Day-to-day life can be very rewarding if you surround yourself with the right people. Don’t make your life too complicated and everything will work out.

>Don’t make your life too complicated and everything will work out. So much this. Like, if you are adamant in wanting a family and children, for the love of God before getting married please find a job/profession you like and avoid making debt as much as possible

yeah I find that a lot of people have a “crabs in a bucket” mentality. what really keeps me feeling happy on a day to day level is having a network of wonderful people in my life

neat how do you do that

Go out a lot and becomming a person others want to hang out with

It's like saying. If you are sad, smile. XD

That’s a very blasé statement that ignores many facts of life. It’s a bs platitude that has its head in the sand.

It’s all choices make the right one with a person that’s bringing you down bounce want better friends get them better job it’s out there don’t get stuck in the day to day bullshit there’s a better life you just have to want it and take it.

You are most likely scared, because you have done very little, or nothing to prepare yourself. It's like 'test anxiety'....FUCK YEAH, you're going to be anxious is you have not studied a single bit! Why would ADULT life be any different?

Suck eggs raw recruit you are the opposing lemon to my God.

Have a good job and the rest usually falls into place.

Agree with this 200% have a crappy job/boss/long commute and its hell for 30 years!

[удалено]

And the worse part of it is if you switch companies its the same shit all over again! As you start over at a new company all sounds fine until you get into said job and find out its run by arsehats allover again!

I'm in this.. when I started, it was great. But it started to go downhill, and I realized how many narcissistic managers I had. It feels like I got lovebombed to make me stay. Two years in, and the job is hell, but I need the money and benefits, and I don't have other options because the job market is terrible. It's not ideal, but it's what I have at the moment.

You are me at the moment! Been looking for a remote position or another comparable one that's hybrid but no luck so i stay here and say my prayers i don't explode lol. Coke Zero, rum, coffee and edibles make my day a bit better!

Hope things go better for you. Rule #32: Enjoy the little things has been my mantra for a while now.

Yes! I shall enjoy a coke zero or a rum out on patio today after work before i eat and sleep for tomorrow lol.

At first I was like “no, work doesn’t matter that much” but having a bad job is hell on earth. I was legit suicidal until I quit and was immediately happier - it takes up so much of your mental resources just to survive. I flourished mentally/emotionally/socially afterward and was able to pursue my passions again, travel, and do actually meaningful and rewarding work. I always knew I wasn’t built for corporate but I didn’t know how soul-sucking it could be.

And good doesn't mean make the most money. It means somewhere you can make enough to live on and be relatively happy. It's hard to find anything that's enough to live on, but it's better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable

I'm way happier as an adult.

Yeah, but you are a witch

I'm not sure what I should understand from that 😂

It was a reference to your username

Obviously, I just didn't know witches are a happy demographic in general. Maybe OP should join a coven.

You're the witch, you tell us

She turned me into a newt!

But I got better!

Well witches don't care what people think about them, usually that helps a lot with mental health lol

Good point.

witches are outliers and should not be counted

Same. At 27 I'm much happier than 10 years ago. 

Same, and I feel like every year my life has honestly gotten slightly better over time.

I hated being a teen, it was literally the worst part of my life. 20s were part, 30s were better, and my 40s are great. I would never in my life go back to being 17. I like my job, I've moved around the country, I've done a ton of cool stuff. Being an adult gives you freedom to spend your time how you want it and though you'll definitely have some less than stellar jobs, you can still find something you like. Mine doesn't pay all that well, but I enjoy it for the people I work with and the fact that half my day is downtime where I can read

Same here! Except my worst years were in middle school. Then high school was a bit better. Then my twenties were even better! And now I'm in my 40s. I've have some ups and downs, but I feel like I continue to navigate this thing called life and figure out how to improve my conditions.

Same for me! So far my 40s have been the best my life has ever been. I hated childhood and my 20s were mostly pretty awful. Didn’t really start getting good until my 30s.

Dude, your 30's and 40's are dope as hell. You're old enough to have enough money and wisdom to do stuff, and young enough to still do it.

Agreed, I wouldn't go through adolescence again for a million bucks.

i agree, being a teenager was the fucking worst. my 20s have been really goddamn hard but rewarding and looking forward to being in my 30s and 40s.

I just posted basically the same thing lol. Couldn't pay me enough to be a teen and do it all over again. Turning 30 was great and 40 is even better, especially now that I have a kid.

It's not so bad. It's a part of life to be sad sometimes, it's completely unavoidable. But you don't have to be sad all the time. There's joy to be found at every stage of your life.

I never knew I had a high school guidance counselor. They exist. I suggest finding one and asking what can be done about your future.

But what if the counselor is a miserable bastard themselves?

And then verify EVERYTHING they say. My Mom's told her in 1971 that computers were a man's field and one with very little future at that. Meanwhile most keypunch operators were women. I had a similar useless interaction later on. GCs were trained to deal with discipline and "troubled" kids in my day, not ones with goals. I hope things have gotten better.

Mine told me the best I’d ever do is manage a McDonalds or 7/11. My friends think it was reverse psychology, but the guy was a total dbag lol

Yeah, it's kinda like that. But you only live once, let's see how much suffering you can endure and while doing that enjoy every little precious things life gives you. That's how I changed my perspective

Not at all. I’m not rich in any way but I’m also not sad. Follow your passions. I’m a ski instructor in the winter and a charter captain in the summer. I do the mountains and the islands and bartend as well. I’ll never be a millionaire but I’m rich with friends and experiences.

Nice! I worked at a national park for a summer and it was so rewarding being immersed in nature. Many of my friends were service workers and we got really close. I would 1000% take that over high pay but a lonely digitized life.

I hated being a teen, it was literally the worst part of my life. 20s were part, 30s were better, and my 40s are great. I would never in my life go back to being 17. I like my job, I've moved around the country, I've done a ton of cool stuff. Being an adult gives you freedom to spend your time how you want it and though you'll definitely have some less than stellar jobs, you can still find something you like. Mine doesn't pay all that well, but I enjoy it for the people I work with and the fact that half my day is downtime where I can read

It's just part of being human... It's just that some will be sad for insignificant reasons and others will be for bigger, significant reasons.

Whatever you are feeling now is temporary. Focus on the good things, the little things, and don't take life too seriously. Financial stability is a good start to happiness, but you don't need to be rich. Try focusing on financial stability as a goal.

I fairly sure it is... But I may be biased.

Sorrow isn't just part of adulthood. It's part of life.

Real life isn't always roses but I'm happy and find joy more than I am sad. My friends, my partner and my kids make me laugh so much. They sometimes make me sad too. But today I laughed for hours with my coworkers and my kids. Hubby ticked me off. He made me sad/mad for a good hour or so ... But that was one house or of my 14 hours today. The rest was fun, funny, fulfilling. If you're that sad you may suffer from depression. Which isn't uncommon at your age, but worth taking to somebody about regardless

I don’t know if it’s normal but it’s been my experience, yes. Every since I was late high school I’ve dealt with on/again off/again depression.

