Just a few years ago, adulting wasn’t even a thing. Older people paid the bills, struggled to save some moolah, and afford little luxuries in between, but they didn’t call it adulting. Back then, these things were simply “responsibilities.”
Millennials, the creative, brilliant, but sometimes whiny young generation that we are, created a term for the chase for the ever elusive lifestyle balance: adulting.
Here are 10 times tough girl Max Black from the series, Two Broke Girls, summed up adulting:
Adulting means setting aside what you want. It entails plenty of sacrifices.
Sometimes, even, those sacrifices go beyond simply cutting out on your weekly lavish shopping sprees. It also means forgetting what you want when it is, as of the moment, beyond your means.
“Sus, who needs an iPhone 7? My Nokia 3310 is working pa naman.”
It also means letting go of stuff you don’t really need. Like your tear ducts?
You now know the value of hard-earned cash, so you only spend it only on the essentials.
“Gummy bears. Gummy bears are a priority!”
You stick to the essentials, alright. But twice a month, some two to three days before the next pay period, “petsa de peligro” comes.
During that period, the word BFF changes its meaning: Kaya pa, ‘bes?
Sometimes, you get so tired of trying, that you just give up on it.
What expectations? I’m so chill kaya.
Five days out of seven, it even feels like your entire life is falling apart.
But then you realize that you’re only being too hard on yourself, and that it needs to stop.
Hey, you haven’t pulled together your first million yet. But things like that don’t happen overnight. You’re earning your own money and settling your own bills — hey, you even pay for your own mani-pedi now! They may be little achievements, but they’re enough.
Being a responsible adult may be tough, but sometimes, you just need to remind yourself that you’ve done exceptionally well at this whole adulting thing. You’re awesome!
When all the “adulting” starts to creep in, remind yourself that you are young. You are allowed to cry. To make mistakes. To fall short. To have your heart broken. Just as you are allowed to try again. To make things right. To be insanely happy.
Adulting isn’t something one can master in time. Believe me, I know people who are well into their 40s but still feel lost. I can’t promise you that it will get better, but it gets easier.
You’ll get the hang of the entire thing. When things get too heavy, you might just need a hug to help get you through because let’s face it, tomorrow is another day for adulting.