The young women of today’s world are facing a lot of change in a very short period of time, and the world is apparently not sympathetic at all to the struggle.
When I did my research to write this post, I was astounded there weren’t more encouraging or positive articles about this period of transition–from college to first job or graduate school to third job–especially because adulting is hard.
Though discouraging, the search results I saw were also encouraging to me as a writer who wants to help young professionals through this time of transition in their lives. That’s why this adulting blog exists!
So here’s a bit of adulting life truths to digest with your morning coffee and some really awesome swag to let people know that adulting is hard but you’re doing your version of “adulting” pretty darn well. 😉
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Adulting Life Truths
Sometimes, because adulting is hard, I think it’d be convenient to have a guide to adulting, an adulting checklist, a class on how to start adulting, or a three-step plan. But then I do a double take.
Adulting Life Truth #1: Not all “adulting” looks the same.
It’s tempting to want to prepare our journey to someone else’s or measure ourselves up against a checklist. But adulting is much more than that!
What is adulting?
Adulting is a new term coined by our generation that is a verb for “doing adulting things” or things that are commonly attributed to “being an adult.”
I’m not sure why or when it became a thing, but as a writer, I always appreciate some new vocabulary to express a sentiment that was formerly inexpressible.
Without the word “adulting,” how else would I express my simultaneous excitement and fear about this new time of my life?
Related: Importance of Taking Time for Yourself when Adulting
Why is adulting so hard?
It’s the intensity of the “adulting” things that we are suddenly doing. It’s not just because adulting is hard, but also because we’re doing a lot of adulting things at once, at a higher frequency, and during a time when so much is also changing. We’re changing jobs, moving cities, meeting new people, starting new chapters in our lives as young professionals.
Adulting is so hard because we’re transitioning so many parts of our lives at once and still trying to be us. We’re trying to stay true to ourselves while everything else in life is shifting.
One of the ways you can stay true to yourself during this time of “navigating the adulting struggle” is to get some swag to match this season of life!
Because Adulting is Hard — Swag and Gifts
When I was a senior in college, my mother bought me a “I don’t want to adult today, Maybe tomorrow” shirt that I absolutely love! Everytime I call her and complain about adulting, she asks me if I have that shirt on.
So whether it’s a “because adulting is hard” shirt, coffee mug, stickers, or sign, find the swag that helps you express how you are handling adulthood with your own flair. Here are a couple of suggestions for 6 unique adulting swag:
Jesus — Because Adulting is Hard Shirt
I don’t know about you, but with each day I do more “adulting,” I’m realizing how much I need Jesus. I’m so thankful for the grace He extends to me, and the strength He gives me for every day.
- If you can relate, than this cute “Jesus, because adulting is hard” shirt may be perfect for you. It’s from MasonDixonandDown, which has 4.8/5 stars on Etsy, and tons of colors for this design.
Coffee — Because Adulting is Hard
After I’ve had my time with Jesus in the morning, the next thing I reach for is my coffee. If you’re a coffee lover, too, then check out this shirt, decorative sign, and coffee mug!
- The “Coffee, because adulting is hard” shirt is from HTownApparel, which has 5/5 stars on Etsy.
- This decorative “because adulting is hard” sign is from InspiredDecorCo, which has 5/5 stars on Etsy, too.
Both the shirt and the decorative sign couldn’t say it any better: “Coffee, because adulting is hard.” That’s why coffee is for adults only, right? 🙂
And even though this coffee mug doesn’t mention adulting, I think we should all remember to celebrate the successes we do have.
- This very affordable “adulting” mug is from Target, my favorite store to go in and spend money on things I didn’t know I needed. It says “celebrate the small victories.”
Stickers — Because Adulting is Hard
I found these “because adulting is hard” sticker packs and thought they were just so cute. If you have a journal, planner, or chalkboard that you use to track tasks or goals for the week, these stickers are the perfect way to reward yourself for a job well done.
- This “because adulting is hard” sticker pack is by Happy Planner and is from Target.
- This sticker pack is from Penguin Pants Shop, which has 5/5 stars on Etsy. Reward yourself with a sticker “because adulting is hard,” and you’re killing it!
- Also I’ve gotten some great stickers for adulting from the Dollar Tree, believe it or not. Check out the cool designs in the photo above!
Now that you’ve picked out some neat “because adulting is hard” swag, here’s my final Adulting life truth.
Adulting Life Truth: The art of adulting
Instead of a checklist or a destination, think of adulting as an art.
It’s an art, on the one hand, because it’s learned. It’s not something that we will absorb one day and wake up the next morning with all of the knowledge we’ll need for the rest of our lives. It’s something that we have to learn, just as we learned to survive finals week in college.
Secondly, I consider adulting an art because no one’s canvas is going to look the same. Not only are all of our circumstances different, but we’re different, too. So why not give ourselves the liberty to be different in our adult lives, too?
As I mentioned at the start of this post, there are so many negative voices out there about adulting, especially for young professionals and millennials. Those are brushstrokes I don’t need on my canvas, and neither do you! So as you examine your adulting life and set your personal goals for the future, I want to offer you this encouragement instead.
An Encouraging Adulting Blog
We’re all going to make mistakes. We’re probably going to mess up a time or two, but I’m here to encourage you and cheer you on!
Stick around on this adulting blog; here, we are reminded to be gracious to ourselves, like God is gracious to us. God is here to comfort us during this transition.
Check out some more Adulting posts, and happy adulting!
- How to Handle Adulting with Flair and Faith
- Personal Goals Every Woman Needs in 2021
- 35 Thoughtful End of Year Reflection Questions To Ask Yourself
Featured Images: Pexel, created with Canva (1); From the free photo library at Canva, created with Canva (2).
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Needed to hear these words! Love the space that you are creating to normalize the stress of transitioning to adulthood. Thank you for the encouragement and can’t wait to keep reading!
Hey Jess! I’m so glad that you were encouraged by this post and am glad that you like the new mission of my blog. I really think this season of life is a collage of so many different “transitions,” which makes adulting all the more hard. For me, it’s been important to remember that even though adulting is rough, I am not alone.