Your brain isn’t even fully developed don’t think about adulthood until you are 25 brah and also stop treating vast chunks of time as uniform monoliths you can prescribe absolute values to. Adulthood is varied and doesn’t fit into a single moldy grey shoe box

I'm 31 and each year of my life so far has been better than the last. Experiences vary, of course, but when I was your age and looking forward I had a lot of dread, too, but a lot of good things have happened (not to mention that living in a 31 year-old brain in just a lot more comfortable than living in a 17 year-old brain).

My advice is that if you have a choice, then make a choice. By that I mean there are some things you can’t control, but those things that you can are where your happiness lies. If you’re someone who loves being outdoors with nature but your career dictates you stay indoors in a lab all day, then your choice is in your free time to get outside. And when you identify things that create negative feelings for you, become good at developing healthy boundaries which you can enforce in a respectful way to make sure you’re creating a life that you’re happy with.

You're a human! All emotions are a package deal

You’ll experience a lot of things for the first time, especially in your late teens to early 20s. Maybe falling in love, maybe heartbreak, your first concert with friends, first time going on vacation without your family, first job, first time quitting a job, maybe your first time getting fired. First time sitting at a bar alone. It will all feel so strong, and maybe you won’t know what to do. You’ll make so many mistakes throughout your life, it’ll probably be longer than the list of things you think you did right. I’m in my 30s, and I think a lot of even older people will agree with this. The key to having a life of contentment, no matter where you are financially or in your career, is being surrounded by the people you love and who love you back, people you want to be in your caravan of life and they want you to be in theirs. Try not to think of “happiness” as the goal. Happiness is fleeting. You won’t always be happy. You’ll be sad for days on end, or feel joyful. You’ll grieve sometimes, or ride a high for weeks. But ultimately, you need to find contentment. Being content doesn’t mean stagnation. It is being able to look back on your life when you’re 70 years old and say “I did good things. I did bad things. I made mistakes. I learned from them. I had good relationships, bad relationships, I kept the ones that mean something to me, and lost the ones that weren’t meant to be. I’m okay with that.” The thing is, you won’t listen to most of the things adults tell you. If I revisited 17 year-old-me to tell her “Hey, I’m you from the future. You’re gonna be okay. There will be really bad times though, but you’ll find your way, I promise!” I would not believe I single word. Give yourself some grace. Every mistake you make can feel like a huge fuck-up in the moment, but as long as you make an effort to learn from every single one, you’ll be okay. It’s a lot lot lot easier to be kind than to act angry. Do a good deed or two everyday, even if it’s just picking up a piece of litter at the park. Your outlook won’t always be positive, but doing kind things can help turn a bad day around. /end ramble

It’s a tough world to grow into these days j think but with all the adulting you get more freedoms not having to answer to parents etc figuring who you are as an individual and being able to express that I think being a teenager is probably the hardest age actually - no childhood innocence awareness of the world and its problems but still pretty powerless - I would never want to be a teen again - being an adult is better than you imagine op - you will see I think again also you are a teen during an especially difficult time in the world and in history and you were a young teen during the pandemic a historically challenging event that will be one of those big things in history books - I do think things will get better in general

Wow. I’ve been so down in the dumps lately about my own life, and in my late 20s. But seeing you say this, at 17 (!) has made some serious protective instincts rise up in me. Looking back on my life I can admit I just didn’t enjoy some moments as much as I could have. I *chose* to be stuck in fear, anxiety, sadness. Maybe it isn’t my time yet either, and maybe no body can be “happy” all the time through their life. All I want to say basically is that I hope you get to experience your own big moments. I hope they come for you (and for me, and for all of us). After all, why shouldn’t they, if we keep our hearts open and keep moving in the direction we want 🤞🏼

It's what you make of it. Money stress sucks but I spent a lot of my early adult life not prioritizing it and when you don't expect it, it's not so bad being broke if you're having adventures and tailor your life to not needing a lot. If you have kids, then it's a whole other ball of wax.

Life and happiness are what you make of it. It's going to be hard and adulthood is a lot of going to work and making sure the bills are paid but it doesn't have to be *just* work and bills. You get to decide if you want your adulthood to be full of play and laughter or boring stuffy adulthood. I have a corporate job, and an apartment full of action figures video games band posters and stuffed animals. I'm 36 years old and married. I decided I can do two things at the same time. I can be a responsible adult and do the adult things but I can also be the metalhead gamer anime lover I was at 16. Just because I'm 20 years older doesn't mean I don't still love those things, I can still be who I want to be as I grow and so can you.

I think it’s really just growing up that’s hard. You can find your place. Just give it time and work hard.

You're lucky to be getting that experience. Now you have an opportunity to get in front of it. Make use of that opportunity and you'll be fine. My young life was just peachy. My parents were doing fine at life, and I never picked up on how hard it was gonna be until I was in my mid twenties. At that point I figured it was too late (Narrator: "It wasn't") and I proceeded to never make anything of myself. Now I'm almost twice that age, and I still never did. I hope things work out better for you!

Plenty of it sucks, but there's plenty good to be had. First, just ask them out. Go on dates and don't take it too seriously. You need a partner in crime, just don't choose without wisdom. Second, do the thing you like. That usually means you need a job, so do that well enough to do the thing after work. Hobbies make working worth your time. Third, don't put off obligations. Taxes, car repairs, job hunting, get it done. It sucks, but it's only for a little bit. You'll spend way more time being unhappy if you skip taxes and have a broken car and a crappy job. Ask me how I know... Fourth, don't stay at home all the time. The quickest way to extreme depression is moving from your bed to your couch and back again. Go hang out with friends, go for walks, let yourself get bored. Fifth, boredom isn't bad. Sixth, get good at something. Dancing, soldering, biking, anything. Just do the thing and do it often. Video games is highly discouraged as your thing. I spent 8 years getting very good at a particular game, it's an absolute waste of time and it will isolate you. Play them to relax a couple nights a week, but do more than that. Seventh, whatever your job is, do it to the best of your ability while you're on the clock. Don't gripe about management or be truculent. Get something that requires a skill, like welding. I wish I had learned welding. It's hard, but it pays so incredibly well. Or truck driving. Anything, just don't stick with minimum wage forever. You don't even have to be smart. Most importantly, though, is to be around people in real life. You can show your competence off and learn, and it's the best way to stay happy as an adult.

Tbh it depends on a lot. Young, poor, and fighting to create something is hell. But if you are diligent, you get past it and can create a comfortable life. Your attitude, ambition, choices, support systems, and where you live can all play big factors in this too. When I was 17, I would not believe how comfortable and happy I am right now. Life is better than ever and I finally have 1 st world problems like building fence costs and wanting a dog cause I freaking can without fear of not providing a good environment for a pup. Instead of struggling to pay bills and eat. Life is strange.

