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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.

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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James016
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My wife: "What shall we have tonight?" Me: "I don't know"......repeat until we decide to eat the pizza we have in the freezer

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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
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's mostly bills now... When I was younger I used to have penpals from around the world!

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“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.”

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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.”

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Monday
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those were the days....I could fall off the trampoline and land on my face but be totally fine but now I pull a shoulder muscle just from opening the shower door wrong.

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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
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Take your pillow when you visit friends. They will not be insulted. They will understand

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David Woollands
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're a musician, that's typically the best available career move, yes.

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KombatBunni
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You actually subscribed? I always thought it just drops on your head like a brick

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Ophelia Butz
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Mila Kulash
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh yes. Sooo many cables, yet the one cable you need in that moment is nowhere to be found.

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Terry Tobias
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not just me?! I still have land-line phone cables that I doubt I'll ever use again.

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Anna Banana
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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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Seabeast
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me: "What is this one for? Do you remember?" Him: "No, but better hang onto it just in case we find out we need it for something."

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Meami
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Ruth Fichter
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just today I was comparing with my 50ish daughter about where we stash all these items.

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Abby Harrison
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ive done this since I was a kid. always had video games, and with my ocd, I ive always keep things organized

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GoddessOdd
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Richard Thompson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Nazda Pokmov
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have two dedicated junk drawers and presently looking for drawer three to fill.

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Memere
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband is a programmer, self-taught back in the late 80's. 3 years ago, we moved from a house we'd been in for over 20 years. O.M.G., the number of cables, wires, & adapters that went in the dumpster - we probably could have opened a pop-up shop & made some money!

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LynzCatastrophe
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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!!

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Tee Witt
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband has a garage, no room for a vehicle, a large shed and now a 40 FOOT caravan that is nearly full - me? I am moving

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King Kashue
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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?")

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Benyovszky
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Make sure it's close to the box with all the plastic bags.

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Glirpy
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have some from the mid 90s. SCSI cables and a couple Zip drive cables. Not sure why I'm saving them.

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Nicola Roberts
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Using a good pen has always brought me joy. Maybe I'm weird but I love stationary.

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Arctic Fox Lover
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I truly am frightened on these multi lane hiways just stay to the right we gotta turn off somewhere!

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ZAPanda
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

you eventually take it as background noise when it reaches constant flow.

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