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

It's the opposite for me. My natural clock, when it runs without interference, has me going to bed at 4 am, up at 11 am. While I was working on dayshift, it moved to midnight to 5 am. I retired, and I am trying to continue to get up at 8-9, but I feel the late night lifestyle starting to call my name.

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

Nope, I won't go to sleep before midnight, unless I really have to.

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

When I hit the couch its over. I only watch movies Ive already seen these days because I know I wont make it to the end.

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

Unless you're a night owl, so you have no choice but go to bed late, wake up feeling awful and having to have a nap in the afternoon

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

Lol I wish) I finish aowrk at 9, it's literally impossible to go to sleep before 2am.

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

God, when I was in my 30s I was still young. What happened to your generation that you have become such whimps.

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

30s are the perfect time for a midlife crisis. Everybody has the confidence they didn't have in highschool. None of the girls care who thinks they're a s**t anymore. You can finally afford a cool car to do lines in outside the bar that finally quit carding you. Its like being an adult and a teenager all at once.

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

i'm going through a 3-4 am wake up lately so 9pm feels like 12am

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

Me at 12: I wanna...go to bed... My mom: No, we haven't even had dinner yet! Me: I...don't...care...zzzz

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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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