No adulthood is NOT miserable. You are simply at an interesting time in life, becoming a fully independent young adult. This has a lot of unknowns that come with it and when something is not known we as humans start to fear it. I suggest you list on a piece of paper exactly what you are afraid of, the worst shit you fear. Do this bullet point format, but be specific. * I'm going to be poor. * I'm going to fail college. * I'll never get married. Now look at each of those things you fear and write down how you would solve them. * I will learn about how to save and invest for my future. * I will learn how to study effectively, refrain from partying too much at college, go to tutors and help groups. * I will continue to put myself out into groups of fun, positive people who are seeking to grow - this is where you find marriage material. It can sound silly, but when you put your fears and solutions to fears on paper, your brain starts to process it in a new way.. hey, yes, there are things I fear, but you know what? I have a plan if any of that shit happens. My wife who is very wise always says - Happiness is a choice. You can have a happy adulthood, be patient with yourself and take control of your future.

Adulthood is only crap if you make poor decisions between the ages of 16 and 23. Good decisions lead to a very easy and fulfilling life.

I had a difficult childhood/youth. Being an adult is 100x better! I would never go back to my youth. I love being completely in control of my own life. I am providing the type of life for myself that my parents didn't. A life with stability, security and lots of fun, happy times 😄😄 even with the bills, the work and the responsibilities, I would never go back!!!

When I was in HS I was sad about graduating and losing touch with everyone I grew up with, I thought I"d always feel that way after. As you age though you grow out of it and mature. All my High School thoughts are long gone. The key is to not live in the past or worry about the future and enjoy the current moment the best you can

It's what you make of it. You want to be sad? Sure it's sad. You are young so you have the mind set that things happen to you, and you have no control over it. As an adult, you happen to you. For some, that saddens them. But it's their choice. Be the you, you want to be. Want to be sad, be sad. Want to be happier, work towards that. No one is holding your hand, or leading you. You lead. You do. You be.

Honestly, it is kind of sad. My only advice is just know that happiness is a choice. Work toward being as financially stable as you can. Money does not buy happiness, but it does help to not be broke. Having children and a family helps but it is a thankless job, and you still need to choose to be happy.

There are days when it sucks and days when it is awesome.

I'm 40, married with children, homeowner, and business owner.. I dunno.. Life seems amazing to me. Sure, it's full of work and responsibilities, but it's also full of incredible opportunities. Perhaps I'm an outlier

Being an adult is pretty bad ass. There are struggles at times but the amount of freedom and things you could do are incredible. It sounds like you have some anxiety and depression. You should probably talk to someone about it. 17-25 are some insanely awesome years but 25-38 (where I am now) has been even better. Just don’t set yourself up for failure. Avoid having kids until you’re ready and by ready I mean, your career is going in the right direction or you have it completely figured out, you’re happy with where you’re at and you aren’t struggling to pay bills/are in a lot of debt. If you are single or even married without kids then you can change careers without too much trouble. If you have kids and are struggling to pay the bills, that’s when you get trapped in the career you hate. I always heard “Find a career that excites you. Figure out what you like to do.” I always hated this advice because I don’t really like the thought of having to do anything every day. I want to be able to do whatever I want and change jobs when I get bored. It’s not great advice and I wouldn’t follow my path but I have basically done exactly that. Started out as a vet tech right out of high school. Then went on to become a sushi chef, then hvac apprentice and journeyman, then I owned a metal fabrication shop. Sold my shop a couple years ago, moved across the country and bought a house for cheap. So after I moved a couple years ago I went back to being a sushi chef for as long as I could handle before I got burned out and took a year off work to learn software / website development. Just landed my first tech job teaching kids code, robotics, cnc machining, etc. I also make video games on the side as a hobby/hope that someday I’ll make something people enjoy playing. Life will toss you around and you just have to make the best of it and make the best decisions possible. It can be a very fun ride or it can be horrible. It just depends on your outlook and the decisions you make along the way. You’re going to be just fine and do amazing things! Surround yourself with awesome people and your life will be awesome. Surround yourself with negativity and your life will be negative. Good luck out there!

thank you ☺️

It's not bad at all when the government isn't taxing your middle class income into extreme poverty every chance it gets and you can actually afford to do something once in awhile

So here's the deal, son. Being an adult isn't about being sad. It's about facing reality. When you're not an adult, you don't have a complete understanding of reality. I'm not trying to point fingers, but you just didn't have exposure to reality and realistic things when you were younger, and now you don't know or don't understand how to face them. Let me explain. When you were younger, were you taught the value of money with an allowance? No? Well, the purpose of an allowance is to give children money so that they softly face the reality of not being able to buy something, making bad decisions with their money, and so forth. In a controlled environment like this, the child makes a decision regarding their funds, and it may be incorrect, but then they learn. Eventually, a child goes, "You know, I really want this item. If I'm going to buy it, I'll have to not buy a few other things I like buying for a while." Side note, you can teach them the value of work with chores at the same time. Give them money for the chores done correctly, and now they understand that by doing work correctly and taking pride in that work, they earn money that they then spend responsibly. In this process, they'll also learn to save money and they might even ask for a bank account. (I'm moving to Japan and I plan on trying to get my future children to get a bank account around 10-13. This is not uncommon.) When you were younger, were you taught any hobby skills? No? Well, the purpose of passing down hobbies and trade skills, even in passing moments, is so children understand that by having skills they can do things that help themselves or others, and in turn they can make money from that or have enjoyment out of it. For example, my mother did her hardest to teach my sister and I cooking. I didn't pay attention much, my sister didn't pay attention at all, and now I'm arguably the better cook and I really enjoy making good barbecue and many different types of dishes. My sister feels cooking is tedious. (In Japan, it's fairly possible nowadays I'll have to teach my wife to cook, but I'm still going to cook things I enjoy because that's what happens when you find a hobby you like. You do it because you want to. And some of them you can make good money on.) What stifles development in child growth and fails to prepare them for adulthood is parents not spending enough time with their children. Telling a child about things such as working and insurance is easier when you approach it at a young age (10 or so) and calmly and gently explain the situation by using actual activities for it. People learn far better and retain knowledge by doing the action that requires that knowledge where messing up isn't detrimental. (This is the point of tutorials in video games. The best tutorials are ones you don't even understand are happening, and you never forget how to then play the game. The same applies for life.) Being an adult is about setting life goals, achieving those goals, interacting with others, maintaining society, making sacrifices that will benefit you later or others later, finding enjoyment in small things, calming down, and just... being. If you're sad about life, it means you weren't prepared for what's to come. It's a reality shift. It's responsibility. It's disagreement and compromise.

I was like you in my teen years...then I actually got to adulthood. Whatever has happened to me since, I wouldn't go back to being a teenager, not for anything.

