ago
at least when you're an adult you dont need permission to buy that video game with the 18+ rating
Viv Hart 3 years ago
At 80 y.o. I look back at my younger self, and can truly say I enjoyed my life as an adult. It did help, not being married, so I had only myself to care about. Enjoyed travelling when it was still affordable, and now enjoying my retirement years. I can't believe that this old body still has a mind of 40, folk in my retirement village are so OLD and boring, can't have a good conversation, oh well, I'll watch YouTube, nothing worthwhile on TV.
Octavia Hansen 3 years ago
When I was 15 - 25 years old, I LOVED getting phone calls! Friends! Family! Parties! Good news! Now all the calls are robo calls, scams, people asking for money, people I don’t even like. And it’s my phone! I used to have to wait to use the family phone. Now I have one on me 24/7 and it’s not even worth picking up the call. And I get to pay for this, too!
Octavia Hansen 3 years ago
From about 12 yrs old to 20 yrs old, I LOVED getting phone calls. Friends! Family! Parties! Fun! Now the calls are selling me something, some scam being tried or people I don't want to talk to. And it's MY PHONE! I don't even have to wait to use it or pay extra . . . but I'm really starting to hate it.
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