Sept. 28 brought the end to the time of life I had grown to love – my teenage years. As I write this article, I’ve been 20 years old for only 19 days. During these two weeks, I have already lost a best friend, found a new love, and have had a minor (major) mid-life crisis. I always thought being 20 would bring a new era full of fun and light when, in reality, it has brought me a wave of grief, knowing I lost the chance at the teenage dream I was never able to grasp.Â
I have come to a few realizations that I want to share to help anyone feeling the same way. This new era of your 20s can seem scary, but hopefully, these small pieces of advice can help you realize that your 20s are just an age and are not as scary as they seem.Â
- Keep an open mind
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One piece of advice I can give you about entering this new era of your 20s is to keep an open mind. Do the things that scare you. Ditch the friendship weighing you down, go on a date with the boy you can’t stop thinking about, and apply for the job that seems out of your reach. Whatever you do, don’t get in your head about it. Your 20s are all about growing up, which sometimes means taking on the hard things. But through all these decisions, keep your mind open because sometimes the most challenging situations change your life for the better.
- Young Love Doesn’t Stop With AgeÂ
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Like everyone, I’m sure you have heard Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” I was raised with this song, which I still sing along to at a bumping pregame. This song perfectly encapsulates how it feels to be a teenage girl falling in love while living a life that seems so simple. It’s a song almost all of us want to relate to.
Unfortunately, as much as I wanted it to, it never became my reality. I mourn the fact that I never dated or fell in love during my teenage years, but even though I missed the mark on love in my teen years, I managed to find it not even a month into my 20s with a man who never failed to make me feel like I’m living the teenage dream Perry once described.
Don’t waste your 20s hiding in the shadows; embrace this new era of love in your life and use this time to build a future with someone who never fails to make you feel loved.
- Reflect on Your DreamsÂ
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As a teenager, the dreams you once envisioned for yourself are probably a little unrealistic and bigger than you can handle. However, leaving your teenage years behind doesn’t mean you should leave those dreams behind with them. Use this new era to reflect on these dreams and the steps you can take to make them a reality while being realistic with yourself. College is about discovering who you are and what you want to be, and your 20s are about making that a reality!Â
- Fall In Love With Yourself
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I’m still working on this one, but it’s the piece of advice I consider the most important: If you can fall in love with the person you were as a teenager, you can fall in love with the person you will become in your 20s. Many changes come with transitioning from teenager to adult, both physically and mentally, but through all the good and bad times, you have to remain your own best friend. Use this transition to become the person you couldn’t become in your teens. Remember, you have to be your own first love before you can become someone else’s, and your 20s are the perfect time to do so.
- Stay PresentÂ
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Lastly, stay in the moment. Don’t lose yourself in your past. Your teenage years may have brought joy, darkness, confusion, anger, and so many other feelings that you may be reaching to escape or fall back into. Whatever you do, though, don’t lose yourself in those feelings of the past. You are made up of so many memories, good and bad, but you are not defined by them. Use these next 10 years to live every day in the moment and stay present with yourself.
Celina Timmerman / Her Campus
I hope these tips have comforted you as you enter your 20s. Embrace the transition from your teenage years; it doesn’t have to be scary!