I've been blogging about being in my 20s for over four years now. It began when I was 22. Back then, I wrote about drinking, missing college, being poor, partying, and then more about drinking. As I transitioned into my mid-20s, I wrote less about drinking and more about not knowing what I wanted from life anymore. I wrote about fleeting friendships, being poor, career confusion, and staying in. Then, I entered my late 20s and I started writing about weddings and yoga pants and wine and being a manager and working out and saving for the future. Did someone say borrrrr-ing? Because I'm sorry.
Thanks to blogging, I've documented all the changes I've gone through from 22 to 27. One huge topic I've covered over the years is the "quarter-life crisis," which is that period of time when you're an adult, but you don't really feel like an adult, and you don't know what you want to do with your life anymore, so you get all confused and depressed.
Recently, when I turned 27, I realized that my quarter-life crisis was over. That's right -- all of that anxiety and confusion and sadness I felt over the past couple of years went away. OK, just kidding, those things didn't go away... but I finally understood that those feelings are never going to go away. They're part of being an adult, and I accepted that. When that happened, for the first time ever, I finally felt like an adult... and that's when I realized -- my quarter-life crisis was over. Another way I knew: The fact that it was over didn't upset me.
Here are 12 signs your quarter-life crisis might be over, too:
1. You find parent-aged people more attractive than college-aged people. Silver foxes over regular foxes.
2. You don't feel young and awkward in the office. You feel juuuust right, and also a little old.
3. You no longer wonder where you should be shopping. You've figured that out. The problem: You can't afford to shop at basically any of those stores.
4. You wear the same outfit every time you go out. You used to never wear the same outfit out more than once. Now, you have one go-to going-out outfit that you wear literally every time you go out. Sometimes you switch it up, but work-appropriate clothing has invaded your closet and you're not going to wear that stuff to the bar.
5. You don't get upset that "no one wants to go out anymore," because you don't, either. At least not like you used to. Crowded bar teeming with 21-year-olds and underage idiots with fake IDs? No thx.
6. You now consider "getting dinner and drinks" going out. And because of that, you've realized you DO still go out -- with a few unintentional spiral nights here and there.
7. You would rather be productive with your weekend days than waste them hungover on the couch. You've got two days to GET SHIT DONE. And you can't be hungover if you want to do any of that. Not to mention, your metabolism is MIA and you can't keep drunk eating and hungover eating. You need to work out, too. Getting older is hard, but staying healthy is *worth it.*
8. You've accepted the fact you have to plan in advance if you want to see friends, and you like it. No more "what are we doing tonight?" group texts on Friday. You know what you're doing already -- either going out or going face-down on the couch. This whole planning thing makes life a lot easier.
9. You think more about the future than about the past. College happened. You had fun there. Great. But you don't sit around moping about how much you miss it anymore. Instead, you mope around panicking about the future, because, well, it's kind of scary. And by "future," I don't mean what bar you're going to this weekend. I mean buying a house and raising kids and shit. AHH.
10. You're kind of upset about all the money you spent on alcohol in your early 20s and mid 20s that you could have put into a savings account instead. Now that you've started to plan for the future, you realize that you are *kinda* screwed. DAMN YOUR YOUNGER SELF FOR NOT BUDGETING IN HER EARLY 20S.
11. The thought of marriage doesn't make you cringe anymore. In fact, you're rather into it. Like, you would maybe even do it. But regardless of whether or not you're at that point in your life, you love it when your friends decide to get married because #openbar.
12. You don't miss college anymore. See #9 above. I had a blast in college. Arguably more fun than anyone else who has gone to college -- ever. Sure, I miss my friends. But do I miss class? Do I miss going out on Wednesday nights? Do I miss wasting days because I was permanently hungover? Do I miss getting sick all the time because my life was a constant party? No. I enjoy relaxing now. I love having a glass of wine (or two... or three... or an entire bottle... shit). I love being productive on the weekend. I love catching up with my friends more than getting f*cked up with my friends (although I will always love both). I loved my life before, but I love my life now. I'm a different person now, and I like different things, and I am totally and completely OK with that.
The best part of your quarter-life crisis ending: You realize you're still young. The future is about to start. Bring it.
This article originally appeared on ForeverTwentySomethings.com.
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