I’m 23, and I still live with my parents. Since I graduated college two years ago, I’ve barely reached the six-month mark at my first full-time job. I’m still not sure what I want to do with my life. My internal conflicts are at their peak. It seems like the older we turn, the busier we get.
As I’m nearing my mid-20s, I’ve become so much more conscious about what is “acceptable” for millennials, myself included.
Is 23 my “transition” year yet? When will I be ready enough?
1. Relying on our parents
Imagine how savage it would be if we had to pay rent for our own bedrooms.
Frankly speaking, I’m still constantly torn between needing my parents tremendously at a physical and emotional level and wanting so much to venture out on my own and renting my own place somewhere completely new. But my savings and experiences say otherwise. Plus, the economy’s tough. Revamping our childhood bedrooms seem much more ideal than moving out and getting our own place.
In a generation full of young entrepreneurs and independent, successful gen Y-ers, I’ve never experienced the dorm life during college or living away from home for more than a month. I am both thankful and vexed because I never really had to worry about running out of anything – food, housing, and essentials in general, but leave me to my own devices and I’m honestly not sure how helpless I’d be.
In a poll conducted by Clark University, about 61 percent of parents with grown kids at home find this experience mostly positive. A 2008 study also found that parents showed fewer depressive symptoms when they felt involved in their grown children’s lives.
I’ve just recently struck a deal with mom that I’d begin contributing to my portion of our life insurance. Here’s to one of my first steps to financial independence and from parent dependence.
2. Not being able to detach from technology
Thanks to the fear of missing out (FOMO) we’ve become even more attached to our devices so we can keep track of what everyone else if up to – almost like it’s an obligation.
87 percent of millennials use between two to three tech devices at least once a day. However, if your livelihood relies on connectivity and social media, just make sure you give your offline life some value, too.
Who cares if your batch mates are off getting engaged? So what if my old colleague just got promoted? We need to stop putting ourselves down and start looking up from our phones more.
Your definition of success should not match theirs. Our success should never be measured alongside people who only showcase the best parts of their lives on social media. Hide their posts from your feed if that’s what it takes to get them off your mind.
3. Not getting enough sleep
I am guilty of sleeping and waking up with my hands still clutched around my phone (that’s if I haven’t already accidentally dropped or lost it between my sheets).
Sleep anxiety, night waking and condensed sleep duration have been verified as negative effects of gadget dependence and exposure, according to a study done by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The blue light from many devices may have a harmful effect on our melatonin levels because this type of light makes our body to stay alert.
Reduce your daily consumption of coffee or caffeine, too. It may be the straightforward reason why you feel restless and suffer from insomnia in the first place.
4. Some are living paycheck to paycheck
As if photos of their latest shopping sprees with #payday and #treatyourself as captions isn’t proof enough.
It doesn’t apply to everyone though, since not all of us are big on spending or impulsive buying. It’s just a matter of not giving in to temptation and peer pressure. No matter how career driven or frugal we are, society and social media do such a good job of convincing us that this new phone or that new car model is better than the last.
We criticize the newest phone models so much, yet we are also among the first in line during its launching.
An American Institute of Certified Public Accountants survey result showed that over 75 percent of millennials want to wear the same clothes and drive the same cars as their friends, half of them negligent about the fact that they have to use their credit cards to pay for basic necessities. One of the most alarming results of this study reveals that seven out of 10 young people define financial stability as being able to pay all of their monthly bills.
Prioritize yourself by saving a portion of your earnings “just because.” You never know when you’ll need the extra cash.
5. Multitasking
From having multiple apps open and constantly switching between them, to trying to do three things at once in the workplace, we millennials find it difficult to direct all our full attention to one thing at a time. We think we’re getting more done, when in fact, it’s the opposite.
The more we lack focus on our activities, the further we miss out on living in the moment and celebrating accomplishments individually. Be a master of one, instead of being a second-rate jack-of-all- trades.
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Lazy and entitled are just labels. No one’s making us claim it. These habits are not necessarily awful, but they aren’t advisable to keep up either.
Maybe I am taking longer than others to leave the nest. Or perhaps, compared to others, my parents look out for me more , regardless of my age. My job doesn’t consume my life and I’m still able to do what I want outside of it.
That’s the beautiful thing about being a millennial that hasn’t quite got it all figured out yet: there is still so much waiting to be discovered.
A quarter-life crisis doesn’t always have to be seen as a “crisis.”