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So, what is it about adulthood that is better for you? Have you noticed any changes in your life in the years since becoming a legal adult and/or finishing school? Is there anything you wish was different about your life?
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This is a loaded question. I think my life is a lot better and more stable than my teens and my twenties. I am out as bisexual. I haven't come out to one set of family but I also don't hide it. I am married to a great guy who loves me for me. He supports me. He believes in my when I cannot believe in myself. I work my dream job and am currently going to school to get my BSW so that I can move forward, get my MSW, and become a therapist or medical social worker. I still struggle with my mental illness. I have relapses with self harm periodically. I almost made it 5 years. COVID didn't help. I had the epiphany that I will always have to deal with my mental health and there might always be relapses but it is about picking yourself up.
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What about the negatives? What do you say could be different? How big of a change would it be? Since we can't go back in time, how can you work towards these changes from here on out? Do you think you could ever get there?
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There is a lot that could be different about my life but if it had been different I am not sure I would have met my husband...and I wouldn't give him up for anything. Everything I went through shaped me into who I am. Life could have been a lot different and it might not have been so bad for so long....but life has gotten good and I am okay with where I am at. I wish the trauma hadn't happened but...if it hadn't I don't know where I would be.
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What advice do you have for those who are just becoming legal adult or are about to graduate from high school/university?[quote]
Be gentle with yourself. You might decide to take a break from college. You might graduate and struggle a bit to find a job...be patient, kind and gentle. It is exceptionally hard to do, I know. I spent so much time worrying about where life would take me that I didn't get to enjoy it. Take time to enjoy the good things so you don't look back and think what if.
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For those who feel they are more on the successful side of adulthood, do you have any advice for those who are struggling in their 20s and 30s? What is it that you've done to bring you where you are today?
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I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, I am successful. There is still a lot I need to work on and learn but I think one piece of advice is to not compare or judge yourself based on others. I think it is important to work at the pace you are comfortable with. It took a lot of hard word and failures to get to where I am at. I hurt and struggled a lot. I thought I wouldn't see a better time. The patience and healing I allowed myself helped a ton.