Remember what the idea of being an adult meant when you were a kid: that being an adult meant being responsible, waking early in the morning, drinking a healthy amount of water, saving for the future, never making an embarrassing mistake, etc.
Fast forward, and you’re now on Google at 2 a.m., looking for answers to “Is this normal?” You didn’t stop having your strange habits when you became an adult; rather, you found ways to justify those very habits.
Some things you swore you’d outgrow are still very much a part of your grown-up life and are thriving. Here are the painfully honest things adulthood promised to fix… but absolutely did not.
Staying Up Late for No Real Reason
You used to say, “I’ll definitely sleep early when I’m older.” That thought was likely cute when you were younger. Today, you’re totally exhausted throughout the day and still wide awake at 2 a.m. scrolling your phone like your life depends on it. There is no party. Definitely no emergency. Just vibes, TikToks, and watching another episode of that series you literally don’t even like that much.
Now that you are an adult, it is not rebellion anymore. It is an intentional self-sabotage with snacks. And the worst part? You know tomorrow is going to be rough… yet bedtime still feels like a personal attack.
Googling Things You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask Out Loud
For you, adulthood did not bring confidence and adventures – it handed you private browsing tabs. You’re now Googling things like: “How long is too long to reply?” or “Is it normal to be exhausted by doing nothing all day?” You expected to be equipped with more knowledge when you entered adulthood, but really, you’ve learned how to ask Google for help without anyone knowing.
Doctors, therapists, etiquette trainers, and more – everything now can be found through Google. And quite frankly, Google knows way too much about your personal life.
Overanalyzing Everyday Conversations
You probably had an idea that adulting would help you grow as an emotionally mature person. However, you continue to relive conversations in your mind like you’re watching the deleted scenes from your favorite dramatic movie on repeat. ‘Why on earth did I say that?’ ‘Did I come across as socially awkward?’ ‘Should I have laughed more?’
In all likelihood, the person on the other end of the conversation forgot the conversation four minutes later… but for some reason, your brain thinks you are under evaluation for the conversation for all time.
Procrastinating Like It is Your Whole Personality
As a kid, you really believed deadlines would magically become a motivating factor for you as an adult. But rather than actually doing the work, you became better and more creative at procrastination until the last minute. Everything from reorganising your home, your future, or your goals becomes more enticing than doing what you’ve actually set out to do!
And suddenly, you are reorganizing your fridge at midnight rather than actually completing the task with a deadline hanging over you. Adulthood didn’t cure your procrastination; it just added consequences (e.g., unpaid bills that won’t wait for your tomorrow to come!) Yet here you are, still telling yourself you work better under pressure… while actively creating that very pressure.
Eating Like an Unsupervised Child
At one point, you were supposed to be craving healthy meals and eating balanced meals with a proper portion. Now, for you, it has become common to eat cereal, snack food, or prepare meals that require as little time or energy as possible. You tell yourself that tomorrow will be your real dinner while you are eating potato chips straight from the bag.
Adulthood has taken away your parental supervision concerning food and eating habits. Now you know exactly what you should be eating, but it is simply more convenient, more appealing, and physically easier to feed yourself what you want (or need) instead of what is good for you! So, convenience, cravings, and laziness often win. Every. Single. Time.
Comparing Yourself to Everyone Else
You promised yourself you would quit comparing your life to others. Then social media came in and ruined all that. Now you compare your life (which is everything that happens in between the photos being taken) to someone else’s perfect (or highlight) reel of (what they want to show to the world and make you think is real) their life – as if this was fair. You see what seems to be a younger person living a “better” life and immediately have an existential crisis (or at least start questioning your own existence).
Adulthood did not stop you from comparing yourself to others; it simply made it easier to hide! Now, you don’t say it out loud anymore – you just quietly spiral and then move on like nothing happened.
Buying Things to Feel Better
You thought you would outgrow buying things impulsively to make you feel better, but you now find there is an even better way of justifying your impulse buying. Now, you can tell yourself, “This is an investment in me.” “This was on sale.” “I deserve this.” That thrill when you click “add to cart” is still present, and then, as you would bet, comes the guilt.
While no physical item bought solves all your problems or makes you happy, you are willing to bet you will feel good about the item for 5 or so minutes before returning to real life. And, if you’re being honest with yourself, that’s sometimes all you really need!
Hoping Life Will Suddenly “Click”
Somewhere in your mind, there is a belief that one day, everything will be clear and you will be settled, self-assured, and secure in your newfound confidence. When do you think that will happen?
For the time being, you make decisions as you go along, adjust to any unforeseen circumstances, and keep your fingers crossed that no one will recognize your lack of confidence. Unfortunately, that is exactly what many adults do as well; the difference is that most adults are better at pretending than you are.
7 Childhood Memories That Were Way Darker Than We Realise
Now that we are grown-ups ourselves, we get glimpses of those childhood memories and realise they were way darker than our tiny brains could understand. Wanna relive some childhood moments that felt innocent but were actually low-key terrifying? Here you go!
7 Childhood Memories That Were Way Darker Than We Realise