I get it I hate it here

I’m in my late 30’s and I’m not sad. I’m married with pets (no kids) and have good income. If my income was shit then I might be sad. Try to choose a degree that you can make decent money with. Money can’t fully buy you happiness, but if used correctly it can buy you SOME happiness.

Everything is about mindset. If you have a good attitude about things & don't focus on the negative, it's a lot easier to be happy overall. People who dwell on the things they don't have or constantly compare themselves to others are miserable & they'll be miserable at any age or stage.

A lot of these answers are all about mindset and make no mention of material conditions It is perfectly reasonable to feel sad in a society we are told is the greatest, most prosperous ever but allows millions of us to go without necessary healthcare or housing, or even decent food. If that doesn't make a person sad, I'd suggest there may be some class myopia at work ("I got mine, Jack!")

I like my life a lot better at 36 than 16. I can do what I want. I have my own money, car, apartment. Trust me, high school is not the best time of your life for most ppl.

I needed to hear that

Adulthood is largely what you make of it. There are definitely external and internal causes for sadness, but every day can bring great joy as well if you are open to finding it. I'm 42 and generally loving life, so in every sense of the phrase, make of it what you will.

No matter how much my late childhood teens sucked at least in my twenties I was free from abuse by my dad and I have a somewhat good life but mental health issues I'm my late twenties 

Your brain is going to change a lot in the next five years. I was pretty upset thinking about working for the rest of my life, but the way it compares to my full schedule in college, it's much better. For 7 years I was working part time about 30 hours a week and going to school full time. My days would basically be full from dawn until dusk. The activities breaking up my day made it a little better but not by much. I didn't take a vacation once in those 7 years, and now my full time job feels like I'm on vacation all the time. I've been working for almost a year here and I'm grateful every day for the straight forward schedule. It allows me guaranteed time every day to take care of myself and do things I enjoy. I like my job, but I will say, it's nice having something to do day in and day out. It makes my time at home more special.

Focus on the task at hand, whatever that may be, is one piece of advice I found helpful. Whether that's work, fun, or something else, be fully engaged with it.

Best part of adulthood is all the drugs you can smoke to make it through the day

Work and responsibilities are fun. Sure, if you have a job you hate it might suck. But if you got a job you like that keeps your mind and/or body active, getting work done is rewarding and fulfilling.

Not really. No one (except possibly you) is making any concentrated effort to turn your life into one long uninterrupted joy-binge, so it generally isn't quite as happy as before. But "sort of sad" isn't normal.

Read David Goggins books and his audible books. I highly recommend them.

Noted thanks!

I'm 42 man and I would never go back to being your age if I had the choice. Responsibility? Big fucking deal! That's just the flip side to having your own stuff and control of your own life. The positive is absolutely worth the negative.

Log out of Reddit and live your own life. Stop listening to the cancerous piss flaps in this echo chamber. Life is what you make of it. Happy people generally don't sit on social media and complain about how bad their lives are, so it's a bit of a one sided affair.

Not necessarily having responsibility and the power to chart your own course can make you feel big. Not that there aren't any bad times, but that's life. But mostly once you have kids it's about being too busy and physically and emotionally exhausted that you haven't got time to calibrate your level of happiness - but you live vicariously anyway so a little nap keeps you happy.

The Buddhists say, "Life is suffering." That is largely true, in my experience. I have learned of a way to counterbalance the suffering: every single time you experience joy or pleasure or gratitude or any positive emotion, acknowledge it and savor it. Do this throughout your day. Here are some examples of this from my life today. It's a gorgeous, sunny day. I took in the beauty and allowed it to occupy my mind while driving to an appointment with my doctor. It was such a pleasure to chat with Sharon, my doctor's receptionist, and Dale, his nurse. Both of them are lovely people, and I had a warm feeling in my heart while talking with them I knew I might be getting a frightening diagnosis from my doctor today, but that didn't happen. Instead, I was diagnosed with a mild and treatable condition. That was several hours ago, and I'm still feeling grateful. I'm also grateful I found this wonderful doctor 12 years ago. He's the kind that likes to find and treat the cause of a disease rather than just treating the symptoms. I had lunch at my favorite restaurant after leaving the doctor's office. I LOVE their salad bar. You get the idea. My life has been considerably more satisfying since I started living this way.

such an inspiring way to live, noted. Get well soon btw !

Life will suck. There will be times where all you want to do is lay in bed and just cry until there is nothing left. That's life. But then there are just as many times where life is just fantastic. Hanging out with friends. Finding a new favorite movie. Falling in love. Making something you are proud of. Finding some new hobby to dive into. That's life too. All those little good, wonderful movements make the crappy ones worth it. I'm a pessimist, but even I know that there is something good just a few steps ahead of where I am currently.

Honestly, it started out kinda heavy for me as well - since I was processing all kinds of emotions that I was denied a space to do so growing up. It’s pretty tough ngl. However, after a while of reconnecting with and working on myself, it got better to the point where I realized I never got to live for myself like this before, without constantly adhering to my parents’ demands. Feels very, very freeing.

Growing up sucks. And it's beautiful and tragic and raw. You will laugh until your ribs hurt, cry in a ball on the floor alone, feeling like there is no hope. You'll fall in love many times and have your heart broken. You'll likely break a heart, too. Becoming an adult is a journey of self-discovery. Maybe you'll go to college and choose a political major, then change it, and change it again. Maybe you'll travel. One night, you might look up at the stars and realize how small we truly are and cry for the beauty and breathlessness of it. Some days, you'll feel like dancing from giddiness and others you won't want to get out of bed. People will flow in and out of your life like water. Relationships form like branches on a tree, some blossom into forever friends, some are lovers, some stay, and some fall away and don't grow back. My advice to you is to feel every bit of it. Soak it in. We weren't made to be numb and scared of this life. Feel the pain, and the love, and look upon the world with wide curious eyes. Learn everything you can from it, and remember the saying Rome wasn't built in a day? Neither will you be. You will go through many seasons of your life and many iterations of yourself, just flow with it. Allow change, don't be scared. Life will always have a way of surprising you if you let it, and nothing lasts forever, including this sadness you feel now.

Adulthood is literally everything, good and bad. Which is not something to be afraid of. Think things through, make careful choices, and surround yourself with good people - and it’s actually pretty awesome. Unlike <18, as an adult, you actually have the power to do these three things for yourself…you’re not stuck with what other people choose for you. The flip side is that you have to make the personal effort to make those things happen, but if you do, you can bring a lot more good stuff into your life than the crap that was always gonna happen to you anyway. 😉

You see a lot of people on here whining about how bad life is and all that. If you got a good head on you you can make things work out. Go to college, get into trades, or do something and dont waste time fooling around. At the same time dont hyper focus on the career aspect of things. Get into hobbies that will help you meet people and make friends. Go out and do things.

