What Does Adulthood Mean To You? #3

This is submission #3: This is from the perspective a University student who took a year off from school to work and save money

You can read the previous submission here: https://www.southsonder.com/blog-1/what-does-adulthood-mean-to-you-2

1. Tell me about yourself.

I am a 20-year-old woman that is of Caribbean and African American descent and I was born and raised in Canada. I attended the University of Windsor and I majored in Psychology. I'm a very kind, friendly yet shy individual, but many people seem to like my personable and polite personality. Narcissistically speaking, the qualities that I really admire about myself is my calm demeanor, my imaginative mind that allows me to dream big and challenge my creative nature, my ability to empathize and care for others, and lastly, my strength and resilience. I should be in my third year of studies, but I decided to take a break from school to work and reenroll for the upcoming fall 2019 semester. I’m interested in a variety of things, but as of lately, I have developed a great appreciation for the art of cinema. As for my other interests, I enjoy reading, writing, interior designing in my spare time, and most of all, spending time with people I love, whether it be family or friends. Although this brief description doesn’t exactly paint a good picture of who I am entirely, I would boast more on my personality being that I naturally care for others and enjoy meeting and interacting with new people.

2. What about University/college/adulthood (in general) stresses you out? Write in detail.

What stresses me out most about adulthood is that it comes too fast. In Canada, as soon as you turn 18 you are responsible for yourself no matter what and that can be a little frustrating, especially if you are a person coming from a sheltered household. Personally speaking, I have always been independent and love to do things on my own, but in some cases I don’t always feel like I’m an adult. Since turning 20, I have developed this worry of time going by too fast and I always feel like I’m wasting time or that I’m too old to do certain things and the thought of every passing hour where I’m not being productive clutters my brain with worry, especially if I feel as though the day doesn’t provide me with enough time. I never used to be like this and I used to live each day without worry, but when you get older and think more about the future, time seems to feel as if it is moving fast forward, making every moment count.

3. How do you handle that stress (if at all)? What recommendations would you give to someone dealing with stressors regarding coming-of-age/growing up?

How I handle the stress of worrying about time or feeling that I’m getting old is that I love to do productive things that challenge me mentally and/or physically. And, how I handle dealing with stressors is I try to watch something that I enjoyed as a child. Reliving my childhood memories brings me joy because I take on the feeling that I once had. Overall, when I feel anxious or that time is going by too fast, I like to plan my goals and challenge myself to stick to them. With each goal being accomplished, the more I feel as though I’m bettering my future. I feel stagnant at times, but with a positive mindset and giving myself the motivation for bettering my life, my nerves relax, especially if I end up achieving the goal. It is most important to live DAY BY DAY and to not let time cause worry or stress. We’re all going the same pace, so why panic, rush, and add unwanted stress over something we can’t control?