This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Manhattan chapter.

1. Your 20s Are About FINDING Yourself: You Do Not Know Who You Are Yet

Every single one of us has changed individually within the last month. I am going to be 22 years old, finishing my senior year as an undergraduate and I just figured out what exactly I want to do with my life (even if it has nothing to do with my major). My point being, from high school to this point in your life, your role as an individual has changed, your views have changed–your hair color is probably different from a week ago! We are still growing mentally and emotionally. This decade of our lives is for us to figure out who we are as an individual because for the next 70 years, we will be changing roles once again in order to accommodate a family lifestyle.

2. It Is NOT An Easy 10 Years, Despite What You Have Heard

The amount of heartbreaks, whether you’re heartbroken or you broke someone’s heart, do not end. In fact, they will happen countless times so do not run away from it. Accept it. Cry about it. Move on to the next one. We will lose many people in our lives. This does not mean that our romantic relationships or our friendships will change–we find people that bring out the positive energy in us and cross out those that do the opposite. Unfortunately, we will probably encounter death more than we have ever before and that is okay. It is a part of this vicious cycle of life. We may fail out of college or regret not going. we may get fired or lose a job. Whatever the situation, make sure you get yourself back up and keep on moving on. Always make sure to forgive and forget just as out friend Lauren Conrad taught us!

3. Most Of Us Are On Our Own For The First Time

We grew up with our family, went to high school with the same people we grew up with and we eventually have to leave the bubble we call our hometown. Once we do, it’s usually the first step in growing up. It’s the first time you have to leav everything you have behind. You don’t have your parents or siblings down the hall, your friends down the street, or even your coworkers in town. It’s a change and a big one. It helps us grow to become responsible adults and teaches us how to live on our own and what to expect. Whether it is moving into the dorms, or an apartment in a city, it is scary but it is worth it. We are all in the same boat and chances are we all have no clue what we are doing when those first few bills start coming in the mail.

4. We Are SO Complicated And Have No Idea What We Want But That Will Never Change

We are indecisive, we change our minds all the time, we probably have a new favorite color everyday. All of this is completely okay because we are at the point in our lives where we are trying to figure out what we want and who we want to be. We are allowed to be complicated because it keeps things interesting. I do not think that many people know everything they want out of life at the age of 22. It takes a lot of growth and experience to figure it all out. It takes time and thankfully, we have a lot of it.

5. You Find Out What You DO NOT Want

We may be completely lost at the ideas of what we want each and every day, but we do find out what we do not want. This is easy: you go through break ups and figure out what you do not want in your significant other. You lose friends; you realize what you do not want in a friendship. You switch majors because you realize the types of classes you’re taking aren’t what you want or your once-dream career is something you no longer want. This is normal and incredibly helpful and this helps us figure out who we are in the end because these ideas or facts stick with us throughout our lives. It is okay to not want to be around a person who has a negative or even positive trait you do not mesh with.

6. The Mental nd Physical Breakdowns Only Help Us In The End

We feel ten times better after hysterically crying for two hours while shoving cookie dough ice cream down out throats. Why? Because we let it out. Scream. Cry. Run. Throw something (anything that is not breakable or in a public setting). It is okay and it happens to all of us in order to make us feel alive.

7. We Are Still So Young

We will be on this planet for at least 80 years, so it is okay to take a few years and figure out what you want and where you want to be. There is so much time. It is precious which is why you need to make every single moment count.

8. There Are No Consequences

You will live and you will definitely learn. You have to experience as much as you can while you can. Take risks, whether it’s making out with the stranger across the bar only to never talk to them again (I know I am not the only one), quitting your job, or moving to a town where you do not know a single soul. Everything does happen for a reason and chances really do only come around once.

9. You Only Have To Worry About Yourself

Soon, this scenario will be winding down and you’ll have a family of your own. At this moment and throughout the next ten years you only have to worry about yourself…mostly. By doing so you should never be held back from doing something you are passionate about. Take those chances, explore, study abroad, and take that job on the other side of the country. Just say yes!

10. Try out different things before you settle for anything (career, boys, etc)

Don’t settle–I cannot stress that enough. Do not settle in any situation, you are better than that. You will not be happy settling for something because you are scared or because you are unsure of what you want. Chances are if you are unsure, you do not want that and chances are if you are scared you have a better scenario waiting on the other side. So change being scared to being curious, have fun and enjoy some of the best years of your life!

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