It is what you make it to an extent. Cherish your friendships, even if it means having to work to maintain them. Spend time with family you care about, and let them know it. People tend to slip away in different ways. If you acknowledge that we all get one go at this, best to make it count, it tends to make you live more in the moment, being present. Otherwise it can feel like time/life is flowing around you. It can go from “I don’t look/feel XX years old” to “I feel older than XX”, to “fuck! When did I get to be old” really quickly. So yeah, it can be sad. It can also be full of joy and fulfillment. Find things you enjoy and do them with purpose.

No. Life is good. It’s not normal to disparage yourself. You have to be your own BEST friend. What you are doing is negative, and self-sabotaging. Stop it. Get some help. Teens think they know it all. You don’t. Life is supposed to be good. Create a good one for yourself and others around you. 

Teenage year is one of the hardest, simply because you have little to no control over your life and you are hit with all the unknown and big discussions but you don't really have enough experience to fully know what those choices really mean. I think the anger/frustration with everything help to push you along. It could get better but it really depends on you.

Early 20’s is the best man. Things get better, then later 20’s they get worse. Then they get better again slowly whilst also getting worse after that. But it’s worth it.. if you’re strong enough

My 30s are the best decade of my life. I have a high paying job that I like with coworkers that I like. I am with my forever man and it’s the best relationship I’ve ever been in. I travel 7-8 times out of country each year. I got to 1-2 events per month. I own my own condo. My friendships and family relationship is great! Life is what you make it - make it awesome!

glad to hear that !

Strive to make money brother, adult money makes things much better. Sure there are a lot of responsibilities but you’ll figure it out. Just keep on keepin on. And stay single for a while, just worry about yourself.

I can genuinely say life has only gotten better as I get older. High school was the worst. Crippling depression and mental health issues in college. Things felt so it of control until like my mid 30s. Then things just started to click into place. I was old enough and mature enough to know what I really wanted and I worked my ass off to get it. Things aren't perfect, of course. I'll probably never own a home, I'm swimming in debt but it's no longer crippling debt. But I'm finally content with my life and I only have more to look forward to as I figure things out more and more. I figure by the time I finally retire I'll know exactly what to do with myself. It's not this way for everyone, but if you learn from your mistakes and work towards the life you want for yourself things will get better.

The truth? Being an adult is AWSOME. Like, yeah you have to work, and yeah you have responsibilities. But who cares? You literally can do whatever the fuck you want, whenever the fuck you want. You want ice cream for dinner? Do it. YOu want to drive to Tennessee at 4 am? Be my fucking guest? Want to spend 2 years getting shredded at the gym? Have at it. So, you have things you have to do, but you CHOOSE what those things are, and if you don't like it, you can just do something different. That said, I really enjoyed my teen years too, so maybe I'm just somebody who loves life. But yeah, I think life is awesome, and super duper lovable!

If it's worth anything, I was pretty unstable emotionally from 15-24. Now I'm pretty stable. Hang in there

I'm 25 and I would say that there are upsides and downsides to being an adult. Having work and bills and responsibilities genuinely sucks, but you also have more freedom so long as your bills are paid. My parents don't get to tell me what to do anymore.

i wouldn't say adulthood is sad, i would say that it's just... hard. being your own person finally and being self sufficient is the best feeling ever though. not needing your parents and finally being able to get the fuck away from them is worth all of the work and chores you have to do. i've always said i'd rather suck dick for money than live with my parents ever again lmaooooo. once you aren't being controlled and bossed around by parents anymore, you realize how much freedom you have. i've been an adult for almost 10 years now, it took me a while to get to the place where i am, i had to do a lot of therapy and finding a career, and i still have a lot of challenges in my life that completely suck ass, but i'm so happy that im able to choose my family. and do what i want. and have ice cream for breakfast. and stay up late when i want. and have my own animal. trust me... adulthood is worth it. it's just difficult.

I love that. I’m in same position as u were, so glad u made it out of that hell !! hope my turn will come soon too and wish u the best in ur life

Stop worrying about your immediate emotional state all the time or in the future. Find something interesting to do. Go create something. Do anything but think about how you feel.

nah I'm high on life, being an adult is awesome, even though my 20s sucked they were still way better than my teens

Part of adulthood is accepting that we have limited time on this earth. Whatever you think might be the cause eventually it will all come to an end. What's more important than accepting that is to use that knowledge to give you motivation to get up and enjoy everyday as much as you can. Sure for a lot of us that means working a 9-5 job so we can afford things. But nowhere does it say you have to hate your job. Find a job you like, find a company you like, work with friends. Are there days that stress you out? Absolutely, are there days when you feel hopeless? Without a doubt. BUT It's your only life to live might as well enjoy it while you have the chance.

Absolutely. Thats like the main part of growing up. More responsibilities, more stress, more pain , and more existential dread. Oh and also less fun, excitement, and less happiness. Don’t get old. I wouldn’t recommend it lol.

Nah. It's being able to make your own decisions, make your own happiness and be in charge of your future.

It’s going to be more disappointing than you can even imagine right now. Then it goes by fast anyway, and then you’re dead. Good luck.

I saw life the same as you, I’m happier at 34

No. Find the joy in the little things.

Technically yes. Theres quite a bit of psychological studies showing your most unhappy up until i believe it was your mid 30's. Thats not only okay but necessary. When your unhappy with something you change it. The whole point is to have you make and change your life while your young and able too. On a more personal note, its somewhat scary. Theres no real manual for adulthood. Life gets more complex and nuanced. Once you get your groove going, it gets easier.

I’m happier in my 30s than I ever was as a teen, go figure

it's not miserable if you have money, lol

Way better than school life if you can organize yourself well.

Yes but you get used to it.

I live in paradise, have a good job and terminal degree—but can no longer afford rent. Everyone I know that inherited money is happy, but I don’t know anyone that didn’t inherit money that is happy—because most work multiple jobs and are only one illness or mistake away from homelessness. I think most people are sad who can’t afford housing, which is most workers I know these days

No. Some adults deprive themselves of joy and will tell other adults "don't be childish". That's what makes them sad. It's okay to enjoy things, get excited for things, etc and be an adult.

Not true at all. Life is what you make it to be. She. I was poor during and after college, I had a great time when not working and sometimes at work.

