20-Something Struggles: Embracing Change

Hey there! Welcome to Just A Little Wildflower. Today, let’s dive into a topic that gives me the occasional whiffs of anxiety…yay! Drum roll please… Change. Hold your waistbands, because we’re about to embark on a journey of self-discovery, laughter, and maybe a few tears along the way.

Let’s talk about the journey, shall we?

Oh, the 20s—the decade of newfound freedom, endless possibilities, and let’s be real, a healthy dose of good old confusion. Ha! and I thought being a teenager was hard. I have truly never felt more in the deep end in my life than I do in this era. From navigating career paths to figuring out who we are (gosh this seems like the hardest part) and what we want in life, it’s a time of exhilarating highs and truly, truly perplexing lows. But hey, isn’t that what makes it so beautifully messy? Uh, I guess. Nonetheless, the journey is beautiful.

Uncertainty?

Okay class, raise your hand if you’ve ever felt lost, overwhelmed, or utterly clueless about where life is taking you. Raises hand. Yeah, me too. All my years growing up, uncertainty has been my biggest fear. I absolutely hate being unsure about my future, well, I hate being unsure about anything really. It literally hurts my stomach to think I could be putting in so much work for some boulder to just come and strike out of nowhere. It is truly the root of my anxiety. But, for my health, I had to realize that I cannot control everything. The uncertainties are part of life. It is a crucial part of our journey. It is change. Change in the constant cycle of whatever we have going on and it is truly beautiful. We discover our strengths, our passions, and our resilience in the face of the unknown.

Mistakes? What’s that?

Oh, here we go… Let’s talk about mistakes, shall we? Or maybe not. I mean do we really want to feed into what society deems a mistake. I ask because I, for one, have removed the word “mistake” from my vocabulary. This may be a bit controversial but hear me out, there’s no such thing as a mistake. There’s absolutely no reason to be walking around placing any doubt on any decision I have ever made in my life at any age. (If you’ve done some criminal activities, I can’t really help you there, buddy). Yes, you may have done some stuff that you probably think you could have handled differently but now you know, right? Missteps are not the end of the world; they’re lessons in disguise. Whether it’s a failed relationship, a career setback, or a regrettable night out (we’ve all been there), each is an opportunity to learn, grow, and laugh at ourselves along the way. It’s literally part of the journey. It’s all fun and games. Embrace the changes. We take it all too seriously. Let’s not suck all the fun out of life by looking at little things like that as “mistakes” that you walk around with as a way to criticize yourself. You are living life at every age for the first time. You are just learning, that’s all. Do you think a baby that’s learning to walk, falls and thinks to themselves, man, I just made a mistake? Absolutely not, they giggle and get up and try again, or move on to the next thing. Life is too short to be dwelling on little missteps.

Good ole Resilience

One thing I’ve learned in my journey through the 20s is the importance of resilience. A skill that you absolutely need to hone is the ability to bounce back from curveballs. Trust me, I am aware that life doesn’t always give us lemons. My a$$ has gotten my fair share of some spoiled limes. Sheeesh. I have spiraled into many panic attacks, drunken nights in bed (and outside of bed lmao), depression and numbness. Those times have truly taken away from the quality of life that I had always envisioned for myself. I had to decide to take my life back. I had to fight. (*cues joke* ALL MY LIFE I HAD TO FIGHT! HAHAHAH!). I had to work on my confidence and learn more about myself and of course give myself the unconditional love I need to fight to stay on course on this ever-changing journey. You must fight for you.

Finding Joy in the Journey

This part is most important to me. To be joyful. Being happy is great. And I strive for that, it is a choice. But joy is deeper. Joy lasts through the parts that are seemingly ugly. Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, there’s beauty to be found in the little moments—the late-night laughs with friends, cuddles with your partner, having a solid glass of wine and generously buttered popcorn, the spontaneous adventures, the small victories that remind us we’re doing just fine, even when it doesn’t feel like it. The lows can be treacherous, but it can never, and will never stay that way forever. Things are always changing. Make life be the best movie ever. Romanticize the heck out of every. single. thing. Make it an event.

As we wrap up this tiny little exploration of the 20s or just life in general, I want to leave you with this: You are not alone. There are times when this journey feels lonely, but you are never truly alone. Not when you have this 25-year-old chronically online self-proclaimed-everyone’s-favorite-bestie living on this earth haha. No, but seriously. I am here. There are others that will come along your journey too and you will have beautiful memories if you choose to look at it that way. CHANGE IS INEVITABLE. So, let’s embrace the journey, embrace change, embrace growth, and most importantly, embrace each other.

Let’s talk! Comment down below or message me on my contact form.

With love and laughter, Ally