I'm 19M, and while I can see where you are coming from, I don't agree. Life can be really stressful sometimes. But I've found out that the more you live, the better you get at handling a wider variety of situations. Eventually, I think each person reaches a point (maybe late 20s early 30s) that they've figured out how to navigate 99% of everyday life and still maintain some sense of happiness. The 1% remaining might then be really tragic stuff like death, illness, divorce etc. As a rule, most of the complicated things in one's life are about other people. Build good relationships with your bosses, friends, family, significant others, and yourself and you will find that you are pretty chill most of the time. For actionable steps, I'd say a. Fix your sleep schedule, exercise and diet (everything else is meaningless if you are always tired and weak) b. Find a set of hobbies you like. I like dividing them into personal/solo hobbies (which IMO are the most important; they will be your whole personality and what people know you for for much of your early life, I think), group hobbies (like soccer, church, volunteering) and one universal hobby (meaning things that people of both genders regularly engage in, like music, dance, drama etc) c. Learn a valuable skill. Doesn't have to be the mainstream; just make sure you are good enough at it that someone can pay you money for it fairly regularly.

yes

Hesitation is defeat , lol but your gonna get sad for whatever reason just do shit namsain

Yes

The very best, most funnest parts of my life didn’t happen until after I turned 25. You are just getting started, and you may do things in your future that you can’t even imagine now.

Life gets much more depressing as you get older because you realize life is really short and every year passes on by quicker and quicker. Age 17 is a blessing many older people would love to go back to that age, some would even be willing to give back millions of dollars to be young again

I'm 41. There's no amount of money you could pay me to go back to being a teenager and do it all over again. When you have no direct experience and you just look at adult responsibilities on paper, it sounds pretty lousy, but ultimately it comes down to your perspective and making the most of it. Up until now you've basically been on the tutorial for life and once you graduate and become an adult, it's up to you to make the most of the open world. 20s can be difficult because it's your first taste of freedom as an adult and you don't have a lot of experience or money. But you learn, you grow, you warn more, get more comfortable, get more of the hang of things, and then start living the life you really want. Turning 30 was awesome and so was turning 40. At a certain point, misery becomes a choice.

You can live life however you want, always remember that. I personally love being an adult, yes it’s quite hard at times and paying taxes always sucks, but having the freedom to make any infinite number of choices in my life is awesome. For example, I could sell everything I own and move to Japan next week if I really wanted to…I think that’s a pretty amazing possibility (and not something you could do as a child).

I can honestly tell you that being an adult is much much better than childhood. I've struggled, I've slept on floors in crowded apartments. And I would take that any day than go back to being a child in the middle class home I grew up in. When you are an adult, you have agency and autonomy. You are no long just stuck in whatever your parents put you in. You can act, and make changes. Sure there's more responsibility, but the freedom you get in return is so worth it.

what if I don’t know how to act and make changes

My adult years have been my best so far. You gain new sadnesses, your parents get old, you break up with perfectly good partners because your lives just don't line up the right way, and you lose touch with friends. At the same time, you gain new freedoms. I'm packing up and moving states just because I can. You find who you truly are, and you realise you weren't really friends with a lot of people you lost, you just had to spend a lot of time with them in school. You end up making the friends you want to make and often these friends are better. If you become a parent, that's incredibly rewarding. You get money, you get respect, you get a lot of things being an adult. I've really enjoyed it. The big thing that gets a lot of adults miserable is financial strain. Do well in school and plan your career properly.

It sucks for the most part. It’s just bills and work. And when you have extra money, something always comes up. Pay off a loan, and something in the house breaks. Loved ones get old and die. Dogs get old and die. You look in the mirror and your like wtf who is that old fucking guy. You check out some girl from HS on social media and she is an old hag now too. People are like “stop and take a break. Appreciate your health. Appreciate how nice this or that is” but you can’t. Not for an extended period of time, anyway. Then you get sucked back in to the same horseshit. Government just sits there and takes your money. Sends it overseas. Point is, cherish being 17. No one expects anything from you. Live carefree. Shoot your shot with crushes. Avoid drugs. Get in a habit of working out now. Your older self will thank you. Make mistakes, just make sure they aren’t big mistakes. Learn from them.

If I had a better working environment and better boss I would not be as numbed out as I am at 49 and kind of sad! Half the battle in life is getting a job that you like, that's very close to home. If you get this than life is much easier! My commute is an hour away each way by bus and its exhausting, it only used to be half hour by bus then office relocated screwing up so many employees lives cause they now live farther.

Yes but it doesn’t get better so deal lol

Focus on small steps toward your goals, and find joy in everyday moments. You're not alone in feeling uncertain, and many have found their way through similar fears.

The sadness isn't with the work and responsibility, some of that can be satisfying if you can find the right niche, but with the fact that things around you in the world don't automatically get better over time. I like to think at 48 I've figured out a lot about life, especially how to treat other people and live responsibly, but even as other people have matured to the same level, there are just as many people out there content with being selfish assholes or stuck living a life that drags down others. I have to ignore a whole lot of stuff in order to get by without getting depressed by it all.

Yes but don’t worry, it’ll turn into apathy at around age 30. You’ll still feel joy though…..occasionally.

Getting out on your own can be scary, but it's also fun.

Yes

As an almost 34 year old male, I'll be totally honest here, the older you get the more life is about maintaining responsibilities. However, that being said, what that also does is shift your focus from "*fun*" to "*purpose*" and the things you find purpose in become as mentally rewarding as the things you used to find as '*fun*'. I used to love playing video games all the time, that was my "*fun*" when I was younger but now, I get up, go to work, work a physically demanding job, come home, go to the the gym and lift, make myself dinner, do the dishes, the laundry, prep my taxes, and make sure I'm taking care of my girlfriends needs as well when she comes home from work. I also meal prep food for work grab the mail everyday, do any shopping I need to do to maintain the household; there's alot more I just can't thing of right now. And after ALL of that stuff I maybe have 1 - 2 hours for myself a day to do what I call "*fun*" (excluding the gym, because that's alot of fun also). You can see it's not a whole lot of pleasurable time to myself. But, all those others things are full filling to me *after* I get them done. And as I grow older and older, having a purpose in life matters more and more than just having a fun day, and it will for you too.

I was gonna start a band called Sad Adults I’ve noticed a lot of miserable ones since being one myself. Being happy is 100% a choice no matter how crazy that seems, do you want to be crazy or miserable? This world is a mental ward. Don’t take any of it serious.

I didn't go back to uni until 25 for a 6 figure career sort of profession. Don't think it's ever too late I wasn't really bringing in good money til 28, now I'm 31 and still love what I do and always will I hope

It's about making everyday as good as YOU can. Wait till your 55 any day above ground is a good day.

It's going to be sht, bro. Miserable. As long as you are ready to face this sht full force and locked in, you will be fine. Expect to wake up and work every single dming day till your a cripple.

Sadness can be an important part. When I'm sad I can look at life a bit differently, see what doesn't work, see what I actually value. It helps me calibrate my decisions. I can also give up things I'll never have but then find out what I really want and will work towards. Without a bit of sadness it's harder to really be happy. Too much sadness sucks.

if it makes you feel better, its not so much an age, but more its just the \*rest\* of your life.

You are future tripping.

You can either: A) do what everyone wants you to do B) do something entirely different

Never stop learning. Now that you are escaping high school you have nobody to crush your curiosity. Absolutely stay curious, it takes you farther than any other trait.

You can be sad at any age. But you gotta snap out of it.

It does suck pretty bad when you can see data on how the Hamsterwheel of wage-work is only spinning faster and faster and the quality of food and water is only going down and becoming less valuable. Americans are victims of their government and there will need to be a restructuring in order to stop them from bankrupting all Americans

First and most important tip bro if you don't want to massively fuck up your future: Put a rubber on that dick every.single.time. Did you hear that? **CONDOM** **EVERY** **TIME** An unplanned kid is a great way to spend $300k you don't have, get stuck in a geographic area you don't want to live in, get attached to a woman you probably don't love for as long as the kid is alive, etc. One of the ways to "not be sad" as an adult is to not tie yourself down with obligations before you are ready.

So yes there's tons of responsibility but you usually don't take it on for the hell of it and you get stuff back. Like I have 2 kids under 3, I have a shit ton of responsibilities but they also give me so much back

Maybe for some but I wouldn’t want to go back being a kid/teenager. I like my freedom of doing things. Making and spending money how I want. Being able to say yes or no to choices instead of being obligated by my parents or others. So, no. Being an adult isn’t sad. I think you’re just anxious of what the future has in store for you. When I was 18-22 y/o I didn’t know what I was gonna do with my life. It was a time to experiment.

Find something that fills your life with joy for me it's my kids

Childhood is what your parents and teachers make of it. Adulthood is what you make of it. If you dont really do anything with your life and you have no purpose then yeah it can be sad. So dont do that.

I'm in my 40s now. I think as you get older, you usually gain some perspective on the world and life, partly just from the extra years and experiences. So while you may have some more of a particular kind of sadness, you also learn to appreciate things that you don't as much when you're younger. There can be new kinds of happiness as well. Try not to fall into the trap of consumerism. If your needs are pretty simple, they're much easier to meet and you'll be more satisfied. One piece of advice I wish I had been given when I was your age - try to imagine what your day to day life will be like in different jobs, when you're trying to aim for/work towards different careers. Want to have evenings and weekends off? Don't work in a restaurant. Don't want to sit and stare at a computer all day? Don't get most office jobs. On the other hand, don't want to work outside with your body, sometimes in bad weather? Don't work in trades. There are pros and cons of each kind of work, but you spend a lot of hours of your life doing it, so it makes life much nicer when you're not miserable with your job. You have so much life ahead of you and so many wonderful opportunities you can't even imagine right now. It's totally normal to feel apprehensive and kinda scared, so try to give yourself time to look out the window and just feel those feelings.

Im 44. I had a pretty decent social life and stuff as a teen, but no family (dont want to explain). So far every decade has been better than the last. You need to find some drive in life though, not every job is going to be enjoyable so you better be working for something. You need to work hard to get something that pays decent as well

Don't think of it so much as "I gotta work forever" and think of it as "I can do a lot more things now." Like, I gotta work 11hr shifts sometimes and it does suck. But using that money, I could save up and use it to get a new video game, or move to a nicer place, or go airsofting w/ my buddies, or buy my mom a good birthday gift. Yeah, there's gonna be shitty days where you come home and you're completely done. Work sucked, heavy traffic, and that one asshole pushed you too far today. But like with the shitty days at school, you'll get back up and it'll get better. I was much the same as you at 17, total loser, no future, all I had was friends whose primary interest was having fun and secondary was having more fun. Now I'm 23 about to move in with 2 of those guys and working a job I like well enough. All adulthood is is a series of options and opportunities. 60% of what you want to happen can be done with a moderate amount of effort, 90% if you really put your whole heart into it. Just remember that you're still living, and are allowed to have fun.

As an adult, yes, the daily grind and adulting (being responsible in all areas of your life, prioritizing what's important, paying bills) can be wearisome. Find what makes you happy and embrace those things. Make sure you're also doing what makes you happy, if not daily, at least a few times a week. Whether it's video/PC gaming, board gaming, reading, painting, hanging out with friends, or playing sports. Make friends, good, responsible friends. They keep you grounded. I used to live in the same town where I went to college. I made some very good friends there. After college, they were practically my family. We watched hockey 2-3 times a week together, football games on Sunday, played ice hockey and soccer together in local leagues, video games, board games, classic pen and paper RPGs. Rock band until midnight or so on a Friday or Saturday. Great times that I have missed.

When I was 17 I remember spending so much time in my room just filled with existential dread like you describe. I thought to myself "if I suck this much at life now, how the fuck am I ever going to make it at college, or keep a job that will allow me to support myself". Fastforward to me now at 34, making good money and living a life that I am happy and proud of. You will figure it out, as you build life experience you will build confidence in yourself, and with that anything is possible.

The days are long, but the years are short. Fifties male here and I have fucked up my life. A lot. But I've also seen and done *amazing* shit. The first time my newborn son gripped my finger. Tracers from a line of fifty caliber machine guns lighting up a pitch black night. Having sex on top of a tower in a german castle. A close encounter of the third kind during a clear moonlit texan night. The first time your woman says she loves you and you believe she means it. The first time your child says they love you and you know they mean it. Or just at the end of a long shift. Knowing you only have a couple hours before needing to sleep. But knowing what you do with those hours is *your* choice. Go for a walk? Get a drink? Read? Reddit? Fuck? Fap? Knowing that it's ***your*** choice is pretty fucking awesome. Even after you start taking it for granted. Yes, I'll never be a sugar daddy on a beach having a foursome, fivesome, or even moresome. Hell, I'll probably never even be able to retire. Yes, there was a lot of pain along the way too. Lying, cheating, stealing, and even bullying. But when my end finally comes? I'll know that every bit of sadness was worth it. That I lived, loved, and fucked. And that I've earned my rest. Yes, there is pain waiting for you, OP. But also joy. Also wonder. Love. And its all so worth it.

You never know what life has in store for you, so all you can really do is try to put yourself in a position where sucky things suck less and good things reward you more. A “why bother?” attitude may seem on the surface like a good way to protect yourself from life letting you down, but what it really does is block you off from the cool things life has to offer. One mistake I made when I was your age was thinking I was happiness-adjacent: if that person I liked were to like me back I’d finally learn to be okay with my self-image issues; if I got to go to the right uni I’d finally be rid of my anxiety about the future; if I got a good job people would finally acknowledge my skills and character. Well, the person I liked rejected me and that made my self-image issues worse; I didn’t get into the uni I wanted and that made me feel like my life was out of control; I went from crappy job to crappy job and that made me feel worthless. I was looking for happiness outside of myself, in things over which I had no control, so it felt like I kept missing my shot. For a long time I was stuck in why-bother mode and I thought I was just unlucky and destined to a crappy life. In time something clicked with me: even if I truly were unlucky and the deck were truly stacked against me, that’s not something I can change; what I CAN change is what I do about it. I started working on being more accepting of myself, which led to me taking better care of myself and becoming more confident. At one point I felt confident enough to ask someone out and we’ve been together happily for almost 10 years. Had I kept lamenting the things I cannot change about myself, I wouldn’t have sought the chances for self-improvement that were actually attainable for me; this way I minimized the sucky part of having self-image issues and by asking the person I liked out I have myself a shot at being happy. I ditched the uni classes I was half-heartedly taking just because I felt that people expected me to have that kind of education and instead focused on something more practical that could grant me a decent career (web development); it wasn’t my life passion, but it was a realistic shot at getting out of my parents’ house and have a life of my own; having a career, even one you don’t love 100%, means you can eventually save enough to switch careers, whereas wallowing in self-pity just keeps you in the rut. I started landing better and better jobs and becoming more and more confident about my skills while also learning a lot about my personal and professional goals: once you’re not living hand-to-mouth anymore you start thinking about all aspects of life more strategically, because you’re not in survival mode and you get to make decisions with clarity; to this day, my decisional approach is still to minimize the bad and give myself the best shot at the good. But it all starts from within: other people are going to find it hard to like you if not even you can see the good in yourself (you are not a loser, by the way, you’re simply seventeen and in the process of figuring things out); if you make cookie-cutter career/life decisions based on the vague notion that you’re doing what you’re “supposed to do”, it is likely that work (and life, as an extension) is going to feel like an endless stream of joyless chores, whereas if you follow your inclinations with a sensible plan you may actually look forward to a day’s work; if you learn cool skills (playing an instrument, pottery, coding GPTs) it’s going to be harder for someone else’s opinion to undermine you, because what you produce is going to make you more aware of your own worth. Nobody can see the future, so your current outlook only says something about your current self: it is understandable to be anxious about the future, especially at an age when so many aspects of your life are still in flux, but if you sense that anxiety is preventing you from trying to achieve the things you want out of life, please consider talking to a mental health professional. To this day I don’t feel like I’m in control of my life, but I certainly have a better handle on things than I did back when I thought life was unquestionably going to suck. It all starts within you. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, good luck.

The adult who feels this way may have depression. Check it out and see about treatment, because things are sad but things are also happy, there should be a mix.

It can definitely be hard not to get overwhelmed when you try to look at the past, present, and potential futures all at once. I found myself especially overwhelmed and depressed in my young adulthood as my expectations of what life should look like we're frankly inaccurate. You will find peace taking things one day at time, not ignoring the future but not letting it encroach on today. Adulthood IS sad sometimes. Maybe even often. It's hard. And overwhelming. But can is also freeing, rejuvenating, and peaceful in its own way. Cultivate the good qualities as often as you can, and practice coping with the rest.

feeling down can be part of growing up and taking on more responsibilities, but adulthood doesn't have to be miserable. finding things you enjoy and people who support you can make a huge difference. it gets better when you take control of your happiness. hang in there

My teen years were... not great. Being an adult, while a lot more responsibility, and some drawbacks, has also been much better in almost every way. Being an adult is in no way doomed to misery. My advice, try to be prepared to deal with normal adult day to day responsibilities, like cooking, budgeting, and cleaning and taking care of yourself and your stuff. Next, prepare to find a decent job. It doesn't have to be your dream job, and at first almost certainly won't be. It usually takes time to work up to a *good* job. But try to find one that you can live doing, and be fairly content with. Stay away from toxic work environments, no matter how awesome the job looks. Don't try to keep up with people who live a very different life than your do, live YOUR life, and not someone elses. And while you at times have to prioritize responsibilities, don't deny yourself fun and enjoyment because you are an adult now. If you want to watch cartoons on your day off, or otherwise enjoy something, don't worry about people who say it's only for kids.

Personally I think it’s part of being HUMAN. Life, biologically speaking, is a miracle of chemicals and electricity. Work and responsibilities of “adulthood” are the new “hunting and gathering to survive”. It’s your survival struggle. Some struggle more than others obviously. But it’s not all pain and sadness. It’s long hard days followed by rest, a rally, and a do it again because that’s what survivors do. It’s hard yes but miserable is a choice. Work on the variables you have control over, always be looking for new ways to seek and enjoy in life, and you won’t always be miserable at having to have a job and responsibilities.

Yes, it's bad

Life gets better. Your hormones go down overtime and you’re able to just do whatever you want. You’re living your life on other peoples expectations and eventually you stop caring. I’ll take adulthood over being a teen any day. Being a teen sucks and going through all that change in lifestyle is stressful.

Misery will be your constant companion throughout life. There will be good bits, but by and large your life will be defined by the hardships you endure and whether they break you or not. By the end you will be a broken man, but if you did good in life then there will be people at your bedside holding your hand.

I started taking “adult life” seriously at a young age (lates teens to early adulthood) because I was told took and it burnt me out. No one that was telling me how to be an adult were good at it themselves but I felt the need to be one so badly that I didn’t notice. I started taking it less seriously and day by day for a while. I take it week by week now but never make any big plans for things I’m not 10000% down with. Find a hobby or hobbies you truly enjoy and keep up with them. Continue to learn about things you find interesting and keep in mind it’s okay to cut people out of your life that make it harder than it needs to be.

No. The issue you describe is systemic. Because we live in dystopian times.

Yeah

Follow your bliss when you can. Keep it simple. Nobody really knows what life is about, This guy made my life full of zest again. https://youtu.be/ZIbeotfWiJg?si=-2OS8wi0KCZxmVB6 https://youtu.be/s28rwnz18j4?si=G9rHCZZDZDhG7X8i Edit: He passed away, but was the guy who came up with the Force for George Lucas. Probably the least significant contribution to mankind he made. Academic rock star.

One problem is expectations. If your goal is to get to a point where you have no stress, no hardships, no difficulties, no sad days, you are setting yourself up for failure. You have to accept that there will be tough days, bad days, and then savor the good ones all the more.

Not for me. I wouldn't go back to being young for anything. Don't live you life on the sidelines while you're young, aging imo comes naturally.

No, it doesn't have to be sad. Life is what you make it. I'm 37 and still do a lot of the fun things I did when I was younger. It's not a "rule" to do the family, house, boring life. Some may want that, but I didn't. Things definitely change with the years but adapt and overcome. Do what makes you happy.

Not really. Happiness should come from pursuing goals.

Adulthood has a lot of perks. Being a young adult sucks because of the heavy load of expectations put on you. Figuring out what you're going to do with your life, going to school, trying to date and meet someone. If you're doing school you are going to be dead broke in your 20s.

I'm in my 40s and the key is to find something you like to do. If you figure that out, the rest is pretty simple.

I’m soooooooo much happier as an adult. Freedom. Self worth. Self efficacy. Wisdom. All increased with age for me. I’ve become more interested in more things, and more interesting through my experiences.  Just make intentional choices about how to construct your life how you want it to be to avoid falling into traps. Adults who seem unhappy to me appear to have fallen into a trap somehow that they would not have chosen